,
 
 e.c.
 
 " 
 
 Mr. Outwright was a welcome caller everywhere. I'age 64.
 
 AN ODD FELLOW 
 
 A TALE OF TO-DAY 
 
 BY 
 
 CARLISLE B. HOLDING 
 
 Author of "THK LITTLE CORPORAL," "THE COLONEL'S CHARGE,' 
 " HER BUN," " IN His OWN WAY," Etc. 
 
 CINCINNATI: JENNINGS & PYE 
 NEW YORK: EATON & MAINS
 
 COPYRIGHT 
 KY CK.ANSTON & CURTS.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 FACE. 
 
 L STARTING A NEW PAPER, 5 
 
 IL LOVE'S VOTING DREAM, 19 
 
 nL THE TRUTH, 29 
 
 IV. FOREWARNED, 36 
 
 V. ONE DEGREE HIGHER, 50 
 
 VL Two ODD FELLOWS, 63 
 
 VII. IN THE TOILS, 76 
 
 VTH. THE BURGLAR CAUGHT, 89 
 
 IX. THE SELECT SCHOOL, 109 
 
 X. A PLAUSIBLE PLEA, 121 
 
 XI. CONSIDERING THE EVIDENCE, 133 
 
 XII. A FLOOD OF LIGHT 141 
 
 XIIL PLOTTING MISCHIEF, 153 
 
 XIV. BUILDING ON THE SAND 161 
 
 XV. A PLEASANT PRISON, 169 
 
 XVI. BITTER-SWEET 180 
 
 XVTL CROSS PURPOSES, 188 
 
 xvin. THE PRAYER MEETING, 197 
 
 XIX. EXPLANATIONS, 210 
 
 XX. MR. CHRISTIE, 220 
 
 XXI. A POLITICAL SCHEME, 229 
 
 XXIT. A STRANGE DISAPPEARANCF 238 
 
 xxrn. PLOTS 246 
 
 XXTV. TEMPERANCE MEETING 262 
 
 XXV. APPEARANCES DECEITFUL, 269 
 
 3 
 
 2136043 *
 
 4 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 XXVL VIEWS AND INTERVIEWS 279 
 
 XXVIL A PROPOSAL OF MARRIAGE, 290 
 
 XXVIH. AN UNDATED PAIR 301 
 
 XXIX. THE CONVENTION 310 
 
 XXX. JENNIE JESSUP, 326 
 
 XXXL Two CAIXS) 335 
 
 XXXIL SEARCHING THE RECORDS, 343 
 
 XXXm. AN UNEXPECTED RETURN, 355 
 
 XXXI V. THE DAY-DAWN, 363 
 
 XXXV. MISHAPS AND HAPS, 373 
 
 XXXVL A DOUBWS ACCIDENT, 385 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 MR. OOTWRICHT WAS A WEIXXME CAU,ER EVERY- 
 WHERE, Frontispiece. 
 
 " NEVER YOU BOND DAN. LEAVE HIM TO ME," SAID 
 
 THE CHIEF OP POLICE, .*.. 41 
 
 "WHY, WHAT HAS HAPPENED NOW?" SHE ASKED, IN 
 SOBERED EARNESTNESS, 143 
 
 " NOW, WHAT, MOTHER ?" SHE SAID, TURNING ROUND ON 
 THE STOOI, TO FACE MRS. JESSUP 2IO 
 
 " HEW.O, SETH!" THADDEUS BXCXAIMJSD, 275
 
 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 i. 
 
 STARTING A NEW PAPER. 
 
 " TUDGE, don't you know I am getting aw- 
 ^ fully tired, do n't you know, of the poky 
 way the Gazette is run, hey ?" 
 
 "I believe I have heard you say so before," 
 Judge Tracy replied, with a smile. 
 
 " Well, do n't you know, if a few of us fel- 
 lows, do n't you know, should chip in a hundred 
 or two all around, do n't you know, we could 
 get up a respectable paper something Bram- 
 bleville would be proud of, do n't you know, 
 hey?" 
 
 " Perhaps so, Thompson ; but who would 
 edit it ?" 
 
 " Never mind that. Do n't you know there 
 are plenty of young fellows bright young 
 scamps who would make things hum, do n't 
 you know, if we would give them a chance, 
 hey ? Do n't you know, we need n't go very 
 far fro in the Gazette office to find one, either, 
 
 5
 
 6 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 do n't you know? Now, there is Throckmorton, 
 do n't you know?" 
 
 " Perhaps, Thompson ; but Brambleville has 
 as many papers now as it can support ; more, 
 in fact, than it needs. How they all live is a 
 mystery to me." 
 
 " But, do n't you know, there is n't a decent 
 paper in the whole lot, don't you know? If we 
 had a paper with snap and sparkle, do n't you 
 know, all the others would die out, do n't you 
 know a survival of the fittest, do n't you know, 
 is about what it would amount to, do n't you 
 know?" 
 
 "Then, what would become of the other fel- 
 lows, Captain ? Old Uncle Monmoskin has been 
 in the business here ever since long before the 
 war." 
 
 "So he has ; and to tell you the truth, Judge, 
 he has stuck to Brambleville; and, as for that, 
 Brambleville has stuck to him, do n't you know? 
 But he is a fossil, do n't you know ?" 
 
 "There comes Charlie Christie. I know his 
 jump on the stairs. He usually comes up two 
 or three steps at a time. See what he will say 
 about it," the judge said, eying the door. 
 
 "Charlie is pretty spry, don't you know, for 
 one of his age? But say, Judge, they tell it on 
 Charlie that he has a soft spot for a relative of 
 yours, do n't you know, and is spryer than usual,
 
 STARTING A NEW PAPER. ^ 
 
 do n't you know, trying to discount forty-odd 
 years, don't you know?" the captain replied, 
 teasingly. 
 
 "He is not coming here. Stopped in the 
 first office, I guess." 
 
 " He did, did he ? That settles it ! Do n't 
 you know, gossip says that Mr. Lysander is not 
 averse to the matter, do n't you know?" the cap- 
 tain persisted. 
 
 " Mr. Lysander ? Not averse ? I do not un- 
 derstand you, Captain." 
 
 "Why, Charlie is courting the eldest daugh- 
 ter, to be plain about it." 
 
 " That child ? Here he comes now." 
 
 " How are you, Judge ? Good-morning, Cap- 
 tain ! Fine day again ! Remarkable weather, 
 all in all ! Ought to please everybody 1 Ha ! 
 ha! ha!" 
 
 "Glad to see you! Have a chair, Charlie. 
 We were just wishing you would come in." 
 
 "Thanks, Judge. O! ah! Wanted to see 
 me ? Then I am not interrupting you, Judge? 
 Captain ? Do n't let me, I beg you." Charlie 
 bowed to each profoundly, and took the offered 
 chair. 
 
 "No; no interruption, Charlie. No one ever 
 interrupts me, you know." Saying this, the 
 judge lighted another cigar. 
 
 "Thanks 1 O ! ah ! I was just thinking of
 
 8 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 ah ! a scheme that might be worked to our 
 mutual benefit Ha! ha! ha! I tell you, 
 Judge and Captain I do n't know ha 1 ha ! 
 how you stand, either of you, on the subject ; 
 but Uncle Monmoskin has been a very good 
 editor ha ! ha ! in his day that is to say, be- 
 fore the war ha ! ha ! But times have changed 
 since then hal ha! and you must have no- 
 ticed how awfully dry the Gazette is." 
 
 "The very thing, don't you know, Charlie^ 
 I was just saying to the judge, do n't you know, 
 when we heard you coming up the steps, do n't 
 you know?" 
 
 " Coming up the steps ! Ha ! ha ! ha ! That 's 
 pretty good. Do you recognize O ! ah ! any- 
 thing peculiar in my coming up the steps? 
 Ha! ha!" 
 
 " We all have our peculiarities, do n't you 
 know, Charlie?" the captain said, soothingly. 
 "And when you come up the steps, don't you 
 know, you come like thunder, do n't you know, 
 Charlie two steps at one time, do n't you know? 
 A body would n't think it, either, seeing, do n't 
 you know, the gray hairs an occasional gray 
 hair don't you know?" 
 
 "Early piety, Captain O! ah! but ha! 
 ha I ha ! I do n't walk on my head ! It is n't 
 coming up-stairs two steps at a time that makes 
 gray hairs !"
 
 STARTING A NEW PAPER. 9 
 
 "But, say, don't you know, we must have 
 another paper. Uncle Monmoskin has outlived 
 his day, do n't you know ? And, say, Charlie, 
 do n't you know, I believe the judge, here, is 
 with us, do n't you know ?" 
 
 The judge smiled broadly, turned his chair 
 toward the window, and watched the clouds go 
 by, saying nothing. 
 
 "Silence ha! ha! gives consent, Judge 
 ha ! ha ! and we ah ! well, we know you will 
 help us out. Ha ! ha ! ha ! 
 
 " Have you spoken to any one else about it?" 
 he asked, wheeling about to face them again. 
 
 "No, Judge ; for ah ! to tell you the truth 
 ha! ha ! I knew it was n't much use to talk it 
 up, unless you were in it. Ha ! ha ! ha 1 You 
 know ah ! how that is, yourself." 
 
 "It doesn't matter much about me," Judge 
 Tracy said, modestly, though he knew it all 
 rested with him ; for while others would give 
 their money, he must give the scheme stability 
 by his hearty indorsement. Indeed, only a lew 
 could be induced to act independently of him 
 in any public or private enterprise. 
 
 " But, do n't you know, it makes all the dif- 
 ference in the world, do n't you know, whether 
 you are with us or not, do n't you know ? Of 
 course, you know it !" 
 
 "Suppose you call Simon up; and send for
 
 10 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 Major Morrison. We might have a little talk 
 about it, whatever we do," he suggested, quietly. 
 
 " I will go right off ah ! if you will wait 
 here, Captain. I will be back in ten minutes, 
 or less, with Simon and the major, too. They 
 are both in Simon's store. Ha! ha! ha! Judge, 
 I see you are with us ha ! ha ! and the scheme 
 is bound to win. Ha ! ha ! ha !" 
 
 Mr. Christie bounded out of the room, and 
 his feet beat the long-roll on the stairs as they 
 rattled down to the street. 
 
 "By the way, Captain, did you find a buyer 
 for that house and lot on Cherry Street ?" 
 
 " Not yet, Judge. The fact is, do n't you 
 know, I am not anxious to sell, even at that 
 figure? Everybody seems to be in a selling 
 mood, do n't you know ? Guess I will keep that 
 piece, and buy next to it, do n't you know, and 
 hold for a rise, do n't you know ?" 
 
 "I thought you and Charlie were on a trade 
 for the Wentworth property." 
 
 "We were, don't you know; but Charlie is 
 going to build an extension to his drug-store, 
 do n't you know, so as to have entrances on 
 both streets, do n't you know, and he backed 
 out, don't you know? Glad he did, for I will 
 take it all myself. A smashing good piece of 
 property, do n't you know, that Wentworth cor- 
 ner is?"
 
 STARTING A NEW PAPER. \ I 
 
 "Pretty soon you will own all the town, 
 Captain." 
 
 "Guess not, Judge. I am only picking up 
 what other folks throw away, do n't you know ? 
 Can't blame me for that nobody can, do n't 
 you know?" 
 
 Then they puffed their cigars in silence, and 
 waited. 
 
 " They are coming ! Hear Charlie's laugh !" 
 
 "Simon is telling one of his funny stories, 
 do n't you know? The only funny thing about 
 Simon's stories, do n't you know, is Simon him- 
 self, and his innocent laugh, do n't you know ?" 
 
 " Pretty good Jew, for all that." 
 
 "Judge, I wish we had just a thousand Jews 
 like Simon in Brambleville, do n't you know ?" 
 
 "Very few like him." 
 
 "The last of his tribe, don't you know, and 
 no one to take his wealth when he is gone, 
 do n't you know? not a chick or child, and no 
 near kin." 
 
 "Can't buy that block of stores of him, I 
 guess ?" 
 
 "Not for twice its value, don't you know? 
 Simon is queer about some things, do n't you 
 know, and will not sell a foot of Brambleville 
 property, don't you know?" 
 
 "And buys all he can get?" 
 
 "Yes; and, don't you know, he learned that
 
 12 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 trick of me, don't you know? I happened to 
 tell him one day, do n't you know, something 
 about my scheme ; and here he goes, do n't you 
 know, and beats me at my own game, do n't 
 you know? A sly coon is Simon, Judge." 
 
 "Sly? Yes, but in the better sense. He 
 would not take advantage of a child. He is 
 perfectly transparent in his dealings ; but shrewd, 
 nevertheless." 
 
 "Well, here we are, Judge. Ha! ha! ha! 
 And, what do you think? They were actually 
 talking about the same thing ; that is O ! ah ! 
 they were lamenting the lack of a paper in 
 Brambleville that is up to the mark and the 
 times ha ! ha ! as it were, when I went after 
 them." 
 
 "Indeed ! That is quite a coincidence." 
 
 "I didn't tell you, Simon, and Major," with 
 a nod toward each, " what O ! ah ! the judge 
 wanted with you ; but you see, we ah ! that 
 is, the captain and myself were just discussing 
 the question of ah ! well you know, the Ga- 
 zette ! It is antiquated ha ! ha ! and O ! 
 ah ! we thought another paper might be 
 started to represent Brambleville progress and 
 position ; and we ah ! that is, Judge Tracy 
 here suggested that we get together, and talk 
 it over ha ! ha ! so I went for you ha ! ha ! 
 How does it that is ha ! ha ! how do you
 
 STARTING A NEW PAPER. 13 
 
 feel about it, Simon? Hal ha! It is only 
 ah ! a little interchange of private opinion. 
 Ha! ha!" 
 
 "Az lo' me," Simon said, spreading out his 
 hands, and extending his arms in a gesture of 
 sincere frankness, " awf c'os', annudder baper 
 means more eggsbense for advurtidesment wid 
 no addigate redurns for the oudlay ; fo', awf 
 c'os', de Gayzette reages all my gustomers, and 
 more, too ; bud I am for 't, ef thay rest of thay 
 boys air. P'raps we kin hev lots ov fun findin' 
 oud w'are all de eggsbenses come in, eh, Judge ? 
 I am in fur annyding thay rest of thay boys air 
 in fur, from a noosebaper to zygloramy of Ad- 
 laridy." 
 
 " As for advertising, Simon ha ! ha ! I will 
 just withdraw from the Gazette, and doubje up 
 on our paper, ha ! ha ! for O ! ah ! I, ha ! ha ! 
 look upon such expense as ah just so much 
 contributed to the press, anyway ha ! ha !" 
 
 "And the judge, don't you know, could 
 throw all his legal ad's to our paper, do n't you 
 know, and never feel it? His clients have to pay 
 all advertising bills, anyway, don't you know; 
 and, do n't you know, the Judge would make 
 them help us that way, don't you know?" 
 
 " Guess my clients and Simon's customers, 
 and Charlie's too, are all in the same boat. 
 They all have to pay a little more for what
 
 14 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 they get to make up for advertising expense. 
 Isn't it so, Simon?" 
 
 " May be so, Judge, may be so ! Id maygd 
 no diffrunce to me-e-e w'ere I advurdize, so I 
 advurduse" 
 
 " But say, boys, why not get Uncle Mon- 
 moskin to brush up the old Gazette get a new 
 editor, buy new type, and so on? Then we 
 could get along without a new paper. To tell 
 the truth, I dislike to go back on the Gazette at 
 this late day. It was a blessed good thing to 
 get hold of the Gazette down at the front in war 
 times. I used to read it through, advertise- 
 ments and all, especially home advertisements, 
 if I do n't now. Why, when we were about to 
 go 'marching to the sea' with Sherman, I re- 
 member I read Charlie's drug advertisements, 
 and wished I had a drink of his soda-water ; for 
 he had a picture of the fountain in the paper," 
 Major Morrison said. 
 
 "Soda- water! Now, Major, don't you know 
 that is a little thin? Not many soldiers, don't 
 you know, ever broke through the guard-line, 
 don't you know, to get soda-water? Wasn't it 
 the 'pure drugs, etc.,' of Charlie's ad. that 
 caught your eye ? That etc. means a good deal, 
 don't you know, in a drugstore ad., don't you 
 know?" Captain Thompson said, with hilarious 
 laughter.
 
 STARTING A NEW PAPER. 15 
 
 " Perhaps the major's suggestion is the right 
 thing to do'. Suppose we see Monmoskin first. 
 There is no little risk in establishing a new pa- 
 per, however ably managed," Judge Tracy said, 
 when all were quiet again. 
 
 " It is hard to cure an old dog of his tricks, 
 don't you know, and the Gazette^ Judge, has 
 tricks as old as the hills, don't you know? 
 Washing machines and little liver-pills, don't 
 you know, are more important than news from 
 Washington, don't you know?" 
 
 "Well, ah ha! ha ! there is sometimes more 
 stir in washing machines than in Washington 
 ha, ha ! ha, ha ! ha !" 
 
 "That reminds me, don't you know, that 
 Uncle Monmoskin is in Washington City this 
 blessed minute, don't you know?" 
 
 "He is? What for?" 
 
 " Place and power, Judge. Why he expects 
 the President to do great things for him, do n't 
 you know, because he printed his picture, do n't 
 you know, head of column next to reading mat- 
 ter, do n't you know, all last summer?" 
 
 " Last summer ! Why, there was no cam- 
 paign last summer." 
 
 " Of course not, Judge ; but, do n't you know, 
 it is a great thing to keep one's place and face 
 before the people, don't you know? And then, 
 don't you know, no other paper in the State
 
 1 6 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 could claim such devotedness, do n't you know, 
 to the President?" 
 
 " By the way, Captain, do you hear anything 
 encouraging from your appointment?" Major 
 Morrison asked. 
 
 "Not a word, Major, don't you know? And 
 the queerest part of it is, don't you know, that 
 no one seems to want the place I am after, do n't 
 you know? I am the only applicant, and it's 
 queer, don't you know, that I don't get it?" 
 The captain took on a seriousness he did not 
 feel, for life was mostly sunshine with him. 
 
 " Well, Judge, since we are all agreed on a 
 new paper, or the Gazette rejuvenated ha! 
 ha! suppose we all ha, ha! ha, ha ! happen 
 in on Uncle Moninoskin when he comes back 
 ha, ha! and inquire what he will do?" 
 
 "What do you say, Simon?" 
 
 " Id maygd no diffrunce to m-e-e. Awf c'os' 
 I 'd radder haf a bran new baper, but id maygd 
 no diflfrunce." 
 
 " But, do n't you know, if we started a new 
 paper, we would have a bright, clean, and at- 
 tractive page, do n't you know, whereas the 
 other way, we would be loaded down with old 
 patent medicine plates, don't you know, right 
 from the word go?" 
 
 " Second-hand gloading mighty poor iuveds- 
 munt"
 
 STARTING A NEW PAPER. 17 
 
 "Yes; it is a little like taking a case in hand 
 after a jury is impaneled." 
 
 "Or buying pine lands in the stumps." 
 
 " Or, ah ha, ha 1 like putting old corks in 
 new bottles ha! ha! 
 
 " Well, shall we wait to see Uncle Monmos- 
 kin, or shall I write out an agreement to start a 
 new paper as Charlie suggested?" 
 
 " Write it, Judge, and we will all sign. That 
 will be a starter, don't you know?" 
 
 " Yes, wride it, Judge. No use cutting the 
 gahment 'tel the gustomer is measured." 
 
 The paper was prepared and signed, and the 
 company were about to separate, when Seth 
 Russell entered the office, smiled on all, and 
 bowed to each, and slipping across the room in 
 a half-abashed way, sat down in a chair, and 
 without preface or explanatory remark, asked : 
 
 " What is the greatest ship afloat to-day?" 
 
 " The Great Eastern?" 
 
 "The Czty of Rome?" 
 
 "The Thunderer, of the British Navy?" 
 
 " All wrong." 
 
 " Then you say, Seth, for I know you have a 
 catch in it somewhere, don't you know?" The 
 captain remarked, cautiously. 
 
 "Friendship!" 
 
 "Bahl That's old!" Major Morrison ex- 
 claimed.
 
 18 AM ODD FELLOW. 
 
 "Right you are, Major ! Older than Methuse- 
 lah, and yet as new to-day as when David and 
 Jonathan set it afloat from the dry-docks, or 
 when Damon and Pythias gave it new rigging 
 throughout but the same old ship that sails the 
 sea forever, though wrecked on every shore ! 
 Sail on, thou beautiful ship, until thy prow of 
 love has flashed in every water that man may 
 know, guided safe through shoals and sunken 
 reefs by Truth's unerring eye! Good-day, gen- 
 tlemen." 
 
 " Odd fellow !" the judge said, as Seth hur- 
 ried out 
 
 " He is, indeed." 
 
 " People think he is a * little off,' do n't you 
 know; but when Seth settles down to sober 
 thought, don't you know, he is no fool, don't 
 you know ?" 
 
 " Only odd. He does more good than any 
 half-dozen men in the city. Famine and fever, 
 fires and funerals, always stir him up," the ma- 
 jor said, earnestly. 
 
 " I understand Monmoskin will be home next 
 week. Come up, gentlemen, Tuesday afternoon, 
 and we will all go over and see what we can do 
 with him," Judge Tracy said, as the others were 
 leaving his office.
 
 IL 
 
 LOVE'S YOUNG DREAM. 
 
 you have a copy of the Gazette, 
 no t yet dry from the press?" Thaddeus 
 Throckmorton said to Miss Josie Tracy, who had 
 waited for him at the foot of the stairs, while he 
 ran up to the office for a moment before going to 
 supper. 
 
 " Thank you !" she said, archly, taking the 
 offered paper. "Is there anything in it?" she 
 asked, mischievously, a moment later, as she 
 glanced down the columns as they walked slowly 
 toward her home. 
 
 " Of course ! The * Boss ' is in Washington 
 City, you know, and /got this number out 'all 
 by my lone,'" Thaddeus replied, with a smile. 
 
 " Did you? Then I know it is newsy and 
 nice and all that, if you got it out." 
 
 "Thanks!" he said, gayly, and with a happy 
 flutter of his heart. " I will walk home with 
 you, if you do not object," he added, as they 
 reached the corner where their paths would 
 naturally diverge. 
 
 "Object ! I shall be only too happy !" 
 
 " My ! it is a relief to get out of that printing- 
 office awhile." 
 
 19
 
 20 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 "I should think you would be tired, having 
 all the work to do this week. Is that why I 
 haven't seen anything of you since last week?" 
 
 " In part. But have you missed me ?" 
 
 " So much ! I can not tell you how much." 
 
 " Were you at the mustcale Wednesday night? 
 But of course you were. The Gazette has a full 
 account of it, so I need not ask that," Thaddeus 
 said. 
 
 " Yes, I was there ; went with Cousin Jennie; 
 she called for me. But it was simply horrid!" 
 
 " Why so? The Gazette says it was a success 
 in every way, and that the piano recital by Miss 
 Josie Tracy was superb." 
 
 " It does n't ! But who told you anything 
 about it? How dare you describe something 
 you never saw, and to say playing was ' superb ' 
 when you never heard a note of it ?" 
 
 "I was not there, I am sorry to say, but I 
 have heard you play often enough to describe 
 the performance without hearing a note." 
 
 "O, thanks!" 
 
 " But, besides that, I asked ever so many who 
 were there, and they all said your playing was 
 just *~too sweet for any use.' And yet you say it 
 was horrid." 
 
 " It was ! The music was good enough, per- 
 haps; but then I was miserable all evening." 
 
 Thaddeus was secretly glad to hear her de-
 
 LOVE'S YOUNG DREAM. 21 
 
 clare she was miserable when he was absent, and 
 fondly hoped her misery was due to his absence. 
 
 " May I ask the cause of your distress of 
 mind ?" he said. 
 
 " You may, but I will not tell you! Next time 
 I will let you go, and I will make it convenient 
 to be somewhere else, and then you can see for 
 yourself how it is." 
 
 "But I will not go next time, since I know 
 you are not to be there." 
 
 "Aha! see that! But you didn't let me 
 know you were not to be there this time, or I 
 would not have gone either." 
 
 "And would you have let your Cousin Jen- 
 nie go alone, after stopping for you?" 
 
 "She did not need to go alone, nor stop for 
 me, either." 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 " Mr. Morrison was with her. I do not know 
 why they stopped for me. I wish now they 
 hadn't." 
 
