Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1910-02-10
wo iolets
1t was the day after the panic.
By M. H. JUSTICE

It was the day after the panic.
The turmoil and buster of the
street" which had swept before it In
havoc the fortunes of many substan-
tial firms, had also taken down with 1t
that of John Hambleton & Co. But the
street" itself. which the day before
had been one mad pandemonium, had
again quieted down to its usual seren.
ity, except the crowds around the
curbs who still talked over the finan-
cial excitement But SO it always is
in this district of New York. Men
may go down at one fell stroke, specu-
lators may lose all they have In the
world-but the markets go ON the
same--the persistent ticker marks of
more encouraging quotations, and the
financier forgetting the ruin of those
around him, strives to recoup his own.
John Hambleton sat in his private
Office On the morrow the firm would
go through the preliminaries of assign
ment. He could pay off a part of the
Indebtedness dollar for dollar, but
after this his slate would be wiped
clean of a cent At so he was worse
than when he had begun-a pauper,
though an honest and discouraged
man
He touched an electric button.
A Slight, dark-haired, grayeyed girl
came in with pencil and pad. She was
more than beautiful, for there was
sympathy and intelligence in the
young face. She had been with the
firm but three weeks, but she had
given satisfaction from the start. Her
dignity and gentleness had given
soothing effect to the strenuous brok-
erage office without John Hambleton
knowing why
mo, Miss Jarrett, you need take
no more notes. he told her, when she
had sat down. Il regret to say / am
discharging you He held up his
hand when she started to speak.
Don't make it worse" he went on;
81 am ruined and done"
But Mr.. Handle OH"
He raised a silencing hand. Here
is two weeks salary in advance-ttll
you can secure another place, and /
wish it could be more. You will find
couple of firms on this slip to whom L
have recommended you. / am going
out on business errand for an hour.
You may leave now"
She wondered at his words, but
some silent warning in his handsome
face forbade her answer She softly
closed the door and went out AS she
gathered up a few belongings she
heard the senior partner go on his err
rand And when she left she passed
through his private office again, with
eyes filled with tears, and laid little
note upon his desk.
An hour later John Hambleton came
in. Though he had sacrificed the last
cent of-his private fortune of over a
million dollars, there were still some
who called him thief and man with
out friend left
"a man without a friend" Worse
than a man without country!
He opened a small drawer of his
desk and took out something. The
polished steel glistened against the
rich mahogany of his desk as his hand
closed over 1t. Twas perhaps coward
ly. But he was tired-alone and des-
perate.
Once he looked out the window.
Below, rising from the street, he could
hear the shouts of the curb brokers,
and further away, the indistinct mum
BILE coming from the stock exchange.
not
again, and he gripped the steel thing
closely.
At that moment, almost brushed
aside, his eyes fell on Alice Jarrett's
note.
Slowly he opened it. There were
Just a few words, but out fell two VIC
let's, the kind that grew in his mothers
DAYS on the farm, with the delicate
odor of spring A food of emotion
overcame him.
His eyes fell to the note.
81 am leaving, but here is my adj
dress My heart is with you in your
trouble. If you need me only send
for me. Your friend. A. J."
His friend! Of all the friends he
knew this gentle girl alone had left
the gentler message just in time.
With the two violets pressed to his
lips. John Hambleton's head went over
on his desk, and he wept for the first
time in many years.
Slowly the little steel article was
put back In it's drawer.