Year: 1877




DINNER hour in the manufacturing
- town of Middleton.upon-I a hot
summers day. We are an energetic and
thriving community at Middleton, al
though you might not think it just now
when our streets are all deserted, and
everybody is engaged in hard feeding.
1t is no fault of mine that L am not
among the everybody. A peremptory
engagement retains me at my post. L
expect my Uncle Henry on business of
importance, for which he has chosen
the dinner hour when no one is about.


My obligations to Uncle Harry are so
great that his wishes are law to me, even
dinner. He has been my guardian and
my best friend. BY his help 1 have been
enabled to set up on my own account as
q solicitor, and, through his influence, L
hope eventually to be provided with
respectable practice. He is thriving
merchant of our rising town, and one
of the best fellows in the world, enter
prising and speculative-perhaps rather
too much of the last, but there is cool
confidence about him that generally
brings him out right at the end. He has
no children of his own, but has another
ward, niece of his wife, one Kate
Brown, between whom and myself, L
may tell you, exists an attachment of
long standing. When my practice brings
in sufficient income, Kate and are to
be married.


Altogether, in spite of the dusty, sui
try air, the sleepy aspect of things, and
the sense of something wanting caused
by the neglected call to dinner, felt as
happy as man could well desire to be !;
the future seemed bright and cheerful,
and there was nothing in the present to
cause me the slightest disquietude.


But something in my uncle's step up
on the stairs gave me kind of PRESENT.
ment of coming misfortune. He came
in, and threw himself into chair; flung
his hat upon the floor, and wiped his
face with his handkerchief, an unaccus-
toned air of weariness and chagrin upon
his face.


"All well at home ?" asked. "Aunt
all right, and Kate ?"


He nodded in an abstracted way, and
flung telegram across the table to me.
1t was from his London correspondent: /:
"Gillies q Co.'s acceptance returned
regular smash; everybody connected
with them will come down."


remarked calmly that it was very
good thing that he was not connected
with them.


But am, Jem, worse luck, +" he said:
1--WE were operating in cotton together
for rise,an they have drawn upon me
for big figure"


[ felt that this was bad news, and I
did not know what to suggest. But
presently Uncle Henry frightened up,
and went on to say that, although this
would no doubt hit him hard, yet he
could weather il as long as his connec-
ton with the bankrupt firm was un-
known. The bills that were now ma
turing, drawn upon him by Gillies &
Co., were payable in London. He must
raise 10000 to meet them, and this at
once, and with the utmost secrecy, He
could do this easily enough on the secur-
ity of the title deeds of the property he
had in the town and neighborhood; his
banker would advance the amount al
once, but he did not want to go to his
banker. He would not have it known
for the world that he was raising money
on his property. Better pay HEAVIER
percentage for the loan, and deal with 6
money lender unknown to the world O
commerce. Could I find him some ont
to advance the money at once on thes,
securitiesp


1t was not without embarrassment
that / replied that / thought could pu