 "Was Wendell Morrison with her? Did you 
 go with them? I wish you hadn't!" 
 
 "Why? Did you call and not find me at 
 home?" 
 
 "No, I didn't call; for I worked like a slave 
 until ten o'clock that night." 
 
 "Then why do you wish I hadn't gone? 
 Because Mr. Morrison was along?"
 
 22 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 " If I must say it, Josie, that is exactly why. 
 But then it is impertinence for me to express a 
 wish about your escorts." 
 
 "I do not like Mr. Morrison very much. He 
 is quite entertaining when he tries to be, and 
 one can hardly help liking him, just a little bit. 
 He is brilliant, too. Papa thinks he will make 
 one of the most successful lawyers at this bar." 
 
 "He is brilliant; no one can deny that," 
 Thaddeus said, rather sadly. 
 
 " Now, do not worry, Thad. I told you I was 
 lonely all f he evening, and so I was. He did 
 not pay one bit of attention to me after we 
 got there." 
 
 " Is that why you were lonely?" 
 
 "You mean thing! You just want to make 
 me come right out and say I was lonesome be- 
 cause you were not there, do n't you ?" 
 
 "No, I do not want to make you say such a 
 thing, Josie ; but if you could say it, and would 
 say it, without being made to say it, I should 
 feel happier than I do when I am left to guess 
 at your meaning." 
 
 "Well, then, I will say just what is the 
 truth: I was lonesome all evening because you 
 were not there !" 
 
 "Thank you, Josie ! And I was lonesome 
 all evening because I was not there. I will be 
 there next time. Will you?"
 
 LOVE'S YOUNG DREAM, 23 
 
 41 If I have any one to go with me." 
 
 " Leave that to me." 
 
 " But you may have a rush of job-work that 
 night." 
 
 " Nothing shall interfere." 
 
 "But say, Thad, what is this they are talking 
 about ? Is there to be a new paper started in 
 town ?" 
 
 "Not that I have heard. Who is talking 
 about it?" 
 
 "I heard papa telling mamma yesterday that 
 a subscription-list was started." 
 
 "News to me." 
 
 "It is? What will you give me to be re- 
 porter for you? I believe I could get more 
 items than you." 
 
 " I must see your father about that. Thank 
 you, Josie, for the pointer." 
 
 "I heard him say who was to be editor of 
 the new paper; but I suppose you would not 
 care to know his name." 
 
 "Wouldn't I? Why, that is worth more 
 than all the rest." 
 
 "What will you give to know?" 
 
 " Anything you may demand ; for I know I 
 can trust you not to demand too much." 
 
 "The half of your kingdom?" 
 
 " Yes the whole of it. My kingdom is ' ex- 
 ceeding small.' "
 
 24 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 "But what would Mr. Monmoskin say, I 
 wonder?" 
 
 " O, he will be mad my ! how mad he will 
 be ! whoever the editor should be. I wish I 
 had known it this week ; for then I could have 
 printed it in the Gazette. Next week he will be 
 home, and he will not let me say a word 
 about it" 
 
 "Well, when you get a paper of your own, 
 you can print what you please. 
 
 "What do you mean? Not that /am to be 
 the editor of a new paper ?" 
 
 "That is what papa said." 
 
 "Josie, if I only could be, I would be the 
 happiest man on earth." 
 
 "Well, papa is in favor of it, and you know 
 what he indorses generally goes through." 
 
 " How you surprise me ! I never supposed 
 such a thought had ever entered a mind in 
 Brambleville but my own. I have been saving 
 a little for a few years, hoping to get enough 
 ahead to start another paper ; but I never dared 
 hope Judge Tracy would help me." 
 
 "Now, remember, you have promised me the 
 half of your kingdom ; so, if you do get the new 
 office, half of it is to be mine !" 
 
 "So I said, and so I say now. Shall I make 
 out a contract and a bond ?" 
 
 " No, thank you. I will take your word."
 
 LOVE'S YOVNG DREAM. 25 
 
 Just at that instant they reached Judge 
 Tracy's home, and were about to enter the gate 
 when Seth Russell appeared, and hailed them 
 gayly. 
 
 "What an odd fellow 1" Josie said, in an 
 aside, as he drew near. 
 
 "He is odd; but as true as steel, and as 
 happy as the day is long," Thaddeus replied, 
 closing the gate after them, and pausing to hear 
 what Seth had to say to them. 
 
 " Ha ! young people, you know the lines 
 about Maud Miiller, I suppose?" 
 
 "Yes, we know them ; but what of that?" 
 
 "Well, she captured the judge's heart by a 
 cup of cold water." 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "Well, thinking of the judge made me think 
 of the judge's daughter," glancing merrily at 
 Miss Josie. 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "And that made me think of * words of 
 tongue or pen,' seeing an editor here at the 
 judge's gate." 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "And that made me wish that no 'sad words' 
 should ever grieve your two hearts." 
 
 "Ah! thank you!" 
 
 " And, say, Mr. Editor, what are ' the saddest 
 words of tongue or pen ?' "
 
 26 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 " ' It might have been ?' " Thaddeus replied 
 inquiringly. 
 
 "So the poet says, and truly too. And what 
 word makes all hearts glad, and, in turn, makes 
 all hearts sad ?" 
 
 "We can not say. You tell." 
 
 " Love ! Love is the greatest thing in the 
 world. To love and to be loved is the greatest 
 triumph of a lifetime. To love and not to be 
 loved is the greatest defeat. My children, love 
 with a pure heart fervently, and all will be well. 
 But in your triumph or in your defeat may 
 Heaven save you from defeat! do not forget 
 old Seth Russell." 
 
 As he hurried away, he left Josie suffused 
 with blushes, and Thad silent with suppressed 
 hope that the blushes meant more than her lips 
 had ever spoken. 
 
 Had his twinkling eyes read their hearts ? 
 
 " I must go, as sorry as I am to leave you ; 
 for my mother must know of my prospective 
 good fortune," Thaddeus said, at the steps of 
 the mansion. 
 
 "Must you go? Can you not come in? I 
 will give you one of your ' superb recitals.' ' 
 
 " Not now, Josie ; but may I call to-morrow 
 night?" 
 
 " Certainly. Good-bye ! Hope Mr. Monmos- 
 kin will not be very mad."
 
 LOVE'S YOUNG DREAM. 27 
 
 "That is too good a wish to be realized. 
 Good-bye !" 
 
 And so it was. 
 
 When the committee called, as they agreed 
 to do, and stated their errand, Mr. Monmoskin's 
 red face grew purple with rage, and his white 
 locks trembled with excitement. He thumped 
 the floor with his stout walking-stick, punctu- 
 ating his reply in that way with resounding 
 commas, semi-colons, and periods, and said : 
 
 "What was Brambleville when I came here? 
 Not one of you can tell. Not one of you were 
 born then. It was only a stopping-place for 
 stages. What is it now ? A city that any man 
 should be proud to call his home. It is no 
 longer a stopping-place for stages, but an im- 
 portant station of three lines of railroads, a 
 place of fine churches, excellent schools, a police 
 force as good as earth can afford, a fire depart- 
 ment, and everything that goes to make life de- 
 sirable or home pleasant. It is known iar and 
 wide for its business, its beauty, its benevolence, 
 its peace, its prosperity; and yet you would make 
 it infamous for its cruel heartlessness. What 
 was it when I came ? A tavern, a cross-roads 
 store, a log church, a wilderness. I started 
 the Gazette ; the town grew ; the war came ; 
 the Gazette was fearless ; and now, and now, 
 and now ! now I ! y-o-u ! y-o-u ! ! ask me to turn
 
 28 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 my back on all this growth, to deny my own 
 children, to let go the helm that has guided us 
 to such renown, to turn over the whole business 
 to a mere tyro ! And what is he ? A creature 
 of mine ! You say he has talent ; you say he is 
 a favorite ; you say he has genius. What if he 
 has? what if he has? w-h-a-ttfn^ HAS? He 
 ought to have. He has been with me twelve 
 years ! No, gentlemen," dropping to a milder 
 tone and a gentler manner, mopping his per- 
 spiring forehead and gasping for breath, " you 
 can not dictate to me ! When I need your help, 
 I will send for you. After running the Gazette 
 thirty years, and making Brambleville what it 
 is, I need no advice from men who wore dresses 
 after the Gazette was founded." 
 
 And then, as the committee stood silent, he 
 remarked sarcastically, as he drew his chair to 
 his desk : 
 
 "This is my busiest dayl"
 
 III. 
 
 THE TRUTH. 
 
 T the time the committee called on Mr. 
 Montnoskin, Thaddeus was out of the 
 office, having gone to secure, if possible, a col- 
 umn of live advertisements, to take the place 
 of " dead plates," as patent-medicine electro- 
 types were called, after running the time con- 
 tracted for by the agencies. 
 
 He was surprisingly successful, and returned 
 jubilant over his work, whistling a lively tune 
 that was finished at the very threshold of the 
 onice by a lew steps of a " hoe-down " dance. 
 
 " Mr. Monmoskin, see this ! How is that for 
 advertisement copy?" he said, as he unrolled 
 the sheet of wrapping-paper on which the mer- 
 chant had hastily scrawled his copy for a whole 
 column advertisement. 
 
 The editor took the copy, crumpled it up 
 into a wad, tossed it in the waste-basket, and 
 roared fiercely at his astonished assistant : 
 
 "I want to hear nothing from you on any 
 subject. I want you to let advertisements for 
 this paper alone. I have made up my mind 
 that such as you shall no longer disgrace my 
 office. I am done with you /" 
 
 9
 
 30 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 Thaddeus was dumb with surprise, and 
 choked by sudden uprising of passion. For a 
 moment his heart stood still, and his face was 
 white as death. After a strong effort to be 
 calm, he said, with difficulty : 
 
 "I do not understand you, sir." 
 
 " Do not understand me ? Then, in the name 
 of all the gods, who sent Judge Tracy, and a 
 pack of his willing tools, to me, to ask that 
 you think of it ! that you should be made ed- 
 itor of my paper ? You an editor 1" 
 
 " I do not know " 
 
 " Stop ! Stop right there ! Do not put lying 
 on top of your base ingratitude." 
 
 " Sir !" Thaddeus said, with energy, " no man 
 shall accuse me of lying without proving his 
 charge or retracting his words." 
 
 Thaddeus was so thoroughly mad that he 
 was scarcely aware of his actions. He advanced 
 threateningly toward his employer ; but he did 
 not intend to do him bodily injury, though the 
 latter thought he did. 
 
 "Stand back, or I'll let this stick take its 
 course !" the editor said, brandishing his cane. 
 
 Some good angel whispered to Thaddeus, 
 and he paused in his steps, and with wonderful 
 calmness, that came to him as suddenly as a 
 flash of light, he said : 
 
 "I do not fear your cane, nor need I heed
 
 THB TRUTH. 31 
 
 your words. Twelve years of service proves to 
 you, I am quite sure, that I am neither a cow- 
 ard nor a liar." 
 
 "And you did not send those men to me, you 
 insolent hypocrite ?" 
 
 "I did not, nor did I know they were com- 
 ing. But you shall not have occasion to repeat 
 your abuse. I will leave you. Good-day !" 
 
 The editor scowled, and hissed vengeance 
 through set teeth ; but nevertheless he shouted, 
 as Thaddeus closed the door behind him : 
 
 "Never enter this office again, at your peril!" 
 
 At any other time, Mr. Monmoskin would 
 not have been so irritable, nor so vehement and 
 unreasonable, perhaps ; but his visit to Wash- 
 ington had not resulted as he hoped ; and no 
 Government appointment obtained, he came 
 home disheartened, disgusted, and full of vin- 
 dictiveness. The committee and Thaddeus 
 were the victims of his pent-up wrath and re- 
 sentment. 
 
 An hour after Thaddeus left the office, Mr. 
 Monmoskin would have welcomed his return, 
 and he hoped his faithful helper would forgive 
 his harshness, and would return the next day to 
 " make up." Vain hope ! 
 
 That very night, just before twelve o'clock, 
 Thaddeus entered the waiting-room of the rail- 
 way depot, accompanied by Judge Tracy and
 
 3 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 Simon Hunter. He was starting for Chicago to 
 buy a new and complete newspaper outfit. In 
 his pocket was a bank-draft, payable to his 
 order, sufficiently large to cover the cost of 
 such an office, and his own savings were ample 
 to meet the incidentals of such a trip. 
 
 In Judge Tracy's pocket was Thaddeus's note 
 for the amount of the bank-drait. 
 
 "What value has my note?" he asked, in 
 surprise, when his friends proposed to let him 
 have the money to buy the office, taking his in- 
 dividual paper in return. " I have nothing with 
 which to secure it." He said something of the 
 same import at the depot. 
 
 "Yes, you haf someding you haf whole 
 lots someding. Someding more waluable dan 
 moonee. You haf a good name, an' Solomon 
 say dat ish bedder as grade ridges all de time, 
 alretty." 
 
 At this, Judge Tracy smiled broadly, smoked 
 his cigar vigorously, gently swung his cane be- 
 hind him, and then said, his eyes closing to 
 shut out the smoke of his fragrant weed : 
 
 "If we are satisfied, you ought to be." 
 
 " I am glad you gentlemen think so ; but I 
 am overwhelmed by this unexpected kindness. 
 It is the realization of a hope I have long enter- 
 tained, but which I dared not look for these 
 many years."
 
 THE TRUTH. 33 
 
 "How mooch Thad looks like his fadder, 
 Judge ! Brambleville lost a fine man when 
 Richard Thruckmoortun died." 
 
 "That is true; but let us hope Thad will 
 make up by extra ability and intenser devotion 
 what we lost in his father. Dick was a brill- 
 iant fellow though. He and I started in the 
 law together, though I was several years older." 
 
 "Were you and father in partnership?" Thad 
 asked, in surprise. 
 
 " Yes, for a few weeks only ; but in that time 
 .1 learned to love him, and expected great things 
 of him if he had lived. Wendell Morrison re- 
 minds me of him in his dash and daring and 
 his rare eloquence." 
 
 "But, Joodge, Wendell has nune ov the stay- 
 bileetee and solid sinse ov Ridgeard." 
 
 "That is so." 
 
 "Excuse me; but am I to understand that 
 your interest in me and your kindness in this 
 business enterprise are due to my father's 
 memory ?" 
 
 "In part, yes; but, of course, had we not 
 discovered in you some of the qualities that en- 
 deared your father to us in our younger days, 
 we would not have trusted you quite as much 
 as we now do." 
 
 "But, say, Joodge, nune ov us haf got such 
 avvecting vays in the lodge-room as " 
 
 3
 
 34 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 " There 's my train ! Good-bye, Judge ! 
 Good-bye, Mr. Hunter! I will be back day 
 after to-morrow. Be sure to lease that room 
 over the post-office for me. I will buy enough 
 type to run a daily, too. It is a little risky, but 
 other places make it go. Why not here?" 
 
 "As you think best," said the judge, as a 
 parting injunction ; " but be careful not to overdo 
 the matter at the start" 
 
 When the day dawned that September morn- 
 ing, Thaddeus descried in the distance the blue 
 waters of Lake Michigan standing up like a low 
 hill, over which were flying white birds, their 
 feet touching the earth, and their pinions pierc- 
 ing the sky that bent over them. As the rush- 
 ing train bore him rapidly toward the great 
 city, the hill melted into a broad expanse of 
 sparkling water, and the birds swelled into 
 masted ships that sailed before the wind into 
 the harbor of the metropolis of the West 
 
 " It is very odd that I should be here with 
 two thousand dollars in my pocket, when last 
 week I should have staggered under the task of 
 raising two hundred dollars." 
 
 " It is odd that Thad should be in Chicago 
 buying a new press for a new paper, when a 
 few days ago he was wishing he could start a 
 little job office of his own," said Miss Josie 
 Tracy at the breakfast-table.
 
 THE TRUTH. 35 
 
 "So it is, my daughther, but when you are 
 older you may learn there are very many odd 
 fellows in this world, and there is no telling 
 what odd things they will do." 
 
 As the judge walked leisurely down to his 
 office that morning, he was overtaken by Seth 
 Russell, who slackened his short, quick steps to 
 suit the judge's slow but stately stridings, long 
 enough to say : 
 
 "What are the poet's words about Truth, 
 Judge?" 
 
 "'Truth crushed to earth will rise again?*" 
 
 " Yes, that 's it. ' Truth is mighty, and will 
 prevail,' is another. Is that in the Bible, Judge, 
 or is it one of Davy Crockett's wise sayings ?" 
 
 " Neither, Seth, as far as I know." 
 
 "They say we are to have a new paper, and 
 a daily at that. Is that the truth, Judge?" 
 
 " From present appearances it will be the 
 truth before many days." 
 
 " And Thad Throckmorton is to edit it?" 
 
 "Yes, that is the scheme now." 
 
 " May the spirit of his murdered father be 
 with him ! The truth about that awful crime 
 will come out yet, Judge. Remember, Seth 
 Russell told you so. Good-day !" 
 
 " As odd as ever," the judge said, and slowly 
 walked on to his office.
 
 IV. 
 
 FOREWARNED. 
 
 TTTHE Daily Banner was a decided sensation 
 \- in Brambleville, and leaped at one bound 
 into popular and permanent favor. 
 
 The merchants liked the little paper, because 
 in it they could announce daily bargains, and 
 proclaim the arrival of new goods, and not wait 
 a week for the tardy appearance of the Gazette. 
 
 The young people liked the paper, ior it put 
 them in possession of the latest gossip, the com- 
 ings and goings of society, at the very earliest 
 date. 
 
 The old folks liked it because it printed daily 
 predictions of the weather, as well as forecasts 
 of the political world. 
 
 Nearly everybody liked the paper because 
 they liked the young editor, and discovered in 
 all his projects and prophecies the excellency 
 they had learned to ascribe to his character. He 
 was evidently getting on in the world, and they 
 were all glad that the son of Richard Throck- 
 morton prospered in life. 
 
 Except Mr. Monmoskin, who was tearfully 
 afflicted with jealousy on account of the sweep- 
 ing conquest of the Banner, only one other per- 
 36
 
 FOREWARNED. 37 
 
 son was annoyed by its success, or felt hostile 
 toward its editor, and that person was Wendell 
 Morrison. 
 
 But as he was a member of the Legislature, 
 and an aspirant for further political preferment, 
 he very discreetly kept his annoyance to himself, 
 and only spoke to his intimate associates of his 
 hostile feelings. 
 
 A year rolled by, and the Banner was firmly 
 planted in Brambleville, and had made for itself 
 an enviable reputation in adjoining counties, and 
 even in the principal cities of the State. It was 
 no uncommon thing to see quotations from the 
 Banner in the great dailies. 
 
 The meanwhile Thaddeus developed much 
 self-reliance, and by his position as editor of the 
 most vigorous paper in the county, came to be 
 sought out by politicians generally, and by local 
 leaders he was frequently mentioned as an avail- 
 able candidate for office at the approaching 
 election. 
 
 He was not averse to serving a term or two in 
 some office for the sake of the salary attached, 
 for one thing, but more especially for the stand- 
 ing among men it would give him. He looked 
 forward to a day when he could dispose of his 
 newspaper-office, and give his whole attention 
 to the law and politics. 
 
 " Father was Judge Tracy's partner once,"
 
 38 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 he said to his mother, when discussing the ques- 
 tion one day, " and who knows but that some 
 day I will take father's place!" 
 
 His mother made no reply, but excused her- 
 self from the break fast- table for a few minutes. 
 Had Thaddeus seen her agitation he would have 
 known that such a turn in affairs was not a 
 pleasant prospect. The new paper did not in- 
 terfere with his persistent reading and studying 
 law under Judge Tracy's tutorage. 
 
 Wendell Morrison was ambitious to be Judge 
 Tracy's law partner also ; but he sought it not so 
 much as an end, as did Thaddeus, but as the 
 means to an end, and that end still further glory 
 and power in the political field. 
 
 Neither knew that the other coveted partner- 
 ship with Judge Tracy ; but both knew that the 
 other aspired to political honors. 
 
 Wendell smiled on Thad's ambition when in 
 his presence ; but when elsewhere, and with 
 those he could trust, he unbosomed his bitter 
 hostility to the young editor's aspirations. 
 
 A favorite resort for Wendell and his coterie 
 of helpers was the corner where the big tree 
 stood a corner as noted as any place in the 
 village; for a huge tree grew up from the side- 
 walk, and spread its heavy branches in all direc- 
 tions, making a grateful shade in the day-time, 
 and at night affording a darkened spot where a
 
 FOREWARNED. 39 
 
 half-dozen men could congregate unseen by 
 others, but in a position to see all that occurred 
 for squares down each of four streets. The spot 
 was known as "The Big-tree Corner." 
 
 It was here that Wendell stood one night, 
 discussing, with a few friends, the political out- 
 look, when he said, hissingly, just loud enough 
 to be heard by those near him : 
 
 "Thad is as ambitious as Satan; but I will 
 pull some strings he does not suspect I can 
 touch, and then there will be music in the air!" 
 
 "The major seems to be friendly to his 
 plans," suggested Billy Barnwell, chief of police, 
 who was one of Wendell's trusted lieutenants. 
 
 " Father ? O yes ; he is friendly. Has to 
 be, you know. He was Throckmorton's bosom 
 friend one of them, I mean Thad's father, you 
 know and is friendly to Thad on his father's 
 account. Father is an odd fellow anyway." 
 
 u But I should think he would be for his own 
 kin. Does he suspect Thad's intention to run 
 against you ?" 
 
 "No!" contemptuously. " The fact is, father 
 thinks I am solid all over the county. May be 
 I am ; rather think so myself. But in time of 
 peace prepare for war ! See ?" 
 
 "What will you do?" 
 
 " Clip his wings," he said, viciously. " What 's 
 this daily for ? Wings ! That 's all. Gets into
 
 40 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 homes every day instead of once a week. Comes 
 into notice in the city dailies. A daily, though 
 ever so small and inconsequential, outweighs 
 and outruns a weekly five to one. Clip his 
 wings! See?" 
 
 " That 's so," assented Billy, striking his club 
 against the heavy sole of his upturned shoe. 
 " That 's so, Wend. But how ? The daily is in 
 the hearts of the people as well as their homes." 
 " Do n't work against it openly, for then every- 
 body would drop to our game ; but let it alone, 
 and quietly get others to let it alone. Get people 
 to read the Herald^ from Riverton. I am going 
 over there, and will get the manager to have a 
 special letter from Brambleville every day. It 
 will cost only two cents. I can get him a cor- 
 respondent here who will work for nothing, if he 
 will send him the Daily Herald." 
 
 " Then there is the Review. That is more 
 popular here than the Herald. Work that the 
 same way," urged Sam Slimkins, another will- 
 ing doer ot Wendell's work. 
 
 "Don't know about that," Wendell said, 
 meditatively. " He is correspondent for that 
 paper himself. It would be hard to get him out." 
 
 " Nonsense !" said Billy, positively. " I can 
 get him out." 
 
 " You ! I would like to see you. How would 
 you go about it ?"
 
 " Never you mind Dan. Leave him to me," said the 
 chief of police." Page 41.
 
 FOREWARNED. 41 
 
 " Well, not me, but I know a fellow who can." 
 
 " That is likely ; but can you use him ? Who 
 is he ?" 
 
 " Dan Habberdown, the news agent. He is 
 down on Thad because the Banner has cut into 
 his sales. He does n't sell nearly as many dailies 
 as before, and he won't touch the Banner with a 
 ten-foot pole, he is so sour on Thad." 
 
 " What can Habberdown do with the Review 
 people?" 
 
 " Everything. He can write the Review that 
 their sales are falling off because Thad is their 
 correspondent here, and tell them if they want 
 to hold their own they must get another cor- 
 respondent. Of course they will ask Dan to 
 name a man who will take with the people. He 
 will come to me, and I will come to you, and 
 you can name the man you want, and Thad will 
 have to walk the plank." 
 
 " By jingo, Billy, you are a schemer ! I never 
 thought it was in you. But will Dan do that?" 
 
 " Never you mind Dan. Leave him to me," 
 said the chief of police, confidently, whacking 
 his gloved hand softly with the handle of his 
 club. " You would n't ask such a question as 
 that if you knew where I caught Dan just the 
 other night. I did n't ' run him in,' as I ought 
 to, may be ; and now he is my man, you bet, 
 just as long as I want to use him."
 
