Middletown transcript., 1908-05-30
CONFESS

marked Corness as ne rose from
his seat. John Pinkham gaspeo.
For the last half hour he had
showered incoherent abuse upon
Corness' head, and Corness had
patiently listened. Now h e
wanted to know if there was
more to be said on the subject!
I have said all want to say
thundered Pinkham. as if to in
stantly annihilate the young
man.
I thought you must be pretty
we'll talked out, agreed Corness'
Now I want to say just a te"
words more. Neither you nor
anyone else has the right to
make Elsie miserable by forcing
her to marry anyone save myself
You say she won't marry me un'
less you give your consent Then
You'll have to consent, that's all.
He turned and left the office
before the gasping banker could
reply. It was ten minutes be-
fore Pinkham recovered from
his astonishment sufficiently to
press the call button upon his
desk.
Burton, his confidential man,
promptly appeared.
Burton, roared the banker
don't you ever let that young
Corness come in here again.
But you said you would see
him, sir, reminded Burton de-
fensively.
Suppose that I did, growled
Pinkham. Did you suppose that
he would have the effrontery to
tell me that I must do what l am
not going to do?
No, sir, acquiesced Burton,
promptly and sincerely. He
wondered how anyone could ever
suppose that he could make Pink
ham do what he did not desire to
do.
Then, stormed Pinkam, don't
yeu let that fellow come in here
again. Kick him out, dye hear?
Kick him out! And Burton, with
assurance of understanding, es'
capped, thankful that the outbreak
had been no worse.
It was half an hour before
Pinkham could calm down suffi-
ciently to give his attention to
business matters. The idea of
Winthrop Corness, sen of his pet
financial enemy, daring to aspire
to his daughters hand and
daring to defy him when consent
had been refused. He had al.
ready arranged that Elsie should
be married to the Viscount Earl
ington. He would be a Duke
some day and the grandchild of
John Pinkham should inherit the
title.
It was an hour later that the
telephone bell rang and Pinkham
lifted the receiver from the hook.
This is Mr.. Corness, was the
prompt reply to Pinkham' S hello.
Elsie says she will not marry me
unless with your consent.
I told you so, declared Pinkham
with a chuckle. What are you
going to do about it?
I told you this afternoon you
would have to consent, came over
the wire.
Pinkham hung Hp the receiver
with the nearest approach to an
oath he ever INDUCED in, and for
the rest of the afternoon the
clerks in Pinkham's stood in fear
of their lives or instant dis
missal.
Corness was sitting in the Ii.
brary when Pinkham arrived at
his home. I wanted to see you
about that consent, he explained
pleasantly, as the elder man en-
tered. You see, we might as
well get over with it. 1t will save
you a lot of trouble.
What Pinkham said to Corness
was irrelevant and immaterial if
not brief. Tt was decidedly a
one. man interview, and it ended
with the butler being called to
identify Corness that he might
not again make the error of ad-
mitting him.
You'll think this over, and let
me know, won't you? asked Cor
ness as he took his departure;
and for a second time he left the
banker speechless through emo
ton.
Somehow Pinkham's moods
never reached his daughter, and
it was an almost playful parent
who sat across the table from
that young woman, enlarging up
on the advantages of family and
the lows of the Court of St,