Year: 1872




to think of the old man, I did moi
mention it; then, besides, it was really
but a trivial circumstance.


The following day business at the
hank proved remarkable heavy, al
least my particular share of it. II
seemed to have taken a sudden freak
of remorse for the easy time it had
been allowing me, and Immediately
concluded TO make full atonement.
worked steadily through all the MORN
ing and half The afternoon, allowing
/ myself only few moments for dinner.
About three o clock, tired and cramped
| in position, leaned back in my chair
to take a good stretch, and had just
closed my mouth after most refresh
ing yawn, that came near imperilling
the desK, when heard the teller say
| to some one:


He thinks when he gels twenty
| five thousand that something grand
will happen to him, and he'll be
among the highest in the land. He
works hard enough for il poor soul +?
and is as honest about it as if the whole
world was looking on. OF course, the
very fact of his trying to get twenty
five thousand shows that he is badly
cracked, utterly crazy. 1t is queer idea
of his, but nobody can reason with
him about the matter"


had not heard who he was talking
ABOUT, nor did inquire, but thought
to myself as trimmed my pen: Well,
twenty-f five thousand is net much |;
you have ten times that amount, and
did not come by it very easily either,
but nobody thinks you are cracked
or utterly crazy and it is hardly
queer that a person should want
money in this age of the world, and, if
he is honest, it is more than cln be
said Off


My quill had a most beautiful point !.
Indeed 1 quite prided myself on the
art of pen-making. and, highly pleased
with the satisfactory result of this deli.
cate operation, fell to work again with
renewed energy, forgetting all about
twenty-five thousand, or fifty thou
sand, or any other particular thousand
in the high pile of notes that still re-
mained waiting to be entered. plod-
ded bravely ahead, but my good-humor
was not destined to be of long duration,
as. before they were greatly dimin-
ished, l discovered another job, for
which certainly l had no calculations.


1t was mistake, resulting entirely
through the carelessness of the indOr-
ser. i Immediately saw a seven-mile
trip into the country for some of the
hank-clerks, and suspected it would
more than likely fall to my lot. 1
could not help mentally anathematiZ-
ing all people i'm general, and this man
in particular, for being loose about
business affairs, and apparently caring
little how much trouble and incOn-
venience they gave to others. After
appealing to the president for his de-
cIsion, it turned out just as / antici-
pated: first, that some one must 20
out and see the man personally; and,
second, that I must be that unlucky
''sOme one" The job had just single
redeeming feature, which was, that a
day or two or even three made no
especial difference, otherwise it would
have been beyond my Christian for
bearance, as it was already late, and
was tired, and the afternoon hot and
disagreeable.


waited until Thursday, vainly hop
ing that the heat might moderate, or
that it might rain, but the morning
dawned without any change in the
temperature. Finding it impossible to
delay the matter still longer, / went
over to the livery-stable, ordered the
buggy, and, as had previously gain
ed Georges consent to accompany me
for there is no society would quick
er avoid than my OWL drove to his
lodgings and picked him up without
wasting much time.


After all, did not know but it was
better than being cOoped up i'm the
bank, which, if it was not as bright,
was considerably hotter, for the wind
felt very peasant blowing softly against
out faces, and the farms lying along
the road, spreading out as far as the
eye could reach, were much more en-
tertaining than the musty pages of a
ledger. The cherries hung dead-ripe
upon the trees; the blackbirds chat
tered about them to each other with
red-stained bills, and the cats, stretch
ed lazily in the sunshine, watched the
winged robbers with no charitable
feelings. The leaves, if they were
thirsty, complained but gently, and in
the fields the grasshoppers without
tagging still heldltheir jubilee, and from
the level pastures further off came the
sound of distant bells, and sometimes
close by the roadside the farmers
whetted their scythes.


Yes, it was certainly not so disagree
able as had imagined, and, while we
rolled pleasantly along, 1 experienced
quite revolution of feeling toward
the author of this forced journey.
When we arrived at our destination,
nd int hi
the business was speedily accomplish
mained of my irritable feelings, by
showing, in a gentlemanly manner,
the Nervousness o. the mistake, and
fully impressed the awful C c)nsequences
that might have resulted from it on his
mind, We stepped into the buggy and
turned our faces hOmeward. George
proposed returning by our favOrite
route, and, as it would besides save us
almost mile, we crossed over to the
Waverley road.


We were hardly more than halfway
back, when we, for the first time, suf-
fered from the heat. The singing of
the insects ceased. Every breath of
wind had expired, and nothing stirred
i'm the dead calm that bound up the
land like mighty spell. The very
atmosphere grew stagnant, and its
sulphurous folds hung over us with
heavy oppression. The sky was like
FURNISHED brass, the ground was like
heated stone. had hardly turned to
look at the west, when the wind broke
loose with a sudden rush, and the
birds, screaming in their fright, whirl-
ed i'm confused circles. There was no
time to be lost, and / knew from eX-
perience that / could not manage the
horse in a stor We drove rapidly
for shed whicn stood fortunately but
a short distance bevond.


Already the black cloud that 1 had
seen, an inky point above the horizon,
had reared itself into gigantic noun
tain and shot its jagged pinnacles over
tie zenith, and few swollen drops of
rain splashed in our faces as we gained
the shelter. Just at that moment the
strange old man, with the bow heavier
in his back, and his sharp gray eyes
eagerly searching every rut and gully,
came up the road, paying no heed to
the threatening tempest. Suddenly
he stopped as l had seen him before,
picked up something from the ground.
ther, throwing himself back, flourished
his long, knOtted stick with wild,
triumphant gesture over his head,
and shouted with loud, metallic