 42 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 Then all laughed uproariously, for a laugh 
 would not reveal any of their secrets, and they 
 enjoyed Billy's cuteness in getting a string on 
 Dan Habberdown. 
 
 " Where did you catch him ?" asked Sam 
 Slimkins, expecting a story of flagrant wrong- 
 doing. 
 
 " Never mind where," said Wendell, with a 
 show of impatience. " Let us attend to busi- 
 ness, and not waste our time over Dan's depart- 
 ures from right paths. Anyway, Sam, you know 
 enough meanness now, without learning any 
 from Dan." 
 
 Again the stillness of the night was broken 
 by uproarious merriment at this thrust on Sam. 
 When it subsided he had rallied sufficiently to 
 retort. 
 
 " I bet you can give Dan a pointer, and then 
 beat him at his meanness." 
 
 " I never have posed as a saint, and it is not 
 likely I will begin now, seeing that my eye is 
 on a seat in Congress," Wendell said, good- 
 naturedly. 
 
 " But I have got it on Dan, and no mistake," 
 interposed Billy, with a chuckle of delight. 
 
 " Good for you, Billy," said Wendell, approv- 
 ingly, giving the chief of police a friendly slap 
 on the shoulder. " But see here," he added, 
 soberly, " do not bear down too hard on the
 
 FORE WARNED. 43 
 
 Banner all at once. I do not want it to come 
 out against me. All I want is to get Throcky's 
 wings clipped, so he will not dare to run against 
 me in the convention for the nomination." 
 
 " Perhaps the Review had better be left alone 
 awhile," suggested another. " They might 
 write to Thad himself before they appointed 
 another." 
 
 " I have got it down fine, and do n't you for- 
 get it!" Billy replied. "Just leave that to me, 
 and you will see how I play the game." 
 
 " I must keep right on going to the Banner 
 office as before," said Wendell, " and if Throcky 
 should ask me to do any little thing for him, 
 why I will do it, just as if nothing is in the 
 wind. See?" 
 
 " Promise him everything, and do nothing. 
 That's the ticket," said Sam Slimkins. "Feed 
 him on taffy he likes it." 
 
 "Don't know," said Billy. "Throcky is 
 nervy. You must not crowd him too hard." 
 
 "Don't crowd him at all," said Wendell. 
 " Let him go along as usual, and stand by him 
 in public, but give him fits in private. See ?" 
 
 "O yes; we see!" said Billy. 
 
 "We see, and will go you one better," said 
 Sam, with a malicious smile. 
 
 "Success to you, then!" said Wendell. 
 
 And thus they parted for the night; but there
 
 44 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 had been set in motion currents and counter- 
 currents that threatened to swamp Thaddeus 
 and his paper in a whirlpool of conflicting and 
 cruel controversies. 
 
 More effectually to hide from Thad his part 
 in the matter, Wendell assumed an unusually 
 friendly manner, and frequented the Banner 
 office so persistently that observant folks pre- 
 dicted a union of interests, and consequent 
 peaceable settlement of political contention. 
 
 Thaddeus, however, noted with annoyance 
 that the Herald was giving much space and 
 great prominence to Brambleville news and 
 gossip. It seemed to him unkind to reach over 
 into his field, and seek to glean ahead of the 
 Banner. 
 
 After a very few days the mail brought this 
 letter to Thaddeus : 
 
 REVIEW OFFICE, \ 
 
 Lakeside, October 2, 18 . f 
 MR. THADDEUS THROCKMORTON, Brambleville : 
 
 On and after the 15th of this month, we shall not need 
 your services as correspondent for the Review in Bramble- 
 ville. Yours truly, 
 
 SAMUEL SINGLETON, Manager. 
 
 He read the brief note once, and read it 
 again, and then again, and sat down to think. 
 He had wanted to resign, as his own work was 
 pressing and urgent; but kept up the Review 
 items as a matter of accommodation to the
 
 FOREWARNED. 45 
 
 paper that had befriended him when he needed 
 the five dollars to ten dollars a month his cor- 
 respondence brought him. Now, to be dismissed 
 summarily was humiliating. Perhaps there was 
 a mistake that might be rectified. It was worth 
 a trial, at least. Turning to his desk, he wrote : 
 
 MR. SAMUEL SINGLETON, Manager Review, Lakeside : 
 
 Dear Sir, Please give me cause of dismissal as corre- 
 spondent of the Review, as per your note just at hand. 
 Sincerely, THADDEUS THROCKMORTON. 
 
 With impatience he awaited the reply : 
 
 REVIEW OFFICE, 
 
 Lakeside, October 7, 18 
 
 MR. T. THROCKMORTON : 
 
 Sir, Referring to your inquiry, just at hand, would 
 say our friends in Brambleville think the Review will be 
 benefited by a change of correspondent This is purely a 
 business matter for business ends. 
 
 Yours, etc., S. SINGLETON, Manager. 
 
 Thaddeus read these lines with amazement. 
 Who in Brambleville could or would take the 
 trouble to oust him from so inconsiderable a 
 place as correspondent of the Review? He 
 could fasten upon no one, and least of all did 
 he suspect the chief of police, or even his rival, 
 for he had been so very kind and condescending 
 of late. 
 
 He was in no amiable frame of mind when 
 a friend called at the office, and said : 
 
 " Suppose you heard about Morrison ?"
 
 46 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 "No; what is it? The major, you mean?" 
 "No, not the major, but Wendell." 
 "What now?" he asked, and his tone and 
 manner implied that happenings to the younger 
 Morrison were so many that one more could 
 make but little difference to him or to the 
 public. 
 
 " He 's a lucky dog, that same Wendell Mor- 
 rison is," the friend proceeded to say. "Bet- 
 ter lucky than rich, they say ; but, then, Morri- 
 son is both lucky and rich. It beats all how 
 plums fall in some people's hands ! They say 
 Crickenbaum, the painter, is making a new sign 
 down at his shop, and it reads : * Tracy & Mor- 
 rison, Attorneys at Law.' * How is that for 
 high?*" 
 
 "Who told you ?" Thaddeus asked, taking up 
 his pencil to write the item of news for the 
 Banner ; but he dared not lift his eyes to his 
 informant lest they should betray his feeling, 
 and could not ask any further particulars. He 
 trembled with sudden but suppressed emotion. 
 It was the very place he coveted. He was glad 
 his friend left the office at once, before he dis- 
 closed his distress. He bowed his head on his 
 desk, and wished he had never been born. Had 
 the tide set in against him? Was he to be 
 lifted and carried whither he would not ? Were 
 breakers ahead ?
 
 FORE WARNED. 47 
 
 If Morrison was to be Judge Tracy's law 
 partner, it was a foregone conclusion that he 
 would be a privileged caller at the judge's 
 home, and that Josie would be thrown into his 
 company very, very often. He feared Morri- 
 son there. Amid these unpleasant reflections 
 the door opened quietly, and an employee of the 
 Gazette entered timidly. 
 
 "How are you, Reynolds?" said Thaddeus, 
 rising, and extending a hand in welcome. 
 
 "First rate," Reynolds replied, grasping 
 Thad's hand heartily. " You were not expect- 
 ing me, were you ?" 
 
 "Hardly; but you are welcome, nevertheless. 
 How is the Gazette prospering ?" 
 
 "All right. But, say!" and Reynolds put 
 his chair down close beside Thad's, " you 
 need n't be afraid of the Gazette. That can do 
 you no harm ; but you 'd better look out for 
 your friends /" 
 
 "Explain." 
 
 "Can I trust you?" said Reynolds, drawing 
 his chair still closer to Thad. " You won't give 
 me away?" 
 
 "Reynolds, you have seen me tried. Did I 
 flinch? My friendship for you, my love for 
 justice, and my high regard ior truth, are your 
 guarantee that what you commit to my keeping 
 is safe, whether it be much or little."
 
 48 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 "Of course, I know that, or I would not be 
 here. What I say I say on Friendship, Love, 
 and Truth." 
 
 Then he told him of the compact made the 
 night Wendell and his associates met at the 
 Big-tree Corner, and planned his defeat. He 
 overheard the conversation as he sat in an open 
 window just above them, seeking relief from a 
 severe nervous headache. 
 
 "I ought to have come sooner," he said, in 
 conclusion; "but I hated to, seeing I am work- 
 ing for the Gazette, and the two offices are not 
 on very good terms." 
 
 " I thank you very sincerely, Reynolds ; and 
 do not think for one minute that I am not the 
 friend of every one in the Gazette office, no 
 matter how bitter Mr. Monmoskin may be to- 
 ward me especially of such as you." 
 
 As Reynolds passed out, Seth Russell slipped 
 in, and, as the door closed behind the departing 
 caller, he said : 
 
 " Beware, my friend ! beware ! Take the 
 advice of an old man, and trust not appearances ! 
 Where love is, you are safe. Where truth abides, 
 you are secure. Trust only those who love in 
 truth and in deed" 
 
 "That is good advice, I am sure, Mr. Russell; 
 but can you not be a little more explicit?" 
 
 "I was coming home Irom watching by the
 
 FOREWARNED. 49 
 
 sick last night at midnight, and, as I passed the 
 Big-tree Corner, I heard words that made me 
 shudder. You have enemies, my friend, where 
 you least suspect it. Our lawmaker is a law- 
 breaker. Beware ! Remember, Seth Russell 
 hath warned you ! When you are in danger, 
 do not call the police ! A mountain in Pal- 
 estine has more help for you than they 1 
 Good-bye !" 
 
 4
 
 v. 
 
 ONE DEGREE HIGHER. 
 
 IT'S you, is it?" 
 
 Miss Josie answered the bell herself; 
 for she was expecting Thaddeus, as it was his 
 evening and his hour, and she delighted him 
 always by meeting him at the door with a hearty 
 welcome. 
 
 " Put your hat there, and your coat also," she 
 continued, pointing to the hall-tree. " I thought 
 you would n't know !" 
 
 " Yes, I know," he replied, smiling at the ab- 
 surd suggestion that he was a stranger there. 
 
 They passed into the parlor, and were seated, 
 when Thad noticed that Judge Tracy was read- 
 ing the evening paper in the back parlor. 
 
 Usually he was glad to find the judge at 
 home, and generally excused himself from Josie 
 for a few minutes while he chatted with her 
 father about business and politics. But that 
 evening he felt a constraint he had not known 
 before in the judge's presence, and, instead of 
 going to greet him, he drew a chair to the fire- 
 place, looked steadily into the glowing grate, 
 and drifted off into a reverie that was protracted 
 50
 
 ONE DEGREE HIGHER. 51 
 
 and unbroken, until Josie said, with arching 
 brows and a mischievous smile : 
 
 "Well, yes if I must say it." 
 
 "Excuse me!" Thad said, startled into con- 
 sciousness of his surroundings. "I fear I did 
 not leave business at the door, as I should have 
 done. But then, Josie, I have been so indulged 
 in your home, and your father has been so kind 
 to me that I have learned to take privileges here 
 that I would not dare to grant myself elsewhere. 
 And did you know, Josie, that I came down to- 
 night intending to lay my whole heart open to 
 you my business heart, I mean," blushing 
 slightly, as he added the modifying phrase. 
 
 "Thank you for your confidence in my 
 business tact;" and an answering color height- 
 ened her beauty. " The daily grows, I see." 
 
 "Beg pardon!" 
 
 " The daily grows more interesting. How do 
 you think of so much to say so much that is 
 really interesting?" 
 
 " The ' much to say' is easy enough. It is the 
 'what to say' that worries one. There are 
 many items of local interest that come to us as 
 rumors, and which we would be glad to print, 
 if true ; but, before we can verify them, the day 
 is gone, and by the next day what was 'news' 
 becomes an old story." 
 
 At this juncture, Judge Tracy put down his
 
 52 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 paper, came into the parlor, and greeted Thad- 
 deus cordially. Standing in the middle of the 
 floor, putting his glasses into their case, he said : 
 "I promised to meet Morrison at our office 
 a little after eight o'clock, and as it is nearly 
 that time now, I must go. I am sorry I can 
 not stay and talk over matters and things a little. 
 The daily still flourishes, of course?" 
 
 "Yes, sir, thank you. I am sorry you 
 must go." 
 
 "Something particular?" 
 "No, sir, nothing of importance." 
 Thaddeus was indeed sorry that Judge Tracy 
 was going to his office to meet Morrison; for 
 that confirmed the rumor that Morrison had 
 been admitted to partnership, and it would 
 henceforth be "Tracy & Morrison." 
 
 And, later, might there not appear in his own 
 paper a notice headed " MORRISON TRACY," 
 and which should read like this : 
 
 " MARRIED At the residence of the bride's 
 father, Judge Tracy, Mr. Wendell 
 Morrison and Miss Josephine Tracy, 
 all of Brambleville. Rev. Archibald 
 Outwright officiating." 
 
 Thaddeus saw that notice in solid nonpareil 
 type, under the daily announcement of mar- 
 riages, in his paper of some future date, as 
 clearly and as exactly as the reader of any no-
 
 ONE DEGREE HIGHER. 53 
 
 tice sees the printed letters when the paper is 
 in his hand. 
 
 What if that notice should be handed him 
 the last minute before going to press, when all 
 were busy correcting galleys, making up forms, 
 or spreading the paper, so that he would have 
 to set the type himself, as he often did for a 
 belated item ! 
 
 How would his voice sound? Would it be 
 steady and clear, or uncertain and husky, as he 
 called out to the foreman: 
 
 "Kill that four-line 'Cow for Sale' to make 
 room for this marriage notice ; for it must ap- 
 pear to-day, if ever!" 
 
 He wondered if the boys would notice how 
 pale his face was how his hands trembled or 
 guess why he went from the press-room to his 
 desk, and did not wait to get the first paper 
 that came off the press, as he had always done. 
 
 As he meditated on these things, he rocked 
 furiously before the sputtering grate-fire, un- 
 mindful that Judge Tracy had gone, and that 
 Josie sat near him, shading her face from the 
 firelight by the evening paper her father had 
 left in her lap, patiently waiting for her guest 
 to come back from his wandering. He rocked 
 and rocked, and followed himself through a 
 dreary life, repeating over and over " the sad- 
 dest words of tongue or pen," of which old Seth
 
 54 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 Russell had reminded him that day he and Josie 
 talked at her father's gate, until he stood at his 
 own grave. 
 
 Slowly and still more slowly the chair 
 swayed on its noiseless rockers as Thaddeus 
 approached the final scene, and it stood still as 
 he heard the minister say, " Earth to earth, dust 
 to dust, ashes to ashes," and heard the drop- 
 ping of the handful of dirt that the sexton threw 
 down upon his coffin ! Sighing heavily, he 
 aroused from his dreaming, and, looking up 
 with confusion and sincere regret, said earnestly: 
 
 "Miss Josie ! I beg your pardon for such 
 rudeness. It is too much! Here a second time 
 I have utterly forgotten your presence, and have 
 gone chasing after wild thoughts of my brain. 
 Can you forgive me a second time?" 
 
 " Do not mention it ! No apologies are 
 needed ; for I, too, was ' lost in thought,' and for 
 that reason have not felt neglected. So we are 
 even. Now let us both begin at the beginning. 
 Shall we?" 
 
 "On one condition," Thaddeus exclaimed, 
 suddenly seized with a determination to risk 
 everything on a bold movement. 
 
 " And what is the condition ?" 
 
 " That we tell each other of what we were 
 dreaming !" 
 
 " O no ; I can not agree to that !"
 
 ONE DEGREE HIGHER. 55 
 
 "Well, then," said Thaddeus, reassured by 
 her blushes and her refusal to tell, " let us each 
 hope that what the other saw in our wide-awake 
 dreams may never come to pass!" 
 
 "O no, not that! I do not want any such 
 ruthless destruction of my castles. My reverie 
 was of such bright and happy things I Were n't 
 yours ?" 
 
 "Far from it! I dreamed of buried desires, 
 of wrecked hopes, of a dismal ending to a beau- 
 ful day-dawn." 
 
 " Poor fellow ! What horrid happenings have 
 set your thoughts awry like that? Where are 
 all the bright views of the future you laid before 
 me just a few nights ago?" 
 
 Thaddeus smiled feebly, tried to appear cheer- 
 ful and to be brave, and said : 
 
 "Illusions!" 
 
 " But seriously, Thad, I am afraid the daily 
 is taxing you too much. You are losing your 
 buoyancy of spirit. Whatever profit you make 
 will prove dear gain obtained at that cost." 
 
 " Can you read secret thoughts and discover 
 hidden causes ? You are a discerner of spirits 
 surely ; for the daily does worry me, but not 
 half as much as other things." 
 
 " What ' other things ?' May I know ?" 
 
 Her tone and manner were sincerely sympa- 
 thetic.
 
 56 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 "I would like to tell you, and yet I do not 
 wish to burden you with personal matters." 
 
 "What other matters would interest me half 
 as much ? If you can trust me, I shall certainly 
 be glad to share your burden. Will not two 
 make the burden half as much ?" 
 
 "You are very kind. Josie, you have helped 
 me more than I can tell, and at more times than 
 you know, by your sympathetic words and very 
 charming manner. Trust you? I can trust 
 you with anything everything; but I do dis- 
 like to worry you with so much of my personal 
 affairs." 
 
 " It is no worry, Thad. Not to tell me would 
 worry me." 
 
 "Well, it is just this: I have discovered that 
 I have secret enemies. I mean those who are 
 devoted friends in my presence, but relentless 
 foes when I am not around. A knowledge of 
 the injury they can do me when masquerading 
 as my friends, or when working for the party 
 to let them tell it, and in such a way that I 
 can not defend myself sets me wild at times." 
 
 "Perhaps your fears are groundless. Some 
 one may have deceived you just to annoy you." 
 
 "No, that can not be. I have already lost 
 both money and influence through their secret 
 machinations. I know who they are, but dare 
 not open my mouth ; for I could not convey to
 
 ONE DEGREE HIGHER. 57 
 
 others the proofs I have, and my assertion would 
 remain unsupported by a single fact." 
 
 "Could you not get father to help you? He 
 has never refused you yet." 
 
 " That is true, but here he can not help ; 
 that is, I can not lay the case before him." 
 
 "But will you trust me with the facts? I 
 will not demand proof. I will take your bare 
 assertion ; for I know, Thad, your word is 
 truth." 
 
 "Yes, Josie, I can trust you, but I can not 
 trust myself in this case. I am afraid if I 
 should commence to tell you, I would go too 
 far, and would say things I might regret after it 
 was too late." 
 
 " Then I can not help you ; but really, you 
 do not do yourself justice. But I will not urge 
 you. When you think you can with safety to 
 yourself, let me help you carry your secret. 
 But, come, let us have a song ! Perhaps we 
 can sing you into a happier frame of mind. 
 Songs cure the blues, Thad." 
 
 " Do not say ' the blues,' Josie. I hope I am 
 too much a man to succumb to * the blues.' " 
 
 "What shall I say, then? Melancholy?" 
 
 " No, not ' melancholy.' Let it drop. What 
 shall we sing?" 
 
 He went to the piano, and searched through 
 the music for their favorite songs. By a strong
 
 58 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 effort he threw off his sadness, and was himself 
 again in appearance and manner. 
 
 With heartiness and with expression they 
 sang together, rendering the duet as faultlessly 
 as they would had they been singing for an 
 audience of critics ; but their hearts were not 
 in the work, nor did they heed the words their 
 lips uttered. 
 
 When the song was done, Josie softly touched 
 the keys, playing nothing but broken strains of 
 familiar tunes. Thaddeus stood at the end of 
 the piano, apparently studying the score of the 
 music before him, but really thinking not once 
 of the notes, nor of the sentiment of the song. 
 
 "Miss Josie, I am no stranger to you. We 
 have been schoolmates; and you know what I 
 am now, and what I hope to be, do n't you ?" 
 
 "Yes, I think I do," without looking up. 
 
 "You have encouraged me, and helped me, 
 and sympathized with me, especially since I took 
 the Banner office." 
 
 "Had to," she said, mischievously, glancing 
 up ; but his eyes did not meet hers ; " for papa 
 had your note, and wanted you to prosper until 
 that was paid, if no longer." 
 
 "But the note is paid. And has your inter- 
 est in me and the office ceased with the interest 
 on the note?" 
 
 This time he looked at her; but she was
 
 ONE DECREE HIGHER. 59 
 
 busy with the piano-keys, and did not see his 
 glance, though she smiled at his pleasantry. 
 
 " It is hard to quit caring for what you have 
 cared for so long," she said ; " that is, right off. 
 Besides, I did not know the note was canceled." 
 
 "It is. Paid the last cent this week." 
 
 "Why didn't you tell me? Here I have 
 been feeling an interest in you even to-night" 
 
 "Josie, I have cared for you longer than that 
 note has been running. For years, Josie, for 
 years I have cared for you. Josie, I love you. 
 I can not help it. I do not want to help it. 
 Must I quit?" 
 
 He closed the music-book with a slam, turned 
 from the piano, walked across the floor, returned, 
 and stood at her side, waiting her reply ; for she 
 still thrummed the keys thoughtlessly, but with- 
 out evoking a single discord. His face burned, 
 and the blood struggled through every swelling 
 vein ; for his heart beat violently as he waited 
 for his fate at her hands. Presently she said, 
 shyly : 
 
 "You needn't quit, right off." 
 
 "Do not say that, Josie. Say I need not 
 quit, ever." 
 
 "On one condition," she said, letting her 
 hands fall into her lap, and looking up at him 
 lovingly. 
 
 "And that? But I grant it before you tell
 
 60 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 me. I grant any condition you may name!" he 
 cried eagerly, taking her hand in his. 
 
 "That you tell me truly, truly, all you thought 
 and feared to-night when you dreamed before 
 the grate awhile ago." 
 
 "I will. And then?" 
 
 "You say." 
 
 "And then, may I love you always, always, 
 as I do now?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "And, Josie my own true, true love my 
 very life will you give me a corner in your 
 heart for my very own, and mine only?" 
 
 "Yes, dear; not one, but four corners." 
 
 "And the center?" 
 
 "The center, too!" 
 
 "And you truly, truly want me to tell you 
 what I was thinking about when I came?" 
 
 " Truly, truly ! Let me know your very 
 heart !" 
 
 Then he told her all he knew of Morrison's 
 schemes against him, not stopping until he had 
 poured into her willing ears all his longing to 
 make for himself a name and a place, and to be 
 found worthy to be associated with her father in 
 the practice of law. 
 
 Then she said : 
 
 " I have not heard of the partnership, except 
 that papa has said he had been urged to take
 
 ONE DEGREE HIGHER. 6l 
 
 Morrison into business. But Thad, dear, I am 
 nearer to papa than any law partner can ever 
 be. Trust me !" 
 
 Thaddeus went home happy. His losses 
 were trifles compared with his gains. 
 
 What if Morrison was scheming against him, 
 and planning his overthrow? One heart, at 
 least, never could be influenced by his sophistry 
 or embittered by his malice. 
 
 What if Judge Tracy had consented to a 
 partnership with the brilliant young lawyer? 
 The judge's daughter had consented to a part- 
 nership with the hard-working young editor, 
 and that was enough. 
 
 What if the Review had dropped him, since 
 Miss Josie had admitted him to her heart! 
 
 The Daily Banner, the next day, contained 
 two items which Thaddeus read in the first 
 copy pulled from the press without so much as 
 a tremor of fear or a tinge of bitterness, though 
 he had written them the day before in anguish 
 of soul. 
 
 Indeed, the sunshine in his heart could never 
 be darkened by any cloud that might arise in 
 the newspaper or political sky. 
 
 "Please, and can Seth have a fresh paper?" 
 
 " Indeed you can, Mr. Russell. Good paper 
 to-day, too." 
 
 " I see it is by your eye. Old Seth can read
 
 63 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 eyes, Thaddeus. You are safe so long as that 
 light shines there. Let love rule!" 
 
 " What an odd fellow he is !" Thad said, as 
 the door closed behind him. 
 
 But Wendell Morrison had plans other than 
 those that pertained to law and politics. At 
 least he knew that political prospects are al- 
 ways greatly enhanced by a surplus of finance. 
 His fortune as an heir of his father's estate 
 would be ample ; but then Miss Josie, the only 
 child of Judge Tracy, would inherit a far greater 
 amount. He might manage to unite the two 
 fortunes. 
 
 And then " Zounds !" he exclaimed as he 
 thought of it ; " if I could supplant Thad in her 
 heart, how sweet would be my revenge on him !" 
 
