The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1928-03-23
CHAPTER Continued


l then devoted my fingers to the In
dex, and my thoughts to wondering
II Peter wouldn't come and explain
himself whirled to the window for
more cards, and when | whirled back,
there was Peter himself sitting in the
big oak chair at my left He had
stolen down the gallery stairs behind
me. | managed not to crafty him by
jumping, but had to stare. He who
was hahitually as neat as fresh gar
denia was attired In suit that wrin-
killed. all over his athletic form: his
shoes were dusty: three cinders chung
TO one side of a much swollen nose.
He gaZed at me so trustfully that j
longed to weep.
"Good morning, Constance. This is
heck of a mess, yes?" he suggested
simply.
Something happened, Peter?" | fall
tered, not overintelligently.
"Oh, no, nothing. Mr.. Darrow's all
ready TO fire me, that's ALL"
Mercy Why?"
Ous uOh lCb IhC gOu Aou
find that card-catalogue more interest
ing than am"
peter, am obliged to put this
catalogue in apple-pie order for this
afternoon. when Mr.. barrow has COM
manded me TO expound its principles
and workings to his nephew, Capt.
Eric Ashland, informing me, as he did,
per telephone, that | have his entire
confidence Captain Ashland. as you
know, is chief cataloguer for Ashland's
of London, and he has come the whole
way across just to pay US a visit. /
in manuscript in a tenpenny notebook
such as was brought over by William
the COnquerOr. And while really
don't see why he shouldn't If be likes
TO and can make it work-we couldn't
MIR. barrow hopes he can get the
same system of classification used in
the two houses, for the sake of sim
plifying business; so 1t is my bust
ness to convince Nephew of the COM
plete superiority of the American
method Now I've told you my trou-
bles. Tell me yours"
Gee whiz! l hope you enjoy your.
selfI" remarked Peter, comfortingly.
Constance, you're a real sport. I'll
bet whole cent against ten billion
rubles that you'll forgive me for being
naughty, when | tell you my sad story.
I've left my happy home, and l only
xryiSh annl6 hnun hnnr1 for "
"For whom was it, may l ask?"
''My stepmother."
Didn't know | had one, myself. un-
til Saturday"
well, certainly hope your father
will be very"
"WelI, he won't. She wore pink
hat and called me 'Petey.'"
$50 you had to quit?"
"NOt precisely that The real rea-
son." confided Peter, distractedly,
was Nancy. She eloped. That is, she
did for a while. She got tired of II
and came back"
was distinctly bewildered; for
while a fortuitous stepmOther In a
pink hat is indeed a frightful vista
ton, should have been sure that Pc
ter would see his sister Nancy through
anything. He said once that, fight
against ii as you might, you had TO
get fond of a kid you'd brought up
since she was ten. Peter had just
parted his lips to explain, when again
the front door opened.
This time il admitted, not a GUS
toner, but an extra hand sent up by
an employment agency for the crisis
in the shipping office. He was a rough,
unaIluring young man; indeed, /
glanced at Peter questioningly as we
watched him start down the aisle
However, he was Mr.. Riggs business.
not ours. My telephone then rang.
and Just as | finished answering the
inquiry, Peter and | exchanged an
other glance. Mr.. Riggs had evident.
iy been ready to put up with any
body, for Peter and | heard click
which signified to us that the appli-
cant had punched the time-clock as an
employee already.
"What I've been trying to tell you, "
Peter resumed, Is tndt i SOt OUT OF
Jail early this morning"
What were you in for?" | inquired
cOurteously but dazedly.
Disturbing the peace, and assault
with intent TO kill, guess. Ii so, the
second item is correct, but the first is
a misapprehension, for ii happened in
Philadelphia. Anyway, when they
heard the whole story they let me go.
You know a little while ago Mr.. Oar
row sent me off ON long trip to chase
books? Well, the last place, which
reached last Thursday, was Richmond.
Va, where | was to look over the late
Judge Pulleyn Leavitt's famous law
library. just due to be auctioned There
were q number of books In Ii which
we wanted among them one that the
Legal federation has been forever pes
tering US TO find for them. It's called
Notes Oh Medical Statutes In the Vir-
ginia Code, by Justice Whortley Clari-
hew. dated eighteen-ten. And since. "
observed Peter. watching me closely,
''thaf announcement does not seem TO
nnnerve you particularly, I'll add that
this American law book contains o
:COlfax boOkplate."