The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-01-21
HESE are the directions for finding the office of Carteret & Carteret, Mill Sup plies and Leather Betting:
 You follow the Broadway trail down

onestory synthetic mountain of stone and iron. In the twelfth story is the office of Carteret Car teret The factory where they make the mill SUD- plies and leather betng is in Brooklyn. Those com modities-to say nothing of Brooklyn-not being of interest to you let hold the incidents within the confines of oneact one-scene play, thereby les senng the toll of the reader and the expenditure of the publisher. So, if you the courage to face four pages of type and Carteret Carteret's office boy, Percival, you shall sit on vanished chair ln the inner office and peep at the little comedy of the Old Nigger Man, the Hunting-case Watch, and the Open-Faced Question-mostly borrowed from tho late MT. Frank Stockton, you will conclude.
 First biography (but pared to the quick) must intervene. am for the inverted sugar-coated qui- nine pill-the bitter the outside.
 The Carterets were. was Columbia College professors please rue) an old Virginia family Long time ago the gentlemen of the family had worn lace ruffes and carried tinless fois and owned plantations and had slaves to burn. But the war had greatly reduced their holdings. tOf course you can perceive at that this flavor has been shop lifted from Mr. F. Hopkinson Smith, in spite of the let" after "Carter.") We'll anyhow:
 m digging up the Carteret history shall not take you farther back than the year 162O The two or1gl nal American Carterets over in that year, but by different means of transportation. One brother. named John, came in the Mayfower and became a PiIxrfm Father. You've seen his picture on the covers of the Thanksgiving magazines, hunting tur- keys in the deep snow with a blunderbuss. Bland ford Carteret, the other brother crossed the pond in his own brigantne, landed the Virginia coast, and became an E. F. V. John became distinguished for piety and shrewdness in business; Blandford for his pride juleps, craftsmanship, and vast slave cultivated plantations.
 Then came the Civil War. q must condense this historical interpolation) Stonewall Jackson was shot, Lee surrendered; Grant toured the world; cot ton went to nine cents; Old Crow whisky and Jim Crow cars were invented; the Seventy-ninth Massa- chnsetts Volunteers returned to the Ninety-seventh < Alabama Zouaves the battle flag of Lundys Lane which they bought at secondhand store in Chel- sea kept by named Skzchnzsk; Georgia sent the President sixty-pound watermelon-and that brings us up to the time when the story begins. My! but that sparrings for an opening! really must brush up on my Aristotle. ...
 The Yankee Carterets went into business in New York long before the war. Their house, as far as Leather Betting and Mill Supplies concerned, was musty and arrogant and solid of those old East India tea importing concerns that you read about in Dickens. There were some rumors of war behind its counters, but not enough to af feet the business.
 During and after the war, Blandford Carteret, F. F. w., lost his plantations, jueps, marksmanship, and life He bequeathed little more than his pride to his surviving family. So it to pass that Blandford Carteret. the Fifth aged ffteen was in- vfted by the millsupplies branch of that name to come North and learn business instead of hunting foxes and boasting of the glory of his fathers the reduced acres of his impoverished family. The boy jumped at the chance; and, at the of twenty-five, sat in the office of the firm equal partner with John the Fifth of the blunderbuss and turkey branch. Here the story begins again.
 The young men were about the same age, smooth of face alert easy of manner, and with an air that promised mental and physical quickness. They were razored bue-serged, strawhatted, and pearl stick pinned like other young New Workers who might be millionaires or bill clerks.
 One afternoon at four o'clock, in the private office of the firm Blandford Carteret opened letter that q erk After reading it, he chuckled audibly for nearly minute. John looked around from his desk inquiringly.
 "Irs from mother" said Blandford. .Ill read you the funny part of it. She tells me all the neighbor- hood news first, of course, and then cautions against getting my feet wet and musical comedies. After that come vital statistics about calves and pigs and an estimate of the wheat crop. And now I'll quote some:
 ".And what do you think! Old Uncle Jake, who was seventy-sx last Wednesday, must go travelling. Nothing would do but he must go to New York and see his young Marster Blandford." Old he is, he has a deal of common sense. so I've let him go. I couldn't refuse him-he seemed to have concen- trated all his hopes and desires into this one ad- venture into the wide world. You know he was born on the plantation, and has never been ten miles away from 1t in his Hfe And he your fathers body servant during the and has been always faithful vassal and servant of the family. He has often seen the gold watch1the watch that was your fathers and your fathers fathers. told him it was to be yours; and he begged me to allow him to take 1t to you and to put into your hands himself
 .sso he has it, carefully inclosed in buckskin case and is bringing it to you with all the pride and importance of kings messenger. gave him money for the round trip and for a two weeks stay in the city, wish you would see to it that he gets comfortable quarters-Jake won't need much look ing after-he's able to take care of himself But have read in the papers that African bishops and colored potentates generally have much trouble in obtaining food and lodging in the Yankee metropo- lis That may be all right; but don't see why the best hotel there shouldn't take Jake in. Still SUD- pose it's rule
 = gave him full directions about finding you, and packed his valse myself You won't have to bother with him; but do hope you'll see that he is made comfortable Take the watch that he brings you-it's almost decoration. It has been worn by Carterets, and there isn't stain upon it nor a false movement of the wheels. Bringing 1t to you is the croWning joy of old Jake's life wanted him to have that little outing and that happiness before is too lae You have often heard talk about how Jake. pretty badly wounded him.