 So he determined to leave no work undone 
 that would further his designs.
 
 YL 
 
 TWO ODD FELLOWS. 
 
 "O EV. ARCHIBALD OUTWRIGHT was a 
 -*-^- popular preacher; but he was far from 
 being an ideal minister in personal appearance, 
 his garb was so queer. 
 
 He wore a broad-brim soft hat, which shaded 
 a face that would be taken for that of a pros- 
 perous and intelligent German farmer; for it 
 was round, ruddy, running over with ripples 
 of good-humor, and a delight to all his ac- 
 quaintances. 
 
 He wore the conventional black of the clergy ; 
 but though his garments were cut so differently, 
 they were made to fit so perfectly that one lost 
 sight of them in considering the person of the 
 preacher. Though he weighed very nearly 
 three hundred pounds, he walked along the 
 street so briskly, and with such a light step, 
 that one was hardly aware of his approach until 
 greeted by his cheery " good-morning 1" He 
 carried a cane ; but its ferrule was rubber-tipped, 
 and, when it touched the pavement, bounded 
 back noiselessly, as if it knew better than to 
 break in upon the preacher's meditations, or to 
 attract attention from him. 
 
 *
 
 64 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 His bright eyes snapped constantly with in- 
 nocent mirthfulness, and his memory was such 
 that he greeted nearly every one by name, even 
 if he did not pause for further salutation. Mr. 
 Outwright was a welcome caller everywhere 
 as welcome as a ray of sunshine when clouds 
 are thickest, or a breath of cool air when the 
 sun is hottest; for he was both sunshine and 
 life to every one. He knew quite as well when 
 to leave as when to call ; what to keep to him- 
 self, and what to spread before his friends. A 
 rare man was Mr. Outwright! 
 
 Thaddeus was bending over his table, writing 
 rapidly, much absorbed in his subject, when the 
 Rev. Archibald Outwright entered the office. 
 He paused in the middle of the floor, waiting 
 for an interval of silence in the scratch, scratch, 
 whipity, whipity, whish, whir, whir, whir-r-r, 
 dot, dash, wiglety-wig of the pen, as it swept 
 across the paper, recording swiftly and unerr- 
 ingly the glowing thoughts of the young editor. 
 
 "My dear Mr. Outwright!" Thaddeus ex- 
 claimed, looking up for an instant, having made 
 on the paper a double loop with his pen, put- 
 ting two accent marks at the middle, as if to 
 say, "I stop here, but have more to say, and 
 will write it on occasion." 
 
 " I hope I do not intrude !" 
 
 " By no means. I am always glad to see you."
 
 TWO ODD FELLOWS. 65 
 
 " I thought differently the past ten minutes 
 while I waited in your majesty's presence 
 waiting for a sign that I might approach nearer 
 than the middle of the floor ! How do you act 
 when you are not glad to see a caller?" 
 
 "O! I just say, 'I will attend to you in a 
 minute!'" 
 
 "Then there are fellows that you can sift 
 clean in a minute, eh?" 
 
 "Yes; either sift or shift." 
 
 "Which would you rather do?" 
 
 "Sift, of course. An editor is always, look- 
 ing for wheat, pure wheat, and looking for it 
 everywhere. Sometimes he sifts a good editorial 
 from a caller who never suspects why the editor 
 takes such an interest in his affairs. By study- 
 ing individuals, the editor comes to know peo- 
 ple, communities, States, nations." 
 
 " But where do you put eccentric folks those 
 persons who are so unlike other people ; are so 
 seldom seen that you do not know where to put 
 them?" 
 
 " O, I have a place for all such. I label each 
 one ( an odd fellow,' and stow him away in my 
 mind in a corner reserved for just such as 
 they." 
 
 "A motley group you have in that corner, I 
 am sure!" 
 
 " Sure enough ; and yet so alike that I un- 
 5
 
 66 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 hesitatingly put them all in the same corner of 
 my mind." 
 
 " Cranks, every one of them !." 
 
 " Granted ! And yet cranks are good for 
 something indeed, good for much." 
 
 " Some are, I know. The grindstone crank 
 is good when you have an ax to sharpen !" 
 
 "And the windlass crank, when you want to 
 draw water irom a deep well," Thad replied. 
 
 " But say, Mr. Editor, could you give me a 
 list of your odd fellows? I should like to study 
 some of them." 
 
 "Not a list, Mr. Outwright. That would 
 hardly be fair; but I can. tell you one I have 
 put in my corner." 
 
 "Well?" 
 
 "Yourself!" 
 
 "Indeed! Thanks! But why " 
 
 " Now, do not be offended. I think no higher 
 compliment can be paid one than to call him an 
 odd fellow. The thumb on your hand is an odd 
 fellow. No one is with him he stands alone. 
 But from time to time, as the business of life 
 goes on, every other finger finds its power for 
 usefulness greatly increased by association with 
 the thumb the odd fellow that stands on a line 
 different from all the other digits." 
 
 " But how does that apply to me ?" 
 
 "First, as to your dress. You do not keep
 
 TWO ODD FELLOWS. 67 
 
 In line with other men of your calling. They 
 wear tall hats ; you wear a low one. They ap- 
 pear in clerical garb always and everywhere; 
 you dress to suit your convenience and taste. 
 They go with the people ; but when the people 
 get up on a line with you, the next thing we 
 see, you are away ahead, beckoning them to come 
 and" 
 
 " Hold ! Spare me ! I am not quite a saint 
 not quite a Paul or a Peter." 
 
 "For which I am truly grateful. I do not 
 believe the Creator exhausted the variety of 
 good and great men when he set Paul and Peter 
 adrift in the world. But, after all, they were 
 odd fellows. Had they not been odd, had they 
 not stood out alone and for their convictions, 
 they would not have been known beyond their 
 time or their native land, and the world would 
 not be what it is to-day ; for their preaching " 
 
 " Then you are odd," interrupted the preacher. 
 "So please step into your own little corner with 
 the rest of your odd fellows ; for what can be' 
 odder than an editor turning lecturer on theol- 
 ogy and Biblical history?" 
 
 "What can be odder," retorted the editor, 
 "than a gray-haired preacher sitting at the feet 
 of a country-town editor?" 
 
 "I assure you the minister could do much 
 worse."
 
 68 AA ODD FELLOW. 
 
 " Thanks ! But you are the only minister I 
 dared unbosom myself to. Usually they are so 
 far away, but you are right near me." 
 
 "I try to get near every one," the preacher 
 replied. 
 
 "So you do!" Thaddeus assented, earnestly. 
 
 "By the way, I must not forget my errand 
 here to-day. There 's a case of real destitution 
 in the Fourth Ward, which I stumbled on yester- 
 day, that needs immediate help." 
 
 "Tell me about it," the editor said, giving 
 close and careful attention to what the minister 
 said. 
 
 "A mother and three children and a husband 
 constitute the family. The children have just 
 passed the crises in typhoid fever." 
 
 "And the father?" queried Thaddeus. 
 
 "Yes," said the minister, with a sigh; "you 
 guess it, I see. I wish it was otherwise, but it 
 is n't. He drinks, and that tells the story." 
 
 "Shall I mention it in the paper?" 
 
 "If you will, in a general way; but do not 
 give the particulars. Say that food or clothing, 
 left at the parsonage, will be carefully distributed 
 among the needy ; and that worthy persons may 
 learn particulars by applying to me." 
 
 "Perhaps you would better leave name and 
 address here too, so I may speak advisedly to 
 any who may ask me about it."
 
 TWO ODD FELLOWS. 69 
 
 "Certainly. It is the Tingleman family, on 
 Chestnut Street, two doors beyond the railway." 
 
 "You want these to go in to-morrow, I sup- 
 pose," picking up the paper on which the min- 
 ister had written notices of special services. 
 
 "If you please. Well, odd fellow, good-bye! 
 and excuse me for intruding." 
 
 "Good-bye, odd fellow! I shall not excuse 
 you if you do not intrude just this way pretty 
 often. Now, mind that!" 
 
 " I am glad I came, and will come again ; 
 for I have gathered material for a first-rate 
 sermon." 
 
 "And I for at least three good editorials." 
 
 "Good!" 
 
 " Come again !" 
 
 The minister went away, thanking a kind 
 Providence that had blessed Brambleville with 
 such an editor as that. The editor resumed his 
 work, after meditating a few minutes on the de- 
 light of having for a friend so genial a preacher 
 as the Rev. Mr. Outwright. 
 
 At nine o'clock that night, Thaddeus stood 
 at the door of the Tingleman home, knocking 
 timidly, and wondering how he should intro- 
 duce himself; for he had never before gone 
 alone on such an errand, and he felt embar- 
 rassed by his ignorance of proper procedure. 
 
 "Come in," said a mild-voiced old lady, who
 
 70 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 opened the door, and stepped aside for the caller 
 to PU.SS into the room. She manifested no sur- 
 prise at seeing a stranger, and showed no tim- 
 idity in admitting him. 
 
 Thaddeus stood awkwardly at the door, which 
 she closed behind him, while she crossed the 
 room to get a chair, and place it beiore the lit- 
 tle square stove that was doing its best to heat 
 the house, fed by fuel of mixed wood and soft 
 coal, with an occasional handful of corncobs. 
 Thaddeus took the offered chair, put the basket 
 he had brought on the floor beside him, and de- 
 posited thereon his hat. Presently he unbut- 
 toned his great coat, ran his hand around his 
 collar, pulling it away from his neck ; for he 
 was stifled by the impure air of the room, and 
 was sure he was breathing poison at every in- 
 spiration. 
 
 "I have brought you a few little things that 
 may please the children," he said, handing the 
 basket to the old lady, who had stood by the 
 stove a few minutes, silently looking at the ed- 
 itor. "How are the children now?" 
 
 "They is doin' well now; but their mammy 
 Is down now, an' their pappy is comin' down, 
 tew, 'pears like; fur he's feelin' awful downsey." 
 
 A moan startled Thaddeus, for it seemed to 
 be right at his elbow. Looking around, he dis- 
 covered that his chair almost touched the foot-
 
 TWO ODD PELLOWS. 71 
 
 board of a bedstead, until then unnoticed by 
 him in the very dim light of the room. The 
 moan was followed by a cough, a gasp, and a 
 distressing but apparently vain effort to clear 
 the throat, and then came another moan and a 
 gasp. 
 
 He sprang to his feet, waited a second in in- 
 decision, and then advanced to the head of the 
 bed, finding Mrs. Tingleman leaning over its 
 edge, face downward, struggling for breath, and 
 choking with the obstruction in her throat. 
 
 With one hand he held her head, and with 
 the other gave her his own handkerchief, which 
 he took out of his overcoat-pocket ; for she was 
 vainly feeling around over the bed for hers. 
 
 "Doctor?" she said, faintly and inquiringly, 
 as Thaddeus helped her back on the pillow, 
 after the exhausting contest with her foe. 
 
 "No, not the doctor, Mrs. Tingleman; but a 
 friend. What can I do for you?" 
 
 "Nothing," she answered feebly, and lay 
 there gasping for breath, almost dying from 
 sheer exhaustion. 
 
 "Wuz she stranglin'?" asked the old lady, 
 returning from emptying the basket of its con- 
 tents. "Poor thing!" she added, pityingly, 
 bending over the bed, and touching Mrs. Tingle- 
 man's forehead with her bony but mercy-tipped 
 fingers.
 
 7 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 "Yes; but I helped her a little, and I guess 
 she will rest now awhile." 
 
 "She will sleep a little now alias duz." 
 
 "Where is Mr. Tingleman?" 
 
 "At the yard. Watchman, ye know, at the 
 lumber-yard." 
 
 "I see! How is he now?" Thaddeus asked, 
 moving away from the bed again. 
 
 "'Bout drinkin'?" 
 
 "Yes; does he keep straight since his wife 
 is sick?" 
 
 " He 's better 'n he wuz. I hain't seed him 
 tech it fur nigh onto a week." 
 
 "That's good. But who will stay with you 
 here to-night. Mrs. Tingleman is very sick." 
 
 " La I I know she 's sick. Nobody '11 stay 
 but me. Ther' 's nobody tu stay." 
 
 "Would you mind having me here? Could 
 I help any, if I staid ?" 
 
 "You?" 
 
 "Yes ; I would like to try to help you, if you 
 will let me." 
 
 "I 'd be monstr'us glad tu hev ye ; but 'pears 
 like ye do n't mean it. I hain't seed a bed, in 
 no proper shape, fur more 'n a month. Ef ye 
 jist set here, and call me whin needed, I 'd sleep 
 something like. But could ye ?" 
 
 "O yes, I can, and I will ; but where will you 
 sleep?"
 
 TWO ODD FELLOWS. 73 
 
 "Right in this here cheer. I cVd sleep 
 standin', I reckon, if she wuz off my mine 
 onc't." 
 
 " Rest easy about her. I will watch her very 
 carefully, a little while any way. You may go 
 to sleep any time." 
 
 "Who sent ye here any how?" 
 
 " Mr. Outwright, the minister." 
 
 " An' be ye a servunt uv his 'n ?" 
 
 "Yes," said Thaddeus, smiling at the ques- 
 tion. "I work for him part of the time." 
 
 "He 's bin here heaps o' times. His wumun 
 wuz pow'ful kine tu the chil'un. They 're in 
 the bed thar' with the'r mammy." 
 
 "That ought not to be!" Thaddeus said, 
 quickly ; but remembering their destitution, he 
 checked himself, and said, "Well, you go to 
 sleep now, aunty, and I will see to everything." 
 
 "Who tol' ye I wuz called aunty? Ev'y- 
 body calls me thet." 
 
 "O, I guessed it!" 
 
 "Dear, dear! it seems gude to sleep with 
 both eyes shet onc't again." 
 
 The aunty sank back in the little rocker, and 
 was asleep in a minute ; and Thaddeus was 
 virtually alone, in the house of a stranger, 
 keeping watch by the bed of a dying woman ! 
 
 There was nothing for him to do but to sit 
 there and wait for the oft-recurring struggles
 
 74 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 with the tenacious cough. She seemed hardly 
 conscious at any time, and most of the time 
 was certainly wholly unconscious. 
 
 Thaddeus knew his mother had gone to bed 
 and to sleep, and would not miss him until she 
 went to call him to breakfast ; but he meant to 
 be home before that time. 
 
 Night was giving place to the dawn of day 
 when he called up the aunty, and stole noise- 
 lessly out of the house, and hurried home. 
 
 Though the hour was so early, it was not 
 too early for Seth Russell to be out, old and 
 presumably feeble as he was ; for he intercepted 
 Thaddeus at a street-crossing, his merry eyes 
 twinkling like stars, his soft voice sounding like 
 a lute, while his benign countenance radiated 
 the kindliness of his kind soul. 
 
 "What errand of mercy takes you out in 
 this wee hour?" he asked of Thaddeus. 
 
 "I might answer by asking you the same 
 question," Thaddeus replied, grasping heartily 
 the extended hand of his friend. 
 
 "I will tell you if you will answer me this: 
 How do you suppose I know you are a born 
 writer?" 
 
 " Indeed, I can not tell," Thaddeus said, with 
 a smile, and a glow of pleasure at the implied 
 compliment.
 
 TWO ODD FELLOWS. 75 
 
 "Because you have such good ears for nold- 
 ing the pen." 
 
 Thaddeus stood watching the fast-retreating 
 figure Qt Seth, and finally burst out laughing at 
 his joke, and hastened homeward, refreshed in 
 mind by that little pleasantry at such an unex- 
 pected hour. 
 
 Not only Seth Russell had noted Thad's de- 
 parture from Tingleman's house, but Billy Barn- 
 well, the chief of police, had also noted it ; and 
 as every movement of the young editor was 
 something for him to report to Wendell Morri- 
 son, he remembered that Tingleman had an un- 
 savory reputation in the town, and was sus- 
 pected of having been a hard case before he 
 came to Brarnbleville. 
 
 Thaddeus left his handkerchief with Mrs. 
 Tingleman ; for he did not care to take it again 
 after her use of it. It was marked with his 
 name ; but it did not occur to Thaddeus that 
 it could ever come up as evidence against his 
 good name. But it did.
 
 YIL 
 
 IN THE TOILS. 
 
 PUT Thaddeus did not need to keep up his 
 vigils at Tingleman's home, though he was 
 a frequent caller there, having become deeply 
 interested in the case. His mother and some 
 of her lady friends relieved Thaddeus of the 
 immediate care of Mrs. Tingleman. 
 
 Mrs. Tracy and Miss Josie were enlisted in 
 the behalf of the poor family, and were assid- 
 uous in their attention. One afternoon they 
 called just as Tingleman was leaving for work. 
 Their elegant wraps, the sparkling of the dia- 
 mond pins they wore in their scarfs, and the 
 richness of all their attire, attracted his atten- 
 tion, and aroused in him a passion that had a 
 long time been dormant. Ever since he had a 
 wife, Tingleman had been an honest man in 
 practice ; for her influence had kept in subjec- 
 tion his true nature. 
 
 " Why should they have all that superfluous 
 wealth, and I and mine in want?" he asked 
 himself that night. "They would not feel the 
 loss of their diamonds, and what a fortune they 
 would be to me ! What comforts I could buy 
 my wife 1" The thought grew upon him, and he 
 76
 
 IN THE TOILS. 77 
 
 decided to have those diamonds that very night. 
 His wife would never know ! 
 
 Thaddeus called to see Miss Josie, and was 
 beguiled into staying until the clock in the 
 church-steeple struck eleven. Wendell Morrison 
 was there, too ; but he was closeted with Judge 
 Tracy, discussing an important case in hand, 
 and had not left when Thaddeus quietly with- 
 drew. 
 
 Tingleman made a hurried visit to Judge 
 Tracy's house in the early evening to take ob- 
 servations, and was almost caught by Morrison 
 as he came up the walk; but quickly hiding 
 behind an evergreen, he saw Morrison enter, 
 and then returned to the lumber-yard in time 
 to register at the watchman's post. At eleven 
 o'clock he came back, and seeing Thaddeus 
 leave, concluded the way was clear, and waited 
 until all should become quiet in the house. 
 
 When he saw the light flash out of Miss 
 Josie's window, and heard her close the shutters 
 of her bedroom window, careless as to the noise 
 she made, he boldly advanced to the parlor win- 
 dows, which opened on the porch, reckoning 
 that what noise he made there could not be dis- 
 tinguished from the noise she was making above. 
 
 He had masked his face by tying over it a 
 handkerchief the very handkerchief that Thad- 
 deus had left with Mrs. Tingleman the night he
 
 78 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 first called there. Who could have guessed that 
 an act of kindness could be so used as was 
 Thaddeus's wholly unselfish ministering to the 
 need of that afflicted mother and wife? 
 
 Tingleman opened the shutters, slipped into 
 the parlor, leaving the window up to insure an 
 exit if he should be hurried in his leaving, and 
 pulled down the inside blind to hide his move- 
 ments from outside observation. 
 
 Judge Tracy, in his study, heard the noise in 
 the parlor, but supposed it was his daughter pre- 
 paring to retire. 
 
 In her room above, Josie heard the noise 
 below, but knowing that her father was down 
 there, supposed it was he closing the shutters 
 before he came up-stairs, forgetting that they 
 had been closed early in the evening. She 
 forthwith fell asleep, and dreamed sweetly of fu- 
 ture events, not one of which gave her a hint of 
 what the future really held in store for her. 
 
 Tingleman was motionless at the window for 
 several minutes, straining his ears to catch any 
 danger-signal from any part of the house. 
 
 He reckoned the valuables he sought were 
 up-stairs, but he determined first to make a 
 hasty examination of the down-stairs apart- 
 ments. The information gained thereby would 
 stand him in hand in future operations. 
 
 He softly crossed the floor, gently opened the
 
 IN THE TOILS. 79 
 
 door, and slipped into the hall, his shoeless feet 
 making not a sound on the rich carpeting. 
 
 A light flickered under the door at the farther 
 end of the hall, where Judge Tracy and Mor- 
 rison were silently reading legal papers; but 
 after a moment's hesitation, Tingleinan con- 
 cluded it was light from a grate in an office or 
 the library. He listened. Not a sound from 
 the room ! 
 
 He struck a match, and lighted a point of gas 
 in the burner overhead. The match snapped 
 viciously, and sounded like a small firecracker, 
 and he was for a moment alarmed ; but when no 
 sound of life followed the snap, he grew bold, 
 and moved softly toward the door, beyond which 
 the two men were reading. 
 
 When Judge Tracy heard the window-shutter 
 open, he thought it was Josie, and quietly read 
 on. Nevertheless his ears were alert; for a 
 vague fear seized upon him, and he heard the 
 match snap. 
 
 Morrison heard the window-shutter open, and 
 thought it queer ; for he remembered they were 
 closed when he came, and the judge had said 
 Thaddeus was in the parlor. Though apparently 
 reading, he was listening, and he heard the 
 match snap in the hall. 
 
 Both looked up at the same instant, and to- 
 gether turned their eyes toward the door, listen-
 
 8o AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 ing breathlessly, and found their fears confirmed 
 by the streak of light that lay just under the 
 door, out in the hall. 
 
 Both men sprang from their chairs, and both 
 made signs for the other not to speak. 
 
 Morrison took his place against the wall, so 
 the least opening of the door would reveal the 
 intruder to him at once. 
 
 Judge Tracy stood behind the door, facing 
 Morrison, his hand on the door-knob, ready to 
 fling it open at first alarm. 
 
 Tingleman, unsuspecting the presence of the 
 two men, advanced cautiously, and pushed open 
 the door boldly. 
 
 "Villain!" muttered Morrison, springing for- 
 ward, and grasping at the neck of Tingleman. 
 
 Though surprised, Tingleman did not run, 
 but dealt Morrison a heavy blow that staggered 
 him a second. 
 
 "Scoundrel!" called Judge Tracy, grabbing 
 at Tingleman irom behind the door. 
 
 Seeing he was overmatched, Tingleman 
 turned to flee, but not before Morrison returned 
 to the attack, and sought to close with him in a 
 catch-as-catch-can wrestling match. Tingieman 
 nimbly evaded the embrace; but Morrison caught 
 the handkerchief off his head as he fled, and so 
 he escaped through the parlor window, as he 
 had come in.
 
 IN THE TOILS. 81 
 
 Cries of alarm and screams from above-stairs 
 told the men that Mrs. Tracy and Miss Josie 
 had been awakened by the brief struggle, and 
 were thoroughly frightened. 
 
 " Be quiet, dear! be quiet, Josie! We are all 
 right. It was a burglar, but he has gone now." 
 
 In a very few minutes both ladies were at the 
 head of the stairs, in their wrappers, listening to 
 the story of the attack and escape of the thief. 
 
 "Papa," called Josie anxiously, "do have 
 Mr. Morrison stay until morning. The burglar 
 might come back again !" 
 
 "Hardly to-night, my dear." 
 
 "But I am afraid!" 
 
 "Yes, have him stay," pleaded Mrs. Tracy. 
 " He might come back and bring help." 
 
 "Foolish women!" said Judge Tracy. 
 
 "You would just as soon, wouldn't you, Mr. 
 Morrison ?" Miss Josie added. 
 
 " Yes, indeed ; I will find pleasure in staying, 
 if it will relieve your fears." 
 
 " I scolded Thad for staying so late to-night," 
 Josie said, in an undertone to her mother, while 
 the men were talking below ; " but I wish now 
 he hadn't gone so soon." And then she called 
 down again: "You will stay, won't you, Mr. 
 Morrison." 
 
 " Yes, indeed," he said, quickly. 
 
 The ladies returned to their rooms, not to 
 
 6
 
 82 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 sleep, but to talk over and over the exciting 
 episode. 
 
 " I shall keep the handkerchief as * trophy 
 of this affair," Morrison said, as he examined it 
 carefully in the light of the office lamp, when 
 he and Judge Tracy returned there, after se- 
 curely fastening the window that had been 
 opened. 
 
 It was large and of soft texture, almost 
 silken, so fine was the linen of which it was 
 woven. 
 
 As he rapidly passed the edges through his 
 hands, he discovered the name written in a bold 
 hand in indelible ink on the border. The dis- 
 covery made his face flush, but he discreetly 
 held his tongue. 
 
 " I would, if I were you. You are certainly 
 entitled to that much of a reward for your 
 promptness. But did he strike you ?" 
 
 " I should think he did. Is n't there a mark 
 here?" baring his forehead by lifting the heavy 
 lock of hair that lay just above his eye. 
 
