The Washington herald., 1920-11-11
AN o. HENRY STORY
"The Guardian Of The Acolade''

4
NIT the least important Of the
IN force Of the weymouth Bank
was Uncle Bushrod. Sixty years
had Uncle Bushrod given Of faith
full service to the house Of Wey-
mouth as chatteI. servitor. ana
friend. OF the color of the mahog-
any bank furniture was Uncle
Bushrod-thus dark was he ex-
ternally; white as the unlnked
pages Of the bank ledgers was his
soul. Eminently pleasing to Uncle
Bushrod would the comparison have
been; for to him the only institu-
ton in existence worth considering
was the Weymouth Bank. OF which
he was something between porter
and generalissimo-in-cha
Weymouth lay, dreamy and UNI
brageous, among the low foothills
along the brow of Southern val
ley. Three banks there were in
weymouthville. Two were hope
less, misguided enterprises, lacking
the presence and prestige ola Wey-
mouth to give them glory. The
third was The Bank, managed by
THE Weymouths-and Uncle Bush
rod. In the old Weymouth home-
stead--the red brick. white-porti-
coed mansoin, the first to your right
as you crossed Elder Creek, COM
ing into town-lived Mr.. Robert
Weymouth (the president of the
bank), his widowed daughter. Mrs.
lVesey-called Miss Lefty" by every
lone-and her two children. Nan and
lGuy. There, also in a cottage on
the grounds, resided Uncle Bush
rod and Aunt Malindy,' his wife.
Mr.. william Weymouth (the cashier
of the bank) lived in a modern, fine
house on the principal avenue.
Mr.. Robert was a large. stout
man. sixty-two years OF age, with
a smooth, plump face. long IRON
gray hair and fiery blue eyes. He
was high-tempered, kind, and gen.
erous, with a youthful smile and a
formidable, stern voice that did not
always mean what 1t sounded like.
Mr.. William was a milder man. cor
rect in department and absorbed In
business. The Weymouths formed
The Family of Weymouthviile, and
were looked up to. as was their
right of heritage.
Uncle Bushrod was the banks
trusted porter. messenger. vassal,
and guardian, He carried a key to
the vault, just as Mr.. Robert and
Mr.. William did. Sometimes there
was ten, fifteen, or twenty thousand
dollars in sacked silver stacked on
u 4,
Uncle Bushrod. He was a Wey-
mouth in heart. honesty, and pride.
OF late Uncle Bushrod had not
been without worry. 1t was on ac-
account of Marse Robert. For near
| ly a year Mr.. Robert had been
known to indulge in too much drink.
Not enough. understand. to become
tipsy, but the habit was getting a
! hold on him, and every one was be-
! ginning to notice It. Half a dozen
| times a day he would leave the bank
and step around to the Merchants
and Plants Hotel to take a drink.
Mr.. Roberts usual keen Judgment
and business capacity became a lit
tie impaired. Mr.. william, wey-
mouth. but not so rich In experience,
tried to dam the inevitable backfiow
of the tide. but with Incomplete sue
cess. The deposits in the Weymouth
Bank dropped from six figures to
five. Past-due paper began to accu-
mulate, owing to injudicious loans.
No one cared to address Mr.. Robert
on the subject of temperance. Many
of his friends said that the cause OF
it had been the death of his wife
some two years before. Others hesi-
tated on account of Mr.. Roberts
quick temper. which was extremely
apt to resent personal interference
of such a nature. Bliss Lefty and the
children noticed the change and
grieved about 1t. Uncle Bushrod
also worried, but he was one of
those who would not have dared to
demonstrate, although he and Marse
Robert had been raised almost as
companions. But there wGs a
heavier shock coming to Uncle
Bushrod than that caused by the
bank presidents toddies and juleps.
Mr.. Robert had a passion for fish,
ing, which he usually INDUCED
whenever the season and business
permitted. One day, when reports
had been coming in relating to the