 "There is, indeed. Let me call the ladies, 
 and have them bathe it in arnica." 
 
 "No, no! This is nothing. I will bathe it 
 in some cold water before I retire, and that will 
 be quite sufficient" 
 
 " A fine handkerchief," the judge said, taking 
 hold of the article, Morrison the meanwhile
 
 IN THE TOILS. 83 
 
 holding in his hand the corner, near which was 
 written "THADDEUS THROCKMORTON." 
 
 " He must be a toney fellow, judging from 
 this," Morrison said, and then put the handker- 
 chief away. 
 
 The next morning, on his way home, Mor- 
 rison met Billy, the chief of police, and to him 
 he related minutely the details of the affair of 
 the night before. Finally, swearing him to se- 
 crecy, he showed him the handkerchief and the 
 name thereon, and asked triumphantly: 
 
 "Now, what do you think?" 
 
 "That beats my day!" 
 
 Then they walked off together, and what 
 schemes they devised, only the future could tell. 
 
 That morning Thaddeus said to his mother 
 at breakfast: 
 
 " I guess I will walk over to Tingleinan's 
 to-night after supper. You have n't been over 
 lately, have you ?" 
 
 " No, not for two days. I wish you would 
 go, son. I am afraid she can not live long." 
 
 " I will, mother. It is only two days until 
 Christinas. I wonder if anybody has thought 
 about Christmas for her children." 
 
 " I suppose not. They are quite comfortable 
 now, though, thanks to Mrs. Tracy and Josie. 
 There is hardly a thing they really need that 
 they do not furnish them."
 
 84 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 The day ended in a snowstorm of great vio- 
 lence, the wind piling up great drifts wherever 
 it could; but that did not deter Thaddeus from 
 carrying out his intention of seeing that Tingle- 
 man's children were provided with Christmas 
 gifts. 
 
 He scarcely knew the place when he entered 
 the door, so great had been the improvements 
 made by the ladies who had cared for the 
 family. 
 
 Mrs. Tingleman was hopefully counting on 
 another Christmas with her children, but Thad- 
 deus felt that that was to be denied her. 
 
 His heart grew warm with sympathy, and 
 his generosity outstretched the contents of his 
 pocket-book. So taking out his check-book, he 
 wrote a check for ten dollars, and handed it to 
 Mrs. Tingleman, having made it payable to 
 Henry Tingleman. 
 
 The dying mother's look of thankfulness was 
 all the pay he needed for that night's walk 
 through the storm. 
 
 As he turned from the door into the street, 
 bowing his head to shield his face from the 
 blast, the chief of police called to him : 
 
 "What on earth brought you into such a 
 neighborhood such a night as this?" 
 
 " O !" said Thaddeus, surprised by the un- 
 expected meeting, and not wishing to advertise
 
 IN THE TOILS. 85 
 
 his benevolence, " I came over to settle a little 
 bill Tingleman had against me." 
 
 " Do you owe Tingleman ? I supposed he 
 owed everybody." 
 
 " Well, his family are sick, and I owed him 
 a little. So I came over to settle, thinking they 
 might need it this awful weather." 
 
 Thaddeus thought that a legitimate explana- 
 tion. He felt that he did owe Tingleman, as he 
 owed every other human being in distress, such 
 help and comfort as he could give. 
 
 " He 's a hard customer a regular suspect. 
 I have to keep my eye on him. That is why I 
 am out here to-night," the chief said, as they 
 plunged along through the blinding storm, and 
 waded through the growing drifts. 
 
 . At the corner of the square they separated 
 with a simple "good-night." 
 
 Tingleman knew Billy, the chief of police, 
 and Billy knew Tingleman. More than once 
 had they drunk at the same bar, and at the ex- 
 pense of the same person. But it must be said 
 of both that lately they had seldom met in the 
 saloons ; for Billy had been informed by those 
 in authority that his star depended on his keep- 
 ing perfectly sober, and Tingleman loved his 
 wife too well to grieve her last days on earth by 
 drunken indifference ; and more than that he in- 
 tended to commence his old business again soon,
 
 86 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 and a thief must have a clear brain and a steady 
 hand. 
 
 The next day, however, just at nightfall, 
 they met 
 
 " Hello, Billy !" 
 
 " Hello, Henry !" 
 
 "Cash a check for me, Billy ?" 
 
 " How much ? If it is not too big." 
 
 " Ten dollars, only." 
 
 " Yes ; step inside this store, sign it on the 
 back, and I will cash it for you," Billy said, after 
 looking at the check. 
 
 "What luck!" exclaimed Billy to himself, 
 after Tingleman had gone. " Just to think ! I 
 have Thad's check to Tingleman in my posses- 
 sion ! Well, well ; that is a good ten-dollar in- 
 vestment." He hurried to Wendell Morrison 
 with the news of his good luck. 
 
 " Can you cash a check for me to-night, old 
 fel?" he asked Wendell, as he rushed into his 
 office. 
 
 " Guess so. How much ?" 
 
 " Only ten," handing the check to Wendell, 
 and then stepping back to study the expression 
 of his face when he should see what check it was. 
 
 " Great guns ! Where did you get this ?" 
 
 " Of Tingleman !" 
 
 "And Throckmorton was at Tingleman's 
 house, you say?"
 
 IN THE TOILS. 87 
 
 " H-u was. I saw him come out myself." 
 
 " Bwlly boy, Billy !" Morrison said, handing 
 him two five-dollar bills in exchange for the 
 check. " Now if you can catch Tingleman 
 breaking into a house, the handkerchief and this 
 check will make Throcky sweat!" 
 
 " You bet !" 
 
 " Of course we can not come out and accuse 
 him of anything ; but we can get up an awful 
 smoke, and can arouse suspicion." 
 
 " And it does look suspicious," Billy urged. 
 
 "It does, for a fact. And the looks is all we 
 need at present." 
 
 " I '11 catch 'em yet." 
 
 The chief of police went out chuckling with 
 delight, intent not so much on catching a real 
 thief as on mixing an honest and unsuspecting 
 man with disreputable characters, and thereby 
 ruining him politically and socially. 
 
 The door had hardly closed after him before 
 it opened again, and Seth Russell slipped in 
 noiselessly, and, approaching Morrison as he 
 leaned back in his office-chair, said earnestly : 
 
 " I heard you sing at the music ale the other 
 night, my son !" 
 
 " Were you there, Seth ? I am surprised ! 
 Good time, though !" 
 
 " Yes, I was there. Do you know what I 
 would do if I had a voice like yours ?"
 
 88 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 u No. What would you do, Seth ?" Morrison 
 asked, flattered by the question and its implica- 
 tion, knocking the ashes off his cigar with his 
 little finger, and holding it poised in mid-air for 
 a second. 
 
 " I would come in heavy on the refrain I" 
 Hurrying to the door, Seth disappeared down- 
 stairs, and was out of hearing before Morrison 
 comprehended that the compliment was left- 
 handed.
 
 THE BURGLAR CAUGHT. 
 
 R. tYCURGUS LYSANDER waa a well- 
 known character in Brambleville, and en- 
 joyed the distinction of being brother-in-law to 
 Judge Tracy, for the wife of the latter was Mr. 
 Lysander's sister. 
 
 He was a lawyer by profession, and a digni- 
 fied but eccentric gentleman by practice. 
 
 He was inheritor of great possessions, and 
 needed no income from his business, having 
 plenty of time for his practice, and large leisure 
 for his profession. 
 
 He was small of stature, but had a large head, 
 on which he wore a broad-brim soft hat. He 
 wrapped his body in a huge cloak that nearly 
 reached his heels. 
 
 His feet were small ; his steps short, quick, 
 and decided, but exceedingly light; and his 
 movement suggestive of thoughtful unconcern. 
 
 In manner he was formal in the extreme, but 
 rather diffident. In conversation slow, precise, 
 and pedantic. 
 
 Mirth was a stranger to him, and intentional 
 flippancy a disgrace, if not a sin ; and yet no one 
 
 89
 
 90 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 man in Brambleville was the cause of so much 
 mirthfulness, and no one the subject of so many 
 flippant remarks. 
 
 A broad, high forehead made his small eyes 
 seem smaller, and his little nose look less than it 
 really was. Thin lips marked the boundary of 
 a wide mouth that stretched beyond the sides 
 of a pointed chin which glistened like a ball of 
 polished ivory. 
 
 His undertakings were always important, be- 
 cause he would never undertake an unimportant 
 work ; and every task essayed received his undi- 
 vided attention and best endeavor. 
 
 Mrs. Tracy was devotedly attached to her 
 brother, and was blind to his eccentricities, and 
 keenly alive to his acquirements in science and 
 law ; for he was well read, and moreover a con- 
 stant student of books. 
 
 The judge was tolerant of his brother-in-law, 
 and sometimes condescended! to be amused by 
 his quibbles and quirks. 
 
 Their residences occupied adjoining grounds, 
 which were of park-like dimensions, abounding 
 in shrubbery, and traversed by intersecting paths 
 and driveways, which curved and twisted around 
 mounds and between trees and flowering plants. 
 
 Mr. Lysander went to his office regularly at 
 nine o'clock in the morning, took lunch down 
 town at noon, and returned home at five o'clock
 
 THE BURGLAR CAUGHT. 91 
 
 in the afternoon for dinner. From this pro- 
 gram there was no deviation. 
 
 After dinner he gave personal attention to 
 one Jersey cow and one very gentle horse. That 
 was his diversion. 
 
 " I find," he often said, by way of explaining 
 the reason for this work, "it very conducive to 
 the restoration of my mental equilibrium after 
 exhaustive application to the intricacies of juris- 
 prudence to contemplate the confiding and con- 
 stant character of bovine and equine natures. 
 To administer to their wants, and witness their 
 silent but effective thankfulness, tends to the 
 abatement of selfish sentiments." 
 
 No lady attiring herself for a brilliant recep- 
 tion gave greater care to her dress than did Mr. 
 Lysander when arraying himself to go out to 
 feed his cow and horse. His costume for this 
 work had been made to order, and was never 
 worn on any other occasion. It was made 
 large, so he could put it on over his other 
 clothes, after removing his coat. The hat was 
 a palmetto that had belonged to a Southern 
 planter before the war. 
 
 The burglarious attempt on Judge Tracy's 
 house greatly incensed Mr. Lysander. 
 
 " A most ungentlemanly procedure," he as- 
 severated the next morning, when Mrs. Tracy 
 told him about it,
 
 92 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 " So It was, Lycurgus," she assented ; " but 1 
 am glad he did not succeed." 
 
 " Was the perturbation of James very marked, 
 as you now recall the scene?" 
 
 " O, he was excited, of course, but quite cool 
 and collected nevertheless." 
 
 " From your account of the affair, I infer that 
 the behavior of Mr. Wendell Morrison was com- 
 mendable in the highest degree, and worthy 
 the honor of knighthood, if it could be bestowed 
 in this age of the world." 
 
 " Indeed, Mr. Morrison was more than brave. 
 He was valiant and energetic. He insists on 
 keeping the handkerchief as a trophy of the 
 contest." 
 
 " I sincerely trust the ungentlemanly person 
 or persons were so completely terrorized by Mr. 
 Morrison as to be deterred from burglariously 
 entering my residence. He probably is aware 
 of my comparatively defenseless condition ; but I 
 believe I would defend my castle with my life, 
 were he or they to come." 
 
 " What would you do, brother, if you should 
 find some one in your house?" 
 
 " If he should not escape by precipitous flight, 
 after having received due warning of the conse- 
 quences if he did not flee, I believe I should as- 
 sault him with whatever murderous weapon I 
 could seize upon at the time,"
 
 THE BURGLAR CAUGHT. 93 
 
 "Well, I hope you will not have an occasion 
 to prove your courage and strength," Mrs. Tracy 
 said, and the conversation drifted into other 
 channels. 
 
 That night supper was late at Mr. Lysan- 
 der's a very unusual occurrence at that home 
 and Mr. Lysander donned his stable costume, 
 and went to feed Lady Jane Grey and Pegasus. 
 
 He returned just as supper was announced, 
 and hastily removed his costume, and deposited 
 it on a high-back arm-chair in the sitting- 
 room a very careless act that was not at all 
 like him ; but he chose that in preference to 
 being late to the table. 
 
 After an hour at the dinner-table with his 
 family, discoursing learnedly at intervals upon 
 every subject mentioned, he excused himself, 
 and returned to the sitting-room, dimly lighted 
 by the hall gas that shone through the transom. 
 
 "Good-evening, sir!" he said, bowing to the 
 figure his cast-off clothes made when he had put 
 them on the chair. But the figure was power- 
 less to return the polite salutation, much to Mr. 
 Lysander's regret and surprise. 
 
 "What gives me the honor of this unex- 
 pected visit?" he ventured to remark. 
 
 He felt his hair assuming an erect position, 
 and chill after chill chased each other down his 
 back; but he stood his ground bravely.
 
 94 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 "May I take your hat, sir?" 
 
 He stretched out his hand to receive the 
 palmetto; but the chair was unable to give it 
 to him. 
 
 "Would you dine with us? Dinner is just 
 ready," he stammered. 
 
 His own shoes creaked as he moved uneasily ; 
 but he thought it was the creaking of the chair 
 where the clothes hung. The gas flared and 
 flickered, and the hat and coat seemed to move ; 
 but no voice was heard. Mr. Lysander felt it 
 was time for vigorous measures. 
 
 "I am amazed at your utter indifference to all 
 rules of politeness !" he said, with stronger voice 
 and some show of asperity. 
 
 But the hat said nothing. 
 
 "Sir, I shall be obliged to ask you to with- 
 draw at once !" 
 
 But the breeches made no attempt to move. 
 
 "In the event of your refusing, I shall .be 
 obliged to go for the police ; and prudent care 
 for your reputation, if not personal comfort, 
 would suggest avoidance of that trouble," he 
 said, huskily. 
 
 The figure did not feel alarmed at this threat, 
 and was silent and motionless as ever. 
 
 He retreated until he was near the dining- 
 room door. 
 
 "Mrs. Lysander!"
 
 THE BURGLAR CAUGHT. 95 
 
 "Yes, dear." ^ 
 
 "Do not come in, Mrs. Lysander; but lock the 
 door from that side. I have a burglar trapped." 
 
 "O Lycurgus!" screamed his wife- 
 
 "O papal papa!" 
 
 With screams and cries of terror, his daugh- 
 ters rushed about the dining-room, wringing 
 their hands, and adding to their father's fright 
 by their very extremity of fear. 
 
 "O dear! O dear me! What shall we do? 
 O dear!" they cried. 
 
 Mrs. Lysander locked the door and bolted it, 
 and, to make it more secure, held the knob with 
 both hands, and pressed against it with all her 
 might, forgetting that she was locking her hus- 
 band in, as well as locking the burglar out. 
 
 After a time the ladies became quiet, and 
 ventured to ask, through the locked door : 
 
 " Papa, are you there ?" 
 
 But there was no answer. 
 
 "My dear," pleaded Mrs. Lysander, "do an- 
 swer us ! Are you there ?" 
 
 But there was no response from beyond the 
 door, nor any noise to indicate there was any 
 life there. 
 
 "Is my papa killed? O! what was that?" 
 one of his daughters cried. 
 
 A voice from the door-yard reached their ears. 
 It was their father's.
 
 96 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 "I have left the door open. If you wish to 
 escape the vengeance of the law, now is your 
 chance !" 
 
 " It is papa calling to the man to come out. 
 Papa is safe anyhow! I am glad of that!" the 
 other daughter exclaimed. 
 
 " Police ! police ! POLICE ! p-o-l-t-c-e /" 
 
 Mr. I<ysander was lifting up his voice m a 
 very undignified manner, and with something of 
 fright in its tremulousness. 
 
 "Where are you, papa?" 
 
 "Here I am, behind this evergreen, my dear. 
 I am willing the burglar should have a chance 
 for his life. If he will let me alone, I will not 
 disturb him." 
 
 "Has he hurt you, papa?" 
 
 "Not much, daughter not any, really; and 
 I am willing to let him off at that." 
 
 "Has he gone, papa?" 
 
 "No, daughter. He still sits there. I see 
 him from here." 
 
 " Go, call the police, papa !" 
 
 "I can not, dear. My duty is here. I must 
 defend my home, and protect my family. I will 
 not run from any danger while they are ex- 
 posed !" 
 
 " Papa, come in here ! Come in here, papa !" 
 
 " I can not. He will not let me, I am sure. 
 I wish I could. Police ! police 1"
 
 THE BURGLAR CAUGHT. 97 
 
 "Well!" a voice called from the street. "Who 
 wants police 1" 
 
 "Mr. Lycurgus Lysander. I have a burglar 
 caught, and can not let him go. Are you a 
 policeman ?" 
 
 " No ; but I am Thaddeus Throckmorton. 
 WTiat can I do for you?" 
 
 "Would you mind asking that burglar in the 
 house to come out, before the police come and 
 take him out?" 
 
 "A burglar? In the house? Why are you 
 here?" 
 
 " Lycurgus, is that you? What is the matter? 
 We heard the girls screaming, and have come 
 down to see what can be the matter here." 
 
 "O my sister!" he said, answering Mrs. Tracy's 
 question, " Heaven has sent you, I am sure. A 
 burglar is in our house, and will not come out." 
 
 "A queer burglar! Ours would not stay. 
 You must be mistaken, Lycurgus !" 
 
 The meantime, Thaddeus advanced to the 
 open door, and entered the dining-room. For a 
 second he was startled by the outline of a man 
 sitting in a chair, and he hesitated ; but only for 
 a second. Going up to the chair, he discovered 
 the real cause of the alarm, and called out : 
 
 "Bring a light, Mrs. Lysander, or open the 
 door, and I will show you the burglar. But it is 
 no burglar at alL"
 
 98 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 Reassured by his confident tones, Mrs. Ly- 
 sander opened the door, and brought a light, fol- 
 lowed timidly by the girls. 
 
 "Is that all!" 
 
 She sank into a chair, and was dumb with 
 confusion. 
 
 "Come, see your burglar, papa!" one ol the 
 girls called to her father, who was yet in the 
 darkness, behind the evergreen-tree, giving his 
 sister a minute account of all the happenings of 
 the few preceding minutes. There was laughter 
 in the voice, and Mrs. Tracy said : 
 
 " It was all a mistake, I am sure, Lycurgus," 
 and at once hurried into the house, closely fol- 
 lowed by Josie, and after her, Mr. Lysander. 
 
 "It fooled me, in the dark," said Thaddeus, 
 gallantly, noticing how ashamed Mr. Lysander 
 looked, as he saw the cause of his fright clearly 
 revealed in the glare of the gas now lighted in 
 the room. 
 
 "Burglars are either just ahead of you or 
 just after you," Mrs. Tracy said to Thaddeus, 
 referring to his presence at their house the night 
 of their experience in that line. 
 
 "But this is not a burglar," Thaddeus said, 
 coloring visibly, in spite of his effort not to ; for 
 somehow Mrs. Tracy's manner, as well as words, 
 impressed him as expressing suspicion. But 
 why should they? At once he was uneasy, and
 
 THE BURGLAR CAUGHT. 99 
 
 wished he had not answered the call of the fright- 
 ened lawyer. 
 
 "It is nice to have you around," whispered 
 Josie, as she came to his side, "whether with 
 burglars or alone." 
 
 "Thank you ! But I must go." 
 
 "Go with us, will you?" she said, earnestly. 
 
 " Not now, Josie. Wish I could." 
 
 His heart was heavy as stone, but he could 
 not tell why. He wanted to go with Josie ; but 
 Mrs. Tracy's remark had wounded him so sorely 
 that he must needs go off alone for his hurt 
 to heal. 
 
 " I will bid you good-night !" he said, bowing 
 and stepping back toward the door. 
 
 "Good-night!" said Mr. Lysander. 
 
 But no one thanked him for his services, nor 
 asked him to stay longer. Josie turned a lov- 
 ing glance upon him ; but Mrs. Tracy looked 
 coldly indifferent, he thought, and so he hurried 
 away. 
 
 A small boy, passing toward town when Mr. 
 Lysander was most lustily calling for police, gave 
 wings to his feet, and sped on, hunting for a po- 
 liceman until he found one, and brought him to 
 investigate the cause of the outcry, going with 
 him to share in the honor of coming to the 
 rescue. 
 
 "For heaven's sake, Lycurgus," said Mrs.
 
 ioo AN ODD FELLOW 
 
 Tracy, "do not let this get out! Think of what 
 a laughing-stock we will all become !" 
 
 "/will not speak of it, my sister," he said, 
 humbly. 
 
 "And / will not," she said, "nor Josie, either; 
 and, of course, your wife and daughters will not ; 
 so I guess it is safe with us." 
 
 " But, then, Mr. Throckmorton knows it, and 
 he will put it in the paper," said one of the young 
 ladies, in horror. 
 
 "No, he will not," said Josie, decidedly; "I 
 will guarantee that. I will ask him not to." 
 
 "I wish you would," Mr. Lysander said, al- 
 most pleadingly. 
 
 " Did you call for the police ?" 
 
 The voice came from the yard, where the po- 
 liceman stood, looking across the porch through 
 the open door into the room where all were 
 seated. 
 
 "No! yes! why that is, we had a little scare; 
 but it is all over," Mr. Lysander said, going to 
 the door. 
 
 "What was it all about?" the officer asked, in 
 lower tones. 
 
 "Well, we thought there was a burglar here, 
 but we found out better." 
 
 "So no one has been here but your own 
 folks your family, and Mrs. Tracy and her 
 daughter ?"
 
 THE BURGLAR CAUGHT. 101 
 
 " No ; that is, only one other. Mr. Thaddeus 
 Throckmorton was here, in the midst of our 
 fright ; but he has gone." 
 
 "And there was no burglar that you could 
 see, and no one here but Thad ?" 
 
 "That is all." 
 
 " But you thought you saw some one prowling 
 around?" 
 
 " No, not prowling, but in the house." 
 
 "And what was it?" 
 
 " Well, you see, when I got in from the yard, 
 Mr. Throckmorton had the gas lighted, and he 
 was the only one I saw here." 
 
 " I see ! But he was in the house ?" 
 
 "Yes, when I came in." 
 
 "Who was first in the room after you saw the 
 burglar, or thought you saw him ?" 
 
 "As I said before, Mr. Throckmorton was the 
 first." 
 
 "I see!" 
 
 When the Banner came out next day it had 
 no mention of the affair ; for Josie had kept her 
 promise, and had asked that no reference be 
 made to the episode. 
 
 But the police and their friends had a story 
 to tell, and they told it with much gusto and 
 many a sly wink. In substance it was, that Mr. 
 Lysander's house had been broken into, and the 
 only person seen near there that night was Thad-
 
 102 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 deus Throckmorton. To this they added that 
 the chief of police knew something about the 
 attempt on Judge Tracy's house that reflected 
 no honor on the young editor. 
 
 But Thaddeus was giving his attention to acts 
 of mercy the meanwhile. 
 
 " Will you tell me good-bye, dear ?" 
 
 Mrs. Tingleman turned her head slowly to- 
 ward her husband, as he was about to leave the 
 room. 
 
 " I did tell you good-bye, my little wifie ; did 
 you forget?" 
 
 "Yes I know. I did not forget, dear; 
 but I am going to leave you, and I 
 want to tell you good-bye again." 
 
 "No, no, little one; don't say that. You 
 must not leave me ! Who will love me then ?" 
 
 " God, my dear. God loves you now, and 
 will always love you." 
 
 " No, no ; God hates your Henry, little wifie. 
 No one loves me but you ; and now you are 
 going away !" 
 
 " God loves you, Henry, my dear husband. 
 He sent his children to us, Mr. Throckmor- 
 ton, Mrs. Tracy, and Miss Josie and all, be- 
 cause he loves you." 
 
 " They came to you, my little wife, not to me" 
 
 Then Henry Tingleman's heart smote him 
 hard. He remembered how he had repaid Mrs.
 
 THE BURGLAR CAUGHT. 103 
 
 Tracy's kindness by attempting to rob her of her 
 diamonds. 
 
 " They came to you too," she said, faintly. 
 " My Henry is so good to me." 
 
 Henry Tingleman bowed his head and wept. 
 His wife's words were true. He did love her 
 tenderly, and he cared for her in her sickness 
 with all the thoughtfulness possible. 
 
 "Henry?" 
 
 " Yes, my darling." 
 
 " Do not go away from me to-night !" 
 
 " I will not. I will not 1" His heart was 
 breaking. 
 
 "Henry?" 
 
 " Well, wifie, my little one," he almost sobbed. 
 
 "Don't drink any more, will you?" 
 
 "No," he answered quickly; but his heart 
 was not in his word, and she knew it. 
 
 " Do rft drink any more. The children, 
 Henry; the children!" 
 
 Her voice was husky, and her eyes full of 
 tears. 
 
 " No, little one. I promise you, no /" and his 
 voice betrayed the depth of his feeling quite as 
 much as the tear that glistened for an instant in 
 his eye. 
 
 " Will you stay to-night ?" 
 
 "Yes; I will not leave you; but I must go 
 and tell them to get some one else."
 
 104 AM ODD FELLOW. 
 
 "Yes, go," she said contentedly, and then 
 made herself comfortable to await his return. 
 As he was about to pass out she called : "Henry? 
 Will you ask Mr. Throckmorton to 
 tell me good-bye ?" 
 
 "Yes, my little one," pulling his hat close 
 down over his eyes. 
 
 "And Mrs. Tracy and Mr. Mr. the 
 minister?" 
 
 " Yes, yes," he said, his hand on the door- 
 knob, anxious to be away that he might get back 
 before the death angel called, for he knew he 
 was coming that very night. 
 
 The children were in the other room with 
 Aunty Day, who had been their nurse since the 
 first one was taken ill. 
 
 Henry Tingleman closed the door behind 
 him, and went directly to the office of the lum- 
 ber company, knowing they would not leave 
 until six. He found the clerk in, and easily 
 made arrangement for some one to watch for 
 him that night. 
 
 " How is your wife?" asked the clerk, as 
 Henry was about to leave the office. 
 
 The words were cold and formal, spoken out 
 of a sense of propriety rather than from a feeling 
 of sympathy. Henry paused, held the door-latch 
 a moment, rallied his senses, beat back his emo- 
 tion, and said, with an effort to be calm :
 
 THE BURGLAR CAUGHT. 105 
 
 " She will soon be well I hope !" 
 
 He left the office, and started for Thad's 
 house. 
 
 When he left his own house, a policeman, who 
 had been waiting, hidden from view, followed 
 him to the lumber-yard, and kept close behind 
 him as he hurried to Thaddeus's home. 
 
 He was not at home, but his mother recog- 
 nized Tingleman, took his message, and said she 
 would herself go for the minister. 
 
 That was the night Thad's weekly went to 
 press, and he was always late that night. 
 
 Henry Tingleman went directly home, and 
 was shadowed all the way by the policeman. 
 When he entered his house, the officer secreted 
 himself to await his coming out. He had no 
 doubt he would appear after a little. While he 
 waited, Thaddeus came. The policeman saw his 
 face distinctly in the light from the door when 
 it was opened to admit him. 
 
 The minister was out of town. Mrs. Tracy 
 had not been called by Tingleman. He could 
 not find it in his heart to go there for her. His 
 wife did not notice the omission of that part of 
 her request. 
 
 The policeman waited for an hour, for two ; 
 but Tingleman and Thaddeus did not come out. 
 He left, and reported to the chief what he had 
 seen. It was enough.
 
 106 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 In the last hours of her earth-life, Henry's 
 wife committed him to the care and help of Mr. 
 Throckmorton. 
 
 " He," she said gaspingly, her thin and fever- 
 scarred lips trembling under the burden of the 
 message they bore, "has never never been 
 cross to me. If he would never drink 
 again, all would be well. Help him, 
 for the children's sake. You will ; won't 
 you ?" 
 
 Thaddeus could not keep the tears back, as 
 he watched the face of the faithful wife, and 
 noted the love-light that beamed just a second 
 from the eyes fast losing their power to see, and 
 he said, earnestly : 
 
 " I will help him, Mrs. Tingleman. God 
 being my helper, I will help him." 
 
 " You," she said to Henry, who knelt by her 
 side, "will let him help you. He is 
 God's child I know ! Will you ?" 
 
 He bowed his head, kissed his wife's hand, 
 and rained tears upon it. 
 
 " The children ? I" 
 
 She looked at Thaddeus, and then at her hus- 
 band, seemingly in doubt what to say. 
 
 " What is it wine, my little one?" Henry 
 asked. 
 
 "The children, his mother," looking to- 
 ward Thaddeus. Rallying her fast-failing
 
 THE BURGLAR CAUGHT. 107 
 
 strength, she said : " Will she take take 
 take the children ?" 
 
 " The children will be taken care of, Mrs. 
 Tingleman," Thaddeus said. 
 
 " Will your mother " 
 
 " Yes ; mother will see to them." 
 
 " And you will see to my husband ?" 
 
 The last word was spoken so tenderly was 
 uttdred with so much soul that Henry groaned 
 aloud in agony, realizing that soon that true 
 heart would be still in death. 
 
 "Let me go for some one?" said Thaddeus, 
 rising hastily. 
 
 " No no !" Mrs. Tingleman said, pleadingly. 
 " You and Henry enough." 
 
 u Do n't go," said Henry. " It is no use. She 
 does n't want any one. I would rather be here 
 alone with you." 
 
 " My dear man, your wife is dying. Let me 
 call in some of the neighbors. Wake up the 
 children, or Aunty Day!" 
 
 Mrs. Tingleman shook her head, and said 
 again : " You, Henry." 
 
 " She must have her own way," Henry said, 
 soothingly, kneeling and pillowing his head close 
 beside that of his wife, clasping her two hands in 
 one of his, while with the other he softly stroked 
 her face. 
 
 " She is asleep," said Thaddeus, presently.
 
 108 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 11 Go sit by the fire. You must be tired, kneel- 
 ing there so long." 
 
 Henry arose, and went away a few minutes, 
 leaving Thaddeus to watch. After a little while 
 he returned, and together they sat until the gray 
 dawn tinged the east with light. Then Thad- 
 deus went home. 
 
 Before he left he called the neighbors ; for 
 Mrs. Tingleman's voice could no longer protest. 
 She had gone away forever. 
 
 "What unearthly hours you keep!" said the 
 chief of police, as he overtook Thaddeus just as 
 the gaslights were being put out along the 
 streets. 
 
 " It is rather suspicious," Thaddeus said, 
 laughingly, and passed on, not heeding the 
 chief's words as he called out : 
 
 " I will have to keep my eye on you."
 
 IX. 
 
 THE SELECT SCHOOL. 
 
 "D RAMBLEVILLE had a school that received 
 ,J ' no State or county aid, graduated no stu- 
 dents, gave no diplomas; but yet was popular 
 and well attended, and was a feature of the 
 town quite as much so as its court-house or its 
 jail, its cemetery or its system of water-works. 
 
 The school was known as Professor Heart- 
 breaks's Academy, because the professor owned 
 the building in which the school assembled daily, 
 and because he kept the books. He was not a 
 professor of languages, nor of sciences, but of art; 
 and his especial work lay in the direction of 
 broken pumps, all of which he restored, on short 
 notice, to their original usefulness. Or, failing 
 in that, he substituted a new pump for the 
 broken one. Therein was his gain. His busi- 
 ness was to keep school, but he sold pumps to 
 pay expenses. 
 
 The professor was an oddity. Look at his 
 picture. He was tall quite tall and bent a 
 little in the middle, as if his life had been spent 
 in walking in places too low for him. His form 
 was spare, and his arms and legs seemed like 
 
 109
 
 1 1 AN ODD FELLO W. 
 
 t 
 
 gas-pipe appendages. His head was long up 
 and down, rather broad at the top, and decidedly 
 narrow at the chin, tapering down to a point at 
 the extremity of his auburn whiskers, which de- 
 pended from his chin 
 
 Whoever took the professor for a novice or 
 an easy victim to any scheme, reckoned always 
 without his host. 
 
 His favorite position was on his high stool 
 at his high desk in one corner of his shop. Sit- 
 ting on this perch, his feet on the rungs of the 
 stool, he whittled away at a piece of soft pine, 
 grinding slowly between his teeth a generous 
 supply of best fine-cut tobacco. His whittling 
 was not the aimless cutting of a stick, but was 
 the work of carving out some tool or toy a 
 knife, a shovel, a chain, or a gun. The only 
 condition imposed on those who attended his 
 school was that they should not sit idly by, but 
 should whittle; and should not whittle aim- 
 lessly, but must whittle something out of the 
 soft, straight pine which he furnished. 
 
 Hence the sides of hL shop were covered 
 with specimens of the handiwork of the pupils. 
 These consisted of boats, chains, swords, guns, 
 puzzles, pumps, balls, bats, barrels, and so on, 
 and so on, and so on. 
 
 The seats of the school were trestles, benches, 
 broken chairs, sticks of wood on ends, barrels,
 
 THE SELEC7 SCHOOL. ill 
 
 boxes, and boards, the last placed with ends 
 resting on trestles. 
 
 The stove, a capacious, oblong furnace, that 
 devoured wood three feet long and one foot 
 through, was the center around which the school 
 congregated in the winter, and against which 
 they viciously expectorated tobacco-juice in the 
 summer ; for the school never closed except for 
 Sunday. 
 
 Professor Heartbreaks did not join the circle 
 around the stove, but sat on his stool near by, 
 and from this throne ruled the assembly like a 
 monarch, starting and stopping all discussions, 
 directing the current of all conversation, and 
 dismissing the school peremptorily when he had 
 a call to mend a pump or to put in a new one. 
 
 The pupils came from all parts of the city, 
 and from all classes of society ; so that what did 
 not come up for discussion was not of impor- 
 tance enough to make a ripple of interest. 
 
 No man passing the school was safe from an 
 invitation to come in. If he complied with the 
 request, he was sure to find a silent group of 
 whittlers so silent and so busy whittling that, 
 for a few seconds, hot flashes of embarrassment 
 would redden his face, though every one present 
 might be a personal acquaintance. If he should 
 decline to " come in," a dozen or so of the 
 "pupils" would tumble out of the door, and,
 
 1 1 2 AN ODD FELLO W. 
 
 standing on the sidewalk, look after the receding 
 figure so pityingly that he would wish he had 
 stopped their cruel comments ! 
 
 Professor Heartbreaks usually opened the in- 
 terview by a question indicating the topic of con- 
 versation, and then there would follow a mnning 
 fire of question and comment that would dis- 
 count the best effort of many a lawyer. 
 
 It happened that one day Rev. Archibald 
 Outwright was called in to contribute his share 
 to the general fund of information. 
 
 " Much sickness, parson ?" 
 
 Thus spoke Professor Heartbreaks, glancing 
 up just one second from the sugar-spoon he was 
 fashioning from soft pine. 
 
 " Not a great deal," he replied, taking the 
 seat offered him on the end of a trestle near the 
 stove. 
 
 "No funerals, then?" 
 
 "Yes. I attended one last week. A Mrs. 
 Tingleman died of pulmonary trouble." 
 
 " Any children ?" 
 
 " Yes ; three little ones." 
 
 "Father living?" 
 
 "You know Henry, or Hank, Professor," said 
 a pupil, interrupting, " the night-watch at the 
 lumber-yard ?" 
 
 "Yes; that him?" 
 
 "Yep."
 
 THE SELBCI SCHOOL. 113 
 
 "Lost his job, I heerd," said another. 
 
 " Had n't heard that," said the minister. "He 
 was trusty, was he not ?" 
 
 "Well, he 'd never carry off a meeting-house; 
 now you can put your bottom dollar on that," 
 another whittler volunteered. 
 
 "Joe Bigler tol' me a' yiste'day, ur te'-day 
 can't jist say which he 'd adzwtist his goods 
 at awkshun," said another. 
 
 "He'd better; and the sooner the better, if 
 all is true that 's been tol' aroun'." 
 
 "How's that?" asked the minister. 
 
 M You 've heerd of Judge Tracy's house, and 
 Mr. Lysander's house, and a whole lot more 
 houses, gettin' broke into, hain't yer?" 
 
 " Yes, certainly ; but is Mr. Tingleman impli- 
 cated in such work as that? I knew he was 
 poor, but I thought he was honest," the minister 
 said, earnestly. 
 
 "Do you think it will snow or rain?" asked 
 Professor Heartbreaks, directing his question to 
 the minister, and by that all the school knew 
 that further discussion of Tingleman's character 
 must cease. 
 
 The minister said rather coolly, for he was 
 thinking of Tingleman, and was far more con- 
 cerned about him and his children than about 
 the kind of weather the community would have, 
 "Neither, I hope," and was about to ask some-
 
 1 1 4 AN ODD FELL O W. 
 
 thing more about Tingleman, when the professor 
 suddenly left his perch, stepped to the door, and 
 called out: 
 
 " Hey, Andy Smoothiron ! Hey, Andy ! Come 
 in a minute." 
 
 Andy was passing the shop on the other side 
 of the street ; but he halted, turned about, and 
 came across, entering the shop just as the min- 
 ister passed out. The professor the meantime 
 had resumed his seat on the high stool. 
 
 "Run down any of them thieves yet, Andy?" 
 said the professor, as the big policeman backed 
 up to the stove, and crossed his hands behind 
 him to protect his overcoat-tail from the heat of 
 the stove. 
 
 " Hain't 'zactly run any in ; but do n't you 
 forget hit, we 're hot on their trail. I tracked 
 one on 'em into his house, just the other 
 night." 
 
 "Why didn't you nab him?" said one. 
 
 "Well " and the big policeman hesitated. 
 
 A suppressed laugh ran around the room. 
 
 "Had to leave him, I suppose, for the chief 
 to capture, and get another feather in his cap," 
 suggested another. 
 
 "You are clear off," said Andy, coloring. 
 "Ef any of you fellers 'a' knowed who it wuz I 
 tracked, you 'd swear you 'd as soon suspect an 
 angel from heaven as him."
 
 THE SELECT SCHOOL. 115 
 
 "An' you let him slip?" queried one, in 
 surprise. 
 
 "No, I hain't let him slip, nuther." He 
 spoke indignantly. "I can put my hand on him 
 any day, or any hour in the day or night, and 
 I '11 do it, when we git everything sot just so. 
 You fellers do n't know nothing !" 
 
 " I '11 bet you a dollar to two cents I can 
 name your man," said another, banteringly. 
 
 " I '11 go you for the cigars, but won't bet no 
 dollar," said Andy, turning about to face his 
 challenger. 
 
 "Thaddeus Throckmorton," said the other, 
 closing his knife and putting it in his pocket. 
 Then, shaking his completed wooden pistol in 
 Andy's face, he said, "And if you police hain't 
 got anything better 'n that, you 'd just as well 
 be at home asleep, for all the good you do 
 a-watchin' for thieves." 
 
 "When are you going to get new uniforms?" 
 said the professor. 
 
 And Andy was glad for a chance to change 
 the subject; for a murmur of approval had 
 greeted the outspoken words of his challenger. 
 He said, however, before answering the professor: 
 
 " I hain't said it 's him ;" and then, to the 
 professor, "Not until spring, I guess." 
 
 " Hello, Throcky !" called the professor, as 
 Thaddeus passed the door. "Come in."
 
 1 1 6 AN ODD FELLO W. 
 
 "Guess I'll go," said Andy. 
 
 "You'd better," said some one, and the two 
 men passed each other in the doorway. 
 
 " How are you, Andy ?" said Thad, kindly. 
 
 "So's to be around," said Andy, with a wink 
 at the school; but they did not respond to 
 the hint. 
 
 "How are your children getting on?" asked 
 the professor. 
 
 "Very well, indeed." 
 
 "That was a sad death !" 
 
 " In some respects, yes ; but in others, it was 
 a very blessed death." 
 
 "Did he take it hard?" asked the professor, 
 softly. 
 
 "Very. They were devotedly attached to 
 each other." 
 
 "Where is he?" 
 
 " He has given up his place, and will go West 
 awhile. We will see to the children until he 
 comes for them." 
 
 "Get married again, likely." 
 
 "No, I think not; at least, not soon. I be- 
 lieve he is a changed man." 
 
 " Has a hard name, Throcky." 
 
 "Yes, I know; but I think undeserved." 
 
 "Then you do not believe he is the one who 
 breaks into houses around here?" the professor 
 asked.
 
 THE SELECT SCHOOL. llj 
 
 "No more than I believe / would do such a 
 
 thing." 
 
 The school smiled at each other, but Thad- 
 deus did not notice the smile ; for he was look- 
 ing straight in the face of his questioner. 
 
 "But if he'd get caught, you'd believe dif- 
 f'rent?" said one. 
 
 "I would have to." 
 
 " And then it might look bad for you, seeing 
 you and him are such friends." 
 
 Thaddeus smiled, and then laughed heartily. 
 The school smiled, but they did not laugh. They 
 knew what seed had already been sown, and 
 reckoned that the harvest would be bitterness 
 for Thaddeus. 
 
 "Why, Professor," he said, after his laughter 
 had subsided, " I was born in Brambleville. My 
 father lived here twenty years. My mother is 
 here yet. Everybody knows me. But, then, I 
 know you are just guying me, for fun. I am, 
 though, no more a friend of Henry Tingleman 
 than I am of any man in need. His wife was 
 sick and dying. I went there to help. His chil- 
 dren are motherless, and the last request his wife 
 made was, that my mother would look after 
 them. If he had been a convicted thief, and 
 not merely a ' suspect,' I could not have done 
 otherwise for her and the children. They are 
 not to be blamed."
 
 1 18 AN ODD FELLO W. 
 
 "You did just right," said the professor, ear- 
 nestly. " But he is a ' suspect,' and he may get 
 you in troublz." 
 
 "He never will. Who could be so low as to 
 concoct tales to my hurt from what I have done 
 very little, I am sure, but done cheerfully for a 
 needy family ?" 
 
 "There are lots of low-down folks in politics, 
 Throcky," the professor said, solemnly. 
 
 "Throcky" was a common name for him 
 among his friends, and it had no unpleasant 
 sound to him. Only when it was used by his 
 opponents, with a twist and a tone that was very 
 rasping, did it grate harshly on his ear. 
 
 " I am sorry to admit that there are." 
 
 " But the professor and the school are for you" 
 
 "Thank you!" 
 
 "That's correct," said another. 
 
 " No matter what the police say," put in an- 
 other, significantly. 
 
 "The police?" said Thaddeus, in surprise. 
 " Not about me ?" 
 
 "That's it," several answered. 
 
 "Andy that just went out?" he questioned, 
 eagerly. 
 
 "We tell no tales out of school," the professor 
 said, with a smile. 
 
 "But am I to understand that the police are
 
 THE SELECT SCHOOL, 119 
 
 associating my name with Tingleman's and 
 and with house-breaking?" He was excited 
 and angry. 
 
 "Throcky," the professor said, kindly, "do 
 not get us into it, will you ?" 
 
 "Certainly not in no way, shape, or form." 
 
 " Can we trust you ?" 
 
 " On my word as a gentleman, you can." 
 
 "Well, then, the school has been looking into 
 this matter all along. We 've studied it pretty 
 hard, and I guess we Ve 'bout learned all there 's 
 in it, and we 've 'eluded they have sot a trap for 
 you ; and they say they have caught you." 
 
 " They say ? Who says ? Caught me ?" 
 
 "Now, you are excited, Throcky. We axe for 
 you the whole school, to a man ; but you must 
 look out, and play an even hand, or they '11 
 down you I" 
 
 " They '11 down me ? Who are they ? The 
 police ?" 
 
 " Yes ; and the politicians." 
 
 " Police and politicians ?" 
 
 "Now you have it!" 
 
 "I know the police; but who are the poli- 
 ticians ?" 
 
 "Them that made the police. You know who 
 they be, do n't you ?" 
 
 "Yes," sadly.
 
 120 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 "The schools for you." 
 
 "Thank you!" 
 
 "Grub-time !" said the professor; and at once 
 all closed their knives, put aside their whittling, 
 and went out to their homes.
 
 X. 
 
 A PLAUSIBLE PLEA. 
 
 MORRISON found great 
 pleasure in contemplating every circum- 
 stance that was calculated to reflect upon the 
 character of Thaddeus, or to injure him in pub- 
 lic estimation. He listened eagerly to Andy 
 Smoothiron's recital of what occurred at the 
 "Select School;" but the wily policeman was 
 careful to make a report that was sure to please 
 Wendell, without regard to the truthfulness of 
 his story. What was truth as compared with 
 his place on "the force?" What was truth 
 compared with the friendship of so popular and 
 so influential a man as Wendell ? 
 
 "Gad!" exclaimed the policeman, as he en- 
 tered Wendell's office, and found him alone ; " it 
 is gittin' all-fired duberous and nasty for Throcky. 
 Ef I wuz talked 'bout like him, I 'd go West, 
 an' grow up. Jeeminy cracky 1 he hain't got no 
 show here, whiles the best men is talkin' 'gin 
 him like they are now." 
 
 "What's up now?" Wendell said, wheeling 
 about in his chair, and motioning Andy to a seat 
 near him. 
 
 The two men supposed they were alone ; but 
 
 121
 
 122 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 Judge Tracy was in the private-office, and heard 
 all their conversation ; for he had not gone to 
 dinner, as Wendell thought he had. 
 
 "Well, Perfess' Heartbreaks called me inter 
 the school, and, Moly Hoses ! how they did go 
 forThrocky!" 
 
 " Did they?" asked Wendell, gleefully. " What 
 did they say? Who was there ?" 
 
 "You know Mort Humphrey?' 
 
 "Yes ; did he say anything?" 
 
 Wendell was genuinely surprised at that in- 
 timation; and more, he was really pained for a 
 second ; for, to even a man like Wendell, it 
 seemed sorrowful that so true a friend as Mort 
 should desert Thaddeus. He leaned forward to 
 catch every word Andy had to tell. The big 
 policeman glanced cautiously about, and then 
 said, in a low tone : 
 
 " Say anything ? Jeeminy cracky ! he come 
 right out, and said he knowed Throcky was a 
 thief!" 
 
 "Mort Humphrey said that?" asked Wendell, 
 still in doubt, the assertion seemed so far from 
 what he would expect. In his own heart he be- 
 lieved in Throckmorton's honesty, and knew he 
 was simply a victim of circumstances ; and it 
 was hard for him to believe Mort Humphrey 
 would even suspect his friend of wrong-doing, 
 much less charge him with theft
 
 4 PLAUSIBLE PLEA. 123 
 
 "Well, now, maybe you think I^m a liar!" 
 said Andy, drawing back, and assuming an in- 
 dignant air. 
 
 "Certainly not by no means," said Wendell, 
 apologetically; "but you might have misunder- 
 stood him." 
 
 "Misunderstood nothing! I tell you he sayed 
 it, in just them words." 
 
 "Tell me all the conversation," said Wendell, 
 turning to his desk, and picking up a pencil to 
 write down the words. 
 
 " No you do n't !" said Andy, divining his 
 purpose. " I ain't goin' to make no deppersi- 
 tion to the exact words." 
 
 "Very well," said Wendell, dropping his pen- 
 cil, and turning back to face Andy ; " tell me as 
 nearly as you can recollect." 
 
 "You won't haul me up for a witness?" 
 
 " Of course not, you fool !" said Wendell, im- 
 patiently. "This will never get into court; and 
 if it did, hearsay evidence is nothing." 
 
 "Well," Andy commenced, being reassured, 
 "I sez, sez I, they 've got them thieves cornered. 
 Then they sez, sez they, ' What thieves ?' ' 
 
 "Who said?" asked Wendell. 
 
 " Somebody ; I do n't know who, now. 
 
 "I thought you said Mort said that?" 
 
 "Not that. I 'm comin' to what Mort sayed." 
 
 "O! Well, goon."
 
 124 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 "They sez, sez they, 'What thieves?' Then 
 I sez, sez I, * What broke into Tracy's, and Ly- 
 sander's, and the balance of them's houses.' 
 Then up spoke Mort, and sez, sez he, 'Chestnuts!' 
 Then I fired up, and sez, sez I, ' What 's chest- 
 nuts ?' And he sez, sez he, * About them thieves.' 
 Then I sez, sez I pretty hot, I tell you ; for he 
 was tryin' to guy me sez I to him, 'What do 
 you know about it?' And he sez, sez he, 'You 
 police are clear off.' Them air his very words. 
 Then I sez, ' May be you know ?' And he sez, 
 sez he, * I do know. It 's Thaddeus Throck- 
 morton.' Right out, like that, before the whole 
 school. I wuz just fixin' my mouth to ask him 
 for some pointers, when who on earth should 
 pop in but Throcky himself! And /left." 
 
 "What did the others say?" asked Wendell, 
 quietly, for he was oppressed by the news Andy 
 brought him. He was willing to smirch Throck- 
 morton's name in private, and at such times and 
 places as he thought it wise and advantageous 
 to do so, but he did not want such a report to 
 get to the great public ear ; for he was editor of 
 the chief paper of the party in that locality, and 
 he did not want him hurt like that. 
 
 "They sayed nuthin', but looked most awful 
 wise." 
 
 " Did n't any one defend him ?" 
 
 "Not a' one.'
 
 A PLAUSIBLE PLEA. 125 
 
 "But you do n't believe he was in the scrape, 
 do you ?" 
 
 " Ton my soul, it looks bad. At fust I 'd 
 'a' swore him innercent; but now, seein' the 
 word comes from so many directions, they must 
 be somethin' in it. Can't have no smoke with- 
 out fire ; and a smothered fire at that." 
 
 " And you think all the school sided with 
 Mort?" 
 
 " I know it. He wuz speakin' for the whole 
 pile of them. They just as good as said so." 
 
 " Why did n't you stay and see how Thaddeus 
 would act, and what they would say to him?" 
 
 " Well, I wuz in a hurry to git back to the 
 square." 
 
 " Did he speak to you ?" 
 
 " Never noticed me no more than if I 'd been 
 a dog." 
 
 "Why's that, I wonder?" 
 
 " Do n't he know I 've tracked him all over 
 this town ? Do n't he know I Ve seed him at 
 most suspicious hours, goin' home, and so has 
 Billy." 
 
 "Where is Tingleman now?" 
 
 " Do n't know where he mout be this blessed 
 minute ; but I '11 tell you where I tracked him last 
 night, just after dark." 
 
 " Where ?" 
 
 " To Throcky's house !"
 
 126 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 " Did he go in ?" 
 
 " Go in ! You bet. I watched a hour, an' he 
 wuz still thar." 
 
 " What time do you go on duty ?" 
 
 " Go on at six in the morning, and off at six 
 at night. Then Billy comes on, and stays until 
 morning." 
 
 "Did you tell Billy?" 
 
 " No. I was going home, and hain't seed him 
 sence." 
 
 " Well," said Wendell, rising and shutting his 
 desk, preparatory to leaving for dinner, " keep 
 your eyes open, Andy, and your ears too, and 
 let me know what 's new." 
 
 Judge Tracy remained in his office. Had he 
 indeed so long been deceived with reference to 
 Thaddeus and Wendell? He had always thought 
 Thaddeus the more estimable of the two, reckon- 
 ing him honest, energetic, talented, and deserv- 
 ing the best place in society, and destined to 
 achieve distinction in political life. He had 
 rated Wendell as brilliant, but unreliable ; lac k- 
 ing persistence, and destined to wane in influence 
 as he developed indiscretions into excesses. He 
 had helped Thaddeus gladly, for his own sake, 
 and had encouraged him in his attentions to 
 Josie. He had taken Wendell into partnership 
 from selfish motives, having several cases on 
 hand that needed the brilliant and dashing, even
 
 A PLAUSIBLE PLEA. 127 
 
 vehement, advocacy that he knew Wendell would 
 give them in open court, while he would look up 
 the vital points, and manage the cases in every 
 other respect. So far his most sanguine expecta- 
 tions had been exceeded by Wendell's achieve- 
 ments. There was more in the young man than 
 he believed. He had carefully guarded Josie 
 from association with him, and could not tolerate 
 the idea of her choosing him as a friend. Per- 
 haps he was wrong in his estimate of him in 
 every particular. That is what puzzled him, and 
 that is why he was still in the private office when 
 Wendell returned from dinner. 
 
 " Wendell," said the judge, coming out as the 
 young lawyer seated himself to finish his writing, 
 " what you told me the other day about Throck- 
 morton and the police gossip has annoyed me 
 exceedingly. You do not credit the report, do 
 you?" 
 
 " Certainly not, sir," Wendell answered 
 promptly and earnestly. 
 
 " Do you know whether the police have any 
 substantial ground for such suspicions?" 
 
 "I am quite sure they have not; that is, noth- 
 ing that would stand the test of a review in 
 court; but " And here Wendell stopped. He 
 wanted to tell the judge just what he knew, and 
 wanted to show him the handkerchief and the 
 check, and leave him to make his own infer-
 
 128 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 ences. But was this the best time for that? So 
 he hesitated, and the judge said: 
 
 " But what?" 
 
 "Only this, Judge: the police have some 
 circumstantial evidence that looks ugly lor 
 Throckmorton ; but his unblemished character 
 will outweigh that in your mind, as it does in 
 mine." 
 
 "Perhaps; but I would like to do the weigh- 
 ing myself." 
 
 " Most certainly." 
 
 "Will you put me in possession of the evi- 
 dence, that I may see for myself what there is 
 in it?" 
 
 Wendell blushed and hesitated, finally re- 
 marking in a deprecatory manner: 
 
 "I can; but it would savor a little of tale- 
 bearing." 
 
 Instantly the judge applied the words to him- 
 self, and understood them to be a reproof to 
 him for prying into a matter of that kind. Wen- 
 dell Morrison rebuking Judge Tracy? He 
 flushed visibly, and was greatly agitated as he 
 stood looking out the window. 
 
 Wendell correctly interpreted these signs as 
 evidence of offended dignity, and he made haste 
 to repair the damage his inconsiderate speech 
 had wrought. 
 
 "I beg pardon, Judge. You are justly en-
 
 A PLAUSIBLE PLEA. 129 
 
 titled to all the information I have; and since 
 you have asked it, I should not have hinted at 
 such a construction of my telling you what I 
 know; for your relations, in a business way, 
 with Throckmorton are such as to justify the 
 closest scrutiny of his every act by you." 
 
 Wendell was pleased with the turn the con- 
 versation had taken ; for he could now unbosom 
 himself to the judge as a friend and confidant, 
 and not as the bearer of an evil report. If he 
 pressed him, he would tell all. 
 
 "Well?" said the judge, seating himself with 
 his overcoat and hat on. 
 
 "Haven't you been to dinner?" Wendell 
 asked, when he noted this movement. 
 
 "Not yet." 
 
 " Well, I will be brief. In the first place " 
 
 At that instant the door opened, and Miss 
 Josie stepped in hurriedly. 
 
 "Why, papa, we were so anxious about you. 
 We thought something awful must have hap- 
 pened. John said he saw you at the office win- 
 dow just at dinner-time, and we have waited 
 two hours, and you are not home yet. Nothing 
 would do but I should come myself and see 
 what is the matter. I am glad there is noth- 
 ing serious. Another important case, I sup- 
 pose," nodding to Mr. Morrison, as she con- 
 cluded her rapid speech, and then glancing 
 9
 
 130 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 from one to the other for an answer to her sug- 
 gestion. 
 
 " Yes," the judge said, taking his daughter's 
 arm and moving toward the door, " a very per- 
 plexing case, I assure you." And then to Mor- 
 rison he said, as he stood in the door a moment, 
 "Think up all the points, and let me know 
 about them when I come back." 
 
 "Very well, sir," Wendell said, and was 
 alone again. 
 
 " I have greatly misjudged that young man," 
 Judge Tracy said, as he drove home in the 
 sleigh with his daughter. "He has depth and 
 breadth I never dreamed of, and for acute and 
 swift analysis he is remarkable." 
 
 " If he was not so fast in other ways, and of 
 such an undesirable reputation outside of his 
 business life," she said, with a doubtful shaking 
 of her head. 
 
 "But he may have been misjudged in that 
 as in his legal attainments and abilities." 
 
 "Hardly! Everybody knows How do 
 do! that he is the sorrow of his mother's life." 
 
 "Who was that?" the judge asked, looking 
 back to see to whom Josie had spoken so cor- 
 dially. 
 
 "That was Thad. He hardly recognized me 
 at all. I don't believe he saw me until I 
 spoke."
 
 A PLAUSIBLE PLEA. 131 
 
 "Saw you, perhaps, but did not want you to 
 see him." 
 
 "Why so?" she asked, blushing. 
 
 "O, he is in deep water, I hear." 
 
 "In what way?" 
 
 "O," said the judge, hesitatingly and eva- 
 sively, "some legal matters." 
 
 "O!" said Josie, relieved at once. "He can 
 take care of himself in all legal matters, I am 
 sure. He is going to make a first-class lawyer, 
 isn't he, papa, don't you think?" 
 
 "Hard to tell. Yes, I guess so; that is, he 
 is a hard student, and is a close thinker. Can 
 never be a match lor Morrison, though. He 
 does very well as a newspaper plodder." 
 
 " I should n't want him to match Wendell in 
 some things." 
 
 " By the way, Josie, do not let matters reach 
 a crisis between you and Throckmorton until 
 you talk to me." 
 
 "Why, Papa Tracy! Can you not trust 
 mamma and me together on such matters?" 
 
 "Some things your mother needs the counsel 
 of men of the world on, Josie." 
 
 "You are just teasing me. I know you." 
 
 "I am in dead earnest, Josie." 
 
 "See mamma!" 
 
 With this she bounded up the steps and to 
 her room, gayly singing, her heart made light
 
 132 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 by the thought that her father had even 
 jokingly alluded to a possible alliance between 
 herself and Thaddeus. Reach a crisis ! Indeed, 
 that had been reached and passed! He was 
 her accepted lover, though the iormal engage- 
 ment had been made but very recently, and her 
 mother did not know of that.
 
 XI. 
 
 CONSIDERING THE EVIDENCE. 
 
 "TT is madness, Morrison," Judge Tracy said, 
 -|- when he returned from dinner, and the two 
 lawyers were in their private office, "to suppose 
 that Thaddeus Throckmorton is privy to such 
 nefarious business as housebreaking. Unless the 
 evidence you have to submit is clear and con- 
 vincing, I will at once take steps to relieve him 
 of the suspicions you have mentioned." 
 
 What had wrought the change in the judge's 
 mind? Thaddeus's name had not been men- 
 tioned since he left his daughter at the foot of 
 the stairs. 
 
 It was Throckmorton's record foi faithfulness, 
 fearlessness, for rectitude and righteousness, that 
 had pleaded so effectually with the great lawyer. 
 
 "That is true, Judge. At any rate, we are 
 bound to believe every man innocent until he is 
 proved to be guilty," Morrison said, heartily. 
 
 "Well, begin at the beginning, and give me 
 the facts just as they have come to your 
 knowledge." 
 
 "In the same order?" Morrison asked, sur- 
 prised at the request, for he had jotted down the 
 facts in the order of their force, intending to 
 
 133
 
 134 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 make the evidence cumulative, and was hardly 
 ready to give them to the judge one by one in 
 the order of their occurrence. But he dared not 
 disregard the request, so he said: 
 
 " You know the night we caught the burglar 
 in your house?" 
 
 "You mean the night we didn't catch him." 
 
 "Yes," laughing. "The night we tried to 
 catch him." 
 
 "Yes; what of that?" 
 
 '.'You remember the fellow wore a handker- 
 chief as a mask?" 
 
 " Yes, and I remember that you snatched it off 
 his face." 
 
 "Well, here is that handkerchief 1" handing it 
 to the judge for examination. 
 
 The judge took it, and scrutinized its texture. 
 
 "Look at the corners for a name," Morrison 
 said, carelessly. 
 
 "Yes; here is a name," looking at it carefully 
 through his glasses, " ' Thaddeus Throckmorton.' 
 That is plain enough." 
 
 The judge put the handkerchief aside on his 
 desk. 
 
 "Let me take the handkerchief," Morrison 
 said, reaching out for it. 
 
 " After a while. I may want it." 
 
 " O, excuse me ! But I would like to have it 
 when you are done with it. I of course, it is
 
 CONSIDERING THE EVIDENCE. 135 
 
 nothing; but I thought I would keep it as a 
 trophy of that night's adventure." 
 
 " I see. Does Thaddeus know you have this 
 handkerchief?" 
 
 "Yes; well, that is, I suppose he does. He 
 ought to." 
 
 "Did you tell him?" 
 
 " No ; but then he knows all about the affair ; 
 had a full account of it in the Banner, and men- 
 tioned the handkerchief as in my possession." 
 
 "I see. Well, what next?" 
 
 "You remember Mr. Lysander's fright, and 
 how he thought he had a burglar there, in his 
 house?" 
 
 "Yes; and found out it was only an effigy of 
 his own clothes." 
 
 "Well, the police have a different theory. 
 They think some one was really in the house." 
 
 "So I have heard; but that has nothing to 
 do with this case." 
 
 "I hope not. Well, that night Thaddeus was 
 seen at Tingleman's." 
 
 "Very well; then what?" 
 
 "The next day, or a little while after, this 
 check turned up in Tingleman's hands." 
 
 Morrison handed the judge the check Thad- 
 deus had given Mrs. Tingleman to buy Christ- 
 mas presents for her children. 
 
 " I see. How did you get it?"
 
 13* AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 "Billy Barnwell brought it to me to cash." 
 
 "And where did he get it?" 
 
 "Of Tingleman." 
 
 "Who is Tingleman?" 
 
 "A suspicious character about town." 
 
 " Did you present this check at the bank for 
 the currency?" 
 
 "No. I haven't needed the money, and so 
 just kept it." 
 
 "Do you need the money now?" 
 
 "No." 
 
 "I will keep the check. Here is a ten-dollar 
 bill." 
 
 Before Morrison could protest, the judge had 
 pocketed the check, and had put a ten-dollar 
 bill in his hand. 
 
 "What other facts have you?" 
 
 "Tingleman has been seen at Throckmorton's 
 house." 
 
 "Yes; go on." 
 
 "And Thad has been seen at Tingleman's 
 house at all hours in the night." 
 
 "Yes ; go on." 
 
 "The police say it is common street-talk that 
 his connection with Tingleman is suspicious." 
 
 "What is Tingleman? What does he do?" 
 
 "A night-watchman at the lumber-yard." 
 
 "What evidence have you that he is a bad 
 character?"
 
 CONSIDERING THE EVIDENCE. 137 
 
 "Only his record." 
 
 "And what is that?" 
 
 "A thief that has served a term in the pen- 
 itentiary." 
 
 "You know that?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "Then you depend on his record for an esti- 
 mate of his character?" 
 
 "Principally; but it is known also that he is 
 profligate, generally." 
 
 "Now, Morrison, you are too good a lawyer 
 not to know that such evidence as you give 
 here would not convict a man in any court in 
 the nation." 
 
 "I know that, Judge." 
 
 "This handkerchief was found on the face ot 
 a burglar; but you do not pretend to say the 
 burglar was Throckmorton ?" 
 
 "Certainly not; but it shows a connection be- 
 tween the burglar and the owner of the handker- 
 chief. Whether remote or intimate remains to 
 be seen." 
 
 "Nonsense, Morrison. It shows no such 
 thing. Suppose this burglar had stolen my 
 watch that night. Suppose he then went to 
 your house, and when you grappled with him he 
 dropped my watch, and you picked it up. Would 
 you argue from that that I, in any sense, was re- 
 sponsible for his acts? Could my watch in his
 
 138 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 possession connect me suspiciously with his 
 operations?" 
 
 "Certainly not, when it should be generally 
 known that your house had been burglarized ; for 
 that would explain the presence of your watch 
 with the burglar. But has Throckmorton's house 
 been burglarized? If so, that will explain the 
 handkerchief." 
 
 "Not that I know of; but at most this is but 
 a circumstance." 
 
 " Very true. That is all I claim for it." 
 
 "Very well; admit that. But how can you 
 connect Throckmorton with the affair at Ly- 
 sander's house? for I see that is the intent of 
 what you say." 
 
 "Just this way: Let it be admitted that Tin- 
 gleman was the burglar at your house, and let it 
 be supposed that he was the burglar at Lysan- 
 der's ; then it follows that the handkerchief and 
 the check are links in the same chain that con- 
 nects Throckmorton with Tingleman's opera- 
 tions." 
 
 "But was Tingleman the burglar at my 
 house?" 
 
 "That is to be proven." 
 
 "Where is Tingleman now?" 
 
 "Gone West!" 
 
 " The judge was silent and thoughtful. 
 
 "Where? Do you know?"
 
 CONSIDERING THE EVIDENCE. 139 
 
 "No; only that he bought a ticket to St. 
 ; or rather a ticket was bought for him." 
 
 "Who bought it?" 
 
 "Throckmorton." 
 
 "You know that?" 
 
 " I know it on the strength of the ticket 
 agent's word. He told it to me innocently, as 
 showing how benevolent Throckmorton is. He 
 is a firm friend of Thad's, you know." 
 
 "Yes, I know." 
 
 " Now, Judge, all this looks bad for Thad. It 
 makes people talk. Such facts do not convince 
 me, nor even arouse my suspicions; for I believe 
 Throckmorton is all right, and could explain the 
 whole matter." 
 
 "Why not go to him for an explanation?" 
 
 " Ah, there 's the rub ! To go to him for an 
 explanation is to charge him with guilt. I do 
 not want that task. Do you?" 
 
 "No; I do not" 
 
 " It is assuming that he is guilty, you see, and 
 asking him to prove his innocence, instead of as- 
 suming he is innocent, and waiting for some one 
 to prove his guilt !" 
 
 " I see ; but why do you keep his handker- 
 chief, and why did you not cash this check at 
 the bank?" 
 
 "Are they not safer in my hands? Might not 
 some unscrupulous person get hold of them, and
 
 140 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 the facts connected with them, and use them to 
 Thad's hurt? All this smoke will blow over, by 
 and by, and I am keeping these things quiet." 
 
 "I see. Well, then, you would like to keep 
 them for Thad's sake?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "Well, I will return them after a little. The 
 meantime I will not use them improperly." 
 
 "O, of course not." 
 
 And so the interview ended. 
 
 Judge Tracy was glad he had discovered, so 
 opportunely and so early, the exposure that 
 threatened Thaddeus. 
 
 Wendell Morrison was glad he had so suc- 
 cessfully sown seed of distrust in the mind and 
 heart of Judge Tracy, and at the same time had 
 made it appear that he was sacredly guarding 
 the character of Throckmorton. He was quite 
 certain Judge Tracy had been very favorably im- 
 pressed with his disinterestedness.
 
 XII. 
 
 A FLOOD OF LIGHT. 
 
 IT was vain for Thaddeus to attempt to content 
 himself in the office that afternoon. What 
 he heard at Professor Heartbreaks's school dis- 
 turbed him more than he cared to own. 
 
 If, as he had been warned, there was a scheme 
 a-brewing to ruin him, it could certainly be 
 traced to Morrison; for no other person in 
 Brambleville could have a sufficient motive to 
 work against him. 
 
 Suppose Morrison should poison Judge Tracy's 
 mind against him! Suppose the judge should 
 forbid his visiting Josie ! 
 
 The more he pondered the possibilities in the 
 case, the stronger grew his desire to tell Josie 
 himself what his enemies were doing. Seizing 
 his hat, he rushed out of the office, and hurried 
 toward the judge's residence, fearing all the way 
 that he might miss finding Josie at home. 
 
 "Is Miss Josie at home?" he asked the maid 
 who opened the door. 
 
 "I will see. Walk into the parlor, please," 
 said the maid, and turned to go up-stairs. 
 
 " Miss Josie is at home, and will be down in 
 
 141
 
 142 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 just one minute," called a familiar voice from 
 above stairs. 
 
 "She is at home, and will be down in a 
 minute," said the maid, turning about and hand- 
 ing Thad his card, smiling very slightly, as if she 
 understood more than she would have him know. 
 
 "I am so glad to see you," Miss Josie said, 
 in less than a minute, as she came into the 
 parlor. "Papa said you were in trouble." 
 
 She sat down right near him, and continued : 
 "Can you trust me with your trouble? I should 
 so much like to share it with you!" 
 
 "Your father said I was in trouble?" ex- 
 claimed Thaddeus, in surprise. 
 
 "Yes. As we drove home at noon he re- 
 marked that you were in trouble about some law 
 matter." 
 
 "I do not understand," he answered, with 
 strange forebodings. 
 
 "But are you not? If you are not, excuse 
 me for saying anything about it. But what he 
 said has made me want to see you so much, and 
 I am glad you came up." 
 
 " Josie, I am troubled; but I am not in trouble 
 that I know of. But I am distressed to think 
 your father should have mentioned it to you. 
 Did he tell you anything?" 
 
 " Nothing at all. Do not let that worry you. 
 Excuse my indiscretion in mentioning it"
 
 "Why, what has happened now?" she asked, in sobered 
 earnestness, Page 144.
 
 A FLOOD OF LIGHT. 143 
 
 "I will tell, Josie. Morrison is doing all he 
 can to injure me. He is your father's partner, 
 and a friend of the family, and my friend's son; 
 and perhaps I ought not to say so, but I am 
 sure he is. I am not afraid of anything he can 
 do against me in a business way, or in politics; 
 but I am afraid of what he may do here in 
 your home against me !" 
 
 "Why, what has happened now?" she asked, 
 in sobered earnestness. 
 
 " Nothing happened, Josie ; but very much 
 talked about." 
 
 Then he told her all he knew of the rumors 
 and suspicions afloat. When he had finished 
 the recital, she looked up and said: 
 
 "Is that all?" 
 
 "All! Josie, is that not enough?" 
 
 " Enough as to quantity indeed, too much 
 as to quality. But, Thad, could you fear such a 
 mass of silly gossip would influence me, or any 
 of us?" 
 
 " But, Josie, it has influenced your father." 
 
 "Thad Throckmorton! How dare you! And 
 in his own house, too!" 
 
 "But did you not say he said I was in trouble? 
 And he must have referred to this ; for this is 
 all that troubles me !" 
 
 "Well," said Josie, "he may have referred to 
 this ; but it did not make a sufficient impression
 
 144 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 on his mind to disturb the usual flow of good 
 humor at dinner. Now I will tell you what he 
 did say about you, just after we passed you, 
 coming home." 
 
 " I shall be glad to hear." 
 
 " He warned me not to let a crisis arise in our 
 affairs yours and mine ; think of it without 
 consulting him! That is just as good as ap- 
 proval, you know." 
 
 But it did not appear so to Thad. It seemed 
 more like a prophesied refusal. His heart sank 
 within him, and he said, sadly: 
 
 "I am afraid not!" 
 
 "Yes, it is. Does not mamma know? And 
 is she not satisfied?" 
 
 "Does your mother know all our engage- 
 ment and everything?" 
 
 "Not exactly that; but she knows what I 
 think of you that is, pretty nearly knows and 
 I know what she thinks of you, and you may just 
 rest easy." 
 
 "Well, you comfort me, to say the least. In 
 fact, after telling you all about it, I am almost per- 
 suaded myself that I am worse scared than hurt." 
 
 " Indeed you are ! You ought to hear Uncle 
 Lycurgus praise you. He looks upon you as his 
 deliverer." 
 
 "Though I only rescued him from his own 
 clothes !"
 
 A FLOOD OF LIGHT. 145 
 
 "For the time, though, it was a real burglar; 
 and he acknowledges privately, of course that 
 he was paralyzed with fear." 
 
 "It was too funny !" 
 
 " His wife is your eulogist, too ; for, as you 
 say, Uncle Lycurgus has been ' rescued from his 
 clothes,' and aunt is correspondingly happy." 
 
 "How's that?" 
 
 "Well, he has never had those garments on 
 since that night, and has given orders to have 
 them handed over to the first tramp, or the first 
 rag-man, that comes along. He can not endure 
 the thought of them. He has hired a hostler 
 to care for his cow and horses, and all is lovely 
 there." 
 
 "But, Josie," said Thaddeus, rising to go, 
 "tell your mother all right away, please. I do 
 not want her to to be unprepared to to say 
 a good word for me, if your father should hap- 
 pen to be influenced by Morrison's gossip." 
 
 " You silly boy 1" 
 
 "Please!" 
 
 "Why not you?" 
 
 "I will, of course, in due time, and with be- 
 coming formality ; but you pave the way." 
 
 "And papa, too?" 
 
 "Yes no yes. I do n't care. No!" 
 
 That night, when Judge Tracy came home, 
 his wife had something to tell him, and he had 
 
 10
 
 146 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 something to tell her. She sought him in his 
 study after tea. 
 
 "Well, my dear, Thaddeus Throckmorton was 
 here this afternoon." 
 
 " Aha ! Rather frequent caller, is n't he ?" 
 " Rather ; and is likely to be more frequent" 
 "How's that?" quickly, and with a startled 
 expression. 
 
 " He has offered himself to Josie." 
 "And she is waiting our approval?" 
 "Yes and no. She has accepted him." 
 "Mrs. Tracy!" 
 
 "Are you surprised? I am not; nor dis- 
 pleased. 1 have expected as much. You surely 
 could see how matters were drifting." 
 
 "But let me tell you, my dear. Some things 
 have come to my ears to-day that I did not know 
 before. If true, the matter between him and 
 Josie must end here and now." 
 "Judge Tracy!" 
 "It is startling and terrible." 
 "Do tell me! I seem like one in a dream." 
 " Here are the facts. See what you can make 
 of them. I have my own -theory. I will see 
 what is yours." 
 
 Then Judge Tracy went over all of Morri- 
 son's story, exhibiting the handkerchief and the 
 check, and repeating Morrison's arguments and 
 reasons for retaining the articles. When he was
 
 A FLOOD OF LIGHT. 147 
 
 done, his wife, having listened with bated breath 
 and kindling spirit to the recital, said, very de- 
 liberately and with great feeling : 
 
 "That all proves one thing, at least." 
 
 "Well?" 
 
 "That Morrison is a designing and crafty 
 young man." 
 
 "Looks so," said the judge, relieved to find 
 his wife's opinion coinciding with his own. 
 
 "Fortunately, the handkerchief proves an- 
 other or, at least, arouses a strong supposition." 
 
 "And that is?" 
 
 "That Tingleman was the thief in our house 
 that night." 
 
 "How so?" 
 
 "Well, it was his family that Josie and I went 
 to see, at Mr. Outwright's request. It was for 
 them that the ladies did so much. You remem- 
 ber my telling about it?" 
 
 "You tell me so many things of that kind, 
 my dear, that I really can not remember them 
 all. No, I do not recall this particular case." 
 
 "Very well. We were there repeatedly. We 
 found, on our first visit, that Thaddeus had been 
 there before us." 
 
 "Thad?" 
 
 "Yes, Thad. Now be still, and let me tell 
 you. Thaddeus had been there, and the old 
 lady, who had charge of the family, was loud in
 
 148 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 protestation of admiration of him. She pro- 
 duced this very handkerchief, or one just like 
 it I saw the name then and told me how 
 Thad had with it wiped Mrs. Tingleman's face 
 and mouth, and then, of course, left it. He 
 could do nothing else ; but she thought his leav- 
 ing so fine a handkerchief a wonderfully gen- 
 erous act. She made much of it, and that is 
 why I happen to know about it. So, you see, 
 it points to Tingleman, but not to Thad." 
 
 " I see 1" said the judge, with a broad smile. 
 "But the check?" 
 
 "The check? I^et me ask you, my dear, if 
 you gave any poor family a ten-dollar Christmas 
 surprise ?" 
 
 "Not that I can now recall." 
 
 "Very well; but that is just what Thaddeus 
 Throckmorton did for the Tingleman family. 
 That I know. I helped buy the articles myself, 
 and was given ten dollars to spend. I did not 
 put this amount all into toys for children, you 
 may be sure. I thought it a bit of extravagance 
 for Thaddeus, and inquired why he did it From 
 what I could learn, it was out of pure benev- 
 olence." 
 
 "I see! But about his being there at all 
 hours in the night?" 
 
 "Watching beside Mrs. Tingleman. He was 
 her only consoler in her last hours."
 
 A FLOOD OF LIGHT. 149 
 
 "Noble fellow!" said the judge, impulsively. 
 
 " Indeed lie is ; but I am afraid he lacks care- 
 fulness in assuming responsibility. 1 ' 
 
 "How so?" 
 
 "Well, he has taken Tingleman's children 
 home to his mother's, and is caring for them as 
 if they were his brothers." 
 
 "Do you suppose he knows what suspicions 
 attach to Tingleman ?" 
 
 " Perhaps not ; but if he did, that would not 
 deter him from lending a helping hand." 
 
 "So! so! Instead of being a companion of 
 thieves, he has been a quiet and noble worker 
 among the poor?" 
 
 "Nothing less; and, as often as he has been 
 here, he has not mentioned the matter one way 
 or the other. Nor have we Josie or I ; but I 
 think I will now." 
 
 "But about your brother's case?" 
 
 "Pure hallucination nothing more; noth- 
 ing less." 
 
 "So I think." 
 
 "Now, what is your opinion? You said you 
 had one." 
 
 "That Thad is being made the victim of cir- 
 cumstances. What you tell me confirms me in 
 that opinion." 
 
 "You will see that Morrison is set right in 
 the matter?"
 
 1 50 AN ODD FELLO W. 
 
 "I certainly will." 
 
 "Now, as to Josie and Thaddeus ?" 
 
 "They have my blessing!" 
 
 "You know Thad is ambitious to excel 
 in law?" 
 
 " Certainly ; but I really believe his field is 
 that of journalism perhaps literary work. Still, 
 if his tastes are decidedly for the law, perhaps 
 that is best." 
 
 " There would be no chance for him in your 
 office, would there ?" 
 
 "Not while Morrison is there. I am sure 
 there would be friction." 
 
 " Is the arrangement with Morrison for a 
 definite period?" 
 
 " For five years, unless mutually dissolved 
 sooner." 
 
 " My dear, can you not make it to his inter- 
 est to dissolve?" 
 
 " Not yet. He is a useful man in his line." 
 
 "And a dangerous man, my dear." 
 
 " In what way?" 
 
 " He will sacrifice his best friends to his own 
 ambition. I can read him like a book." 
 
 " May I come in ?" 
 
 " Certainly," said the judge, rising to greet 
 Josie, who had knocked timidly at the door of 
 the study. 
 
 " Take my blessing, daughter 1"
 
 A FLOOD OF LIGHT. 151 
 
 He embraced her fondly, and kissed her fore- 
 head reverently. 
 
 " Has mamma told you ?" 
 
 " Indeed she has much that I never knew 
 before." 
 
 " Well, I have something awful to tell you 
 both," with a well-assumed anxious air, " and 
 then, may be, you will withdraw your blessing." 
 
 Then Josie related, with very great partic- 
 ularity, what Thaddeus had told her that after- 
 noon, her father and mother listening, with af- 
 fected surprise and dismay, until the end was 
 reached. 
 
 "And still you have faith in him?" the judge 
 said, with a frown. 
 
 " Yes, papa ; why not ? What can idle tales 
 avail against a good name ?" 
 
 "That is true, daughter. 'A good name is 
 rather to be chosen than great riches.' Fortu- 
 nately, your mother and I can clear all that in a 
 few words." 
 
 Then the matter was gon,- over again from 
 beginning to end. 
 
 Until a late hour they talked, and the judge 
 related many reminiscences of his acquaintance 
 with Thaddeus's father, always ending with the 
 remark : 
 
 "And the son is growing up to be just 
 like him."
 
 152 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 " Poor man !" Mrs. Tracy finally remarked, 
 with a heavy sigh, " his end was very tragic and 
 sad. I do not see how his wife lived through it 1 
 I could not." 
 
 " Please, mamma, do not mention it," Josie 
 said, pleadingly. " I am afraid I will dream 
 about it all night." 
 
 " I beg pardon, daughter ! I will say no 
 more." 
 
 " When Thad comes, to-morrow night, 
 mamma, may I bring him to your room, and 
 will you tell him how sure you are that he is 
 good and true and noble ?" 
 
 " With pleasure, daughter."
 
 XIII. 
 
 PLOTTING MISCHIEF. 
 
 TT^ENDELL MORRISON sat in his office- 
 V * chair one night, with his feet elevated 
 against the window-casing, almost hidden in the 
 cloud of tobacco-smoke his persistent and rapid 
 pulling at a fragrant cigar had made, when Billy 
 Barn well, the chief of police, entered uncere- 
 moniously. 
 
 " Got a mate to that ?" he said, as he drew a 
 chair alongside of the young lawyer, and ele- 
 vated his feet against the other side of the same 
 window. The gas was burning brightly, and 
 the prospect of a free smoke of the very best 
 cigar that money could buy, had attracted the 
 chief from the street below. 
 
 Without replying, and without shifting his 
 position, Morrison took a cigar from his vest- 
 pocket, and handed it to Billy, and gave him his 
 own cigar as a light. 
 
 " Thanks ! Regular twenty-five-centers 1" 
 Billy said, after a puff or two at the fragrant 
 weed. 
 
 Morrison puffed away, without deigning a. re- 
 ply, and Billy, for awhile, silently smoked on
 
 154 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 " Dullest day for a month !" exclaimed the 
 policeman. 
 
 If Morrison heard the remark, he did not 
 deem it worthy of notice ; and the two con- 
 tinued to make the thick smoke thicker about 
 their heads. 
 
 " Came pretty near running in two tramps, 
 but they got out of the city before I heard they 
 were here." 
 
 Morrison evidently was not interested in the 
 arresting of tramps. 
 
 " Charlie Christie has put in a new line of 
 cigars that beat anything ever offered here for 
 the money. Regular twenty-five-centers, Ha- 
 vana-filled, gilt-edge, A No. i only three for a 
 half. Dandies 1" 
 
 But Morrison was satisfied with the cigars he 
 had, and did not so much as look toward Billy, 
 much less make any inquiry about the new brand 
 of cigars. And they smoked on. 
 
 " Well, guess I must go now. -Andy will be 
 coming up to look for me." 
 
 Had he been talking to himself, Billy could 
 not have had less said to him than was said that 
 night by Morrison. He was smoking when he 
 came in, and he was smoking when he went out. 
 Such fits of sullen silence were common with 
 Morrison, and Billy had learned to wait his 
 mood.
 
 PLOT7ING MISCHIEF. 155 
 
 Just after Billy went out, a heavy step, with 
 a quick stride, was heard in the hall. The door 
 was flung open, and Sam Slimkins entered. 
 
 "Where there is so much smoke must be 
 some fire. What great scheme are you planning 
 now ?" 
 
 "Trying to get myself together. I am all 
 broke up, Sam." 
 
 Morrison straightened up in his chair, and 
 wheeled it about so as to face Slimkins. 
 
 "What has gone wrong?" 
 
 "Everything. You know the check?' 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 "Well, Judge Tracy got hold of it, and it 
 turns out that Mrs. Tracy knows all about how 
 Tingleman happened to have it, and that ends 
 
 "Well, I never thought it was very much of 
 a string, anyway." 
 
 " But it was, I tell you. It was a trump card. 
 You remember the handkerchief?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "That is gone, too. Mrs. Tracy found out 
 how Tingleman got it, and is full of praises for 
 Throcky on account of it." 
 
 "All child's play, anyway, Morrison! I tell 
 you, if you mean business, get up and go at 
 Throcky in a business way. This 'still hunt' 
 way is nonsense."
 
 156 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 "That's all you know about it!" 
 
 " I know all about itl Where would you be 
 to-day but for me ?" 
 
 "Where would you be but for me?" Morrison 
 said, angrily. 
 
 " What have you ever done for me that you 
 had not been paid for in advance?" Slimkins 
 retorted. 
 
 "What have you ever done for me that you 
 did n't demand dollars for?" 
 
 "Who cornered the floaters for you at the 
 last election, and sent you to the Legislature?" 
 
 "Who gave you ten dollars a head for every 
 one you said you voted for me, when they cost no 
 more than two dollars apiece on the average?" 
 
 "Well, it was your bargain!" 
 
 "And your gain!" 
 
 " Your gain ! You could n't afford to be 
 beaten for a few thousand dollars." 
 
 "Well, let that drop. You are excited." 
 
 "I should say, let it drop. Who is excited? 
 You; that 's all. What has got into you ? You 
 are as cross as a bear that has lost a whelp." 
 
 " I told you I was all broken up." 
 
 "Over that little check, and the silly hand- 
 1r erchief business." 
 
 "Let up, will you?" 
 
 ."Be a man, and I will." 
 
 "What would you have me do?'
 
 PLOTTING MISCHIEF. 157 
 
 "Declare wax on Throcky! War to the knife, 
 and knife to the hilt!" 
 
 "I dare not. He is too strong. I must 
 weaken him somewhere. He is all conscience. 
 If I could get a knife in his honor somewhere, he 
 would go to his knees at once." 
 
 "That 's it ! Come out in direct assault Let 
 fly an arrow. You will not have to prove any- 
 thing. He will have to explain. Of course, the 
 falser it is, the less likely he will be to notice it ; 
 but the people will remember it. Get Monmos- 
 kin to let you squib his paper for him. Then 
 give it to Throcky. See?" 
 
 "O yes; I see. Very nice for you to talk. 
 The law can not touch you, even if he should 
 charge libel against you. With me it is different. 
 He could collect from me any damages the court 
 might allow. You know that. It is easy enough 
 for you to talk that way." 
 
 "Very well, have it so. Then pay me, and / 
 will make it hot for him. I will make him think 
 he is in purgatory every hour in the day. He is 
 as easily hurt as a child." 
 
 "What would you do?" 
 
 "For pay? How much?" 
 
 " Let me know your plan first. I will not fix 
 a price on work undone and unknown." 
 
 "Where does he stand in your way? Let 
 me know just what you are aiming at?"
 
 1 58 AN ODD FELL O W. 
 
 "At the State Senate, and then Congress. 
 Next fall to the Senate, and four years after- 
 ward to Congress. I do not care anything for 
 the Senate except as a stone to step on to 
 Congress." 
 
 " But does he want to go to the Senate ?" 
 
 "Of course, and, more than that, half the 
 party want him there. I can go back to the 
 Lower House; but that is no promoter. I am 
 tired of it, anyway." 
 
 " Why not let him go to the Lower House, and 
 you to the Senate?" 
 
 "Fool!" 
 
 "You are another!" 
 
 " I say you are ! Only two counties in the 
 district, and take both senator and represent- 
 ative from the same county! I say you are a 
 fool!" 
 
 " Go to the dogs with your ambition Senate, 
 Congress, and all !" 
 
 Sam arose, and stalked out of the office. Mor- 
 rison smoked on. He knew Sam would come 
 back. There was a chance to make money out 
 of the scheme, and that would bring him. Sam 
 went as far as the head of the stair, and then 
 returned. Resuming his seat, he said, as if noth- 
 ing had happened. 
 
 " I will make him so sick of politics that he 
 will wish he had not been bornl"
 
 PLOTTING MISCHIEF. 159 
 
 "How?" 
 
 " Through the Gazette. Old Monmoskin will 
 print anything for money." 
 
 "Well, go ahead, and I will see what you 
 can do." 
 
 " For how much ?" 
 
 "Well," thoughtfully "$300, if nominated; 
 $500 more, if elected !" 
 
 " Go away ! Send for your Cheap Johns. No 
 such bait catches me !" 
 
 " Well, make it even money, if elected." 
 
 " A thousand?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 " Good-night. Look out for the next Ga- 
 zette!" 
 
 That week the Gazette office needed, for im- 
 mediate use, more type of a certain kind than 
 was in stock. Mr. Monmoskin deliberated 
 awhile as to what he could do in the emergency, 
 and finally adopted the suggestion of his fore- 
 man, who said: 
 
 " Why not ask the Banner for a font ? We 
 might return the favor some time. Thad would 
 let you have it." 
 
 " O yes ; Thad would let me have it. That 's 
 his way. But it is humiliating to ask him." 
 
 " If you do n't, you lose the job and twenty 
 dollars clear cash. Is your pride worth twenty 
 dollars a day to you?"
 
 160 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 * 
 
 " Well, send over and see." 
 
 " Reynolds," said the foreman, " go over to 
 the Banner office, and borrow a font of long 
 primer. Tell Thaddeus we will return the favor 
 on demand." 
 
 "Certainly! Certainly! Glad to let them 
 have it," said the young editor, when Reynolds 
 made known his errand. " See ! You can not 
 carry both cases. I will send one of the boys 
 with you to carry the caps." 
 
 "What is to happen now, do you reckon?" 
 asked Thad's foreman, as the type was carried 
 out of the office. 
 
 " Peace, I hope. I am tired of this bitterness, 
 and all this bickering. I suppose the Gazette 
 will notice the Banner now. It never has done 
 it, you know." 
 
 That week the Gazette did notice the Ban- 
 ner or rather the Banner editor. The general 
 public did not understand the item; but Thad 
 did, and so did Wendell and Sam Slimkins 
 and the police and, through them, many others 
 of the baser sort. 
 
 When Thad read the item he could scarcely 
 believe his eyes ; but there were the words in 
 plain type, and the implication they conveyed 
 was a dagger in his heart.
 
 XIY. 
 
 BUILDING ON THE SAND. 
 
 was well pleased with Slim- 
 kins's first movement against Throck- 
 morton through the Gazette. It was a covert 
 attack that the victim could not meet without 
 drawing upon himself a storm of evil surmisings. 
 There was nothing left to him but silent endur- 
 ance of a cruel aspersion of his character. There 
 was the barest margin of fact in the charge made 
 against him by the Gazette item, and any one 
 acquainted with the facts would exonerate 
 Throckmorton ; but the facts could not be given 
 to the public without implicating innocent per- 
 sons. Thaddeus writhed in agony. He could 
 not even go to his mother for sympathy ; and as 
 for telling Josie that was not to be thought of 
 for a minute. 
 
 Wendell left Slimkins to his work, and gave 
 his attention to other plans. He had been made 
 partner with Judge Tracy. What should hinder 
 a marriage with Judge Tracy's daughter? In 
 time, if that could be consummated, the fortunes 
 of the two families would be one, and all of it in 
 his hands ! Bright visions of wealth and power I 
 
 II 161
 
 1 62 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 The only obstacle in the way was Miss Josie 
 herself. 
 
 If he could gain her heart, or even her hand 
 without her heart for " hearts are plentiful," he 
 said parental consent would follow as a matter 
 of course ; for could Judge Tracy deny his own 
 partner so reasonable a request? 
 
 Sam Slimkins could be trusted to carry on a 
 vigorous warfare against Thaddeus as Wendell's 
 political rival ; but he would turn his whole at- 
 tention to winning the hand of Miss Josie. He 
 did not consider Thad a rival there. How could 
 he be ? Absurd ! 
 
 Wendell had had but little to do with the 
 society with which Thaddeus and Josie mingled, 
 and where they were chief actors and ever wel- 
 come guests. For this reason he did not know 
 or suspect the close friendship of the two which 
 had culminated in the engagement sanctioned 
 heartily by the judge and his wife. 
 
 Wendell was not ignorant of the art of mak- 
 ing friends, nor unacquainted with methods 
 necessary to ingratiate one's self in the affections 
 of another. 
 
 "I will do it this very night!" he said, closing 
 his desk with a slam, locking it with a snap, 
 and shoving back his chair with a force alto- 
 gether uncommon. "Happy thought!" he ex- 
 claimed, half aloud, as he passed out of the
 
 BUILDING ON THE SAND. 163 
 
 office to hurry home for supper. "The boys 
 will find a cold reception this night," he added, 
 with a chuckle, as he went down the stairs two 
 steps at a time. 
 
 Mrs. Morrison's heart leaped with joy when 
 Wendell announced his intention at the close of 
 supper. He rarely confided to her any of his 
 plans, and never left any word when he went 
 from home as to where he was going, or at 
 what hour he should return, or whether he 
 should return at all. 
 
 "Mother," he said, smiling blandly, "I think 
 I will call on Jennie Jessup to-night. I have n't 
 been there for many a month. Do you think 
 they will be surprised to see me?" 
 
 "Surprised! I should say so; and delighted 
 as well. I am so glad you are going. Your Aunt 
 Mary was here this week, and asked after you 
 very particularly. Do let her think you come to 
 see her, too." 
 
 "Aunt Mary is all right," said Wendell, re- 
 calling the many happy hours he had spent 
 there in his boyhood days. "And Jennie is a 
 real bright, entertaining, even lovable girl. I 
 have quite neglected her for a few years." 
 
 "So you have, Wendell," his mother said, 
 thrilled by the thought of Wendell's deliberately 
 and voluntarily choosing to call on his cousin to 
 spend the evening, instead of passing the night
 
 1 64 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 with the rough characters generally chosen as 
 his companions. "And Jennie feels it, too. She 
 does not lack for company; but she has always 
 been proud of you, and you may well be proud 
 of her." 
 
 "Well, I am going to reform, mother," Wen- 
 dell replied, rising to go to his room. 
 
 An hour later he was at his Aunt Mary's. 
 Jennie was ready to go to a temperance-meet- 
 ing at the hall, and her mother was to accom- 
 pany her. 
 
 "Come right in, cousin. We will not go a 
 step," she said, decidedly, when Wendell ex- 
 cused himself, seeing they were attired for the 
 street. 
 
 "Suppose you go, and let Wendell go with 
 you, and I will stay," her mother suggested. 
 "You know you have a song on the program, 
 and it is too bad to disappoint them." 
 
 "Are you to sing, Cousin Jennie? Then, of 
 course, I will go. Have n't heard you for years 
 and years. It will make me a boy again," he 
 said, gayly. 
 
 "Years and years? The idea, Wendell! I 
 am not so old as that ! Do I look so aged ?" 
 
 "Judged by your looks, cousin, you are not a 
 day over sixteen or eighteen, at the most. You 
 look fresh as a peach, and just as temptingly 
 lovely."
 
 BUILDING ON THE SAND. 165 
 
 "Now, you are ridiculing me 1" 
 
 "Indeed, I am not. Never was more in 
 earnest." 
 
 "Well, come on. We will be late, I am 
 afraid." 
 
 " Whew ! What will people say to see me 
 at a temperance-meeting?" he said, with a shrug 
 of the shoulders. 
 
 " They will be glad ; but none gladder than 
 I, Wendell," his aunt said, earnestly. 
 
 " I am not so awful bad, Aunt Mary. I do 
 take a glass, now and then ; but it is only to be 
 sociable with the boys. I could quit just as 
 easy as not." 
 
 "Come on," said Jennie, nervously; for she 
 feared her mother might say something, in her a 
 anxiety for Wendell's reformation, that would 
 drive him away from his present favorable atti- 
 tude, and together they hastened to the hall. 
 
 His coming to the meeting surprised none 
 more delightfully than Thaddeus and Josie ; for 
 Thad was chairman, and Miss Josie was secre- 
 tary, of the society, under the auspices of which 
 the assembly was held. 
 
 At the close of the exercises, while Wendell 
 waited for Jennie, who was detained in confer- 
 ence with some other members, Miss Josie went 
 to him, extended her hand, and said warmly : 
 
 " I am glad to see you here, Mr. Morrison.
 
 1 66 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 We feel quite honored when our lawmakers and 
 our lawyers attend our conventions." 
 
 " Indeed," he replied, with a profound bow, 
 " any man may well esteem it a privilege to be 
 counted as a friend to such people as constitute 
 this society. Whether one indorses its principles 
 or not, there is no denying the honorable mo- 
 tives and pure philanthropy that actuate the 
 members." 
 
 " Could you not say as much as that from the 
 platform at our next regular meeting, a month 
 from now, Mr. Morrison?" 
 
 " I shall be only too happy to respond to such 
 an invitation, Miss Tracy. Remember, I do not 
 indorse your principles; but I do indorse the 
 members of the society. How could I do other- 
 wise when Miss Tracy and Miss Jessup," turn- 
 ing to his cousin, who had just joined them, 
 " are their representatives?" 
 
 " Thanks !" said Miss Josie, turning to give 
 her secretary's record to Thaddeus, who advanced 
 at that moment to her side. 
 
 Wendell did not deign to notice the young 
 editor, making a pretense of assisting Miss Jes- 
 sup with her roll of music and a bundle of docu- 
 ments she was to carry home, so as to cover from 
 all eyesbutThad's this small but significant slight. 
 
 " Did he speak to you ?" Josie asked, as they 
 passed out of the halL
 
 BUILDING ON THE SAND. 167 
 
 " No," said Thad indifferently, though he felt 
 keenly the disrespect shown him. 
 
 " I suppose he was embarrassed by his un- 
 usual surroundings, and did not see you," said 
 Josie, apologetically. 
 
 " Perhaps," assented Thaddeus, making an 
 effort to appear unconcerned. 
 
 Thaddeus doubted not that Wendell was con- 
 nected in some way with the publication of the 
 item in the Gazette^ and construed his discour- 
 tesy, at this time, as a part of an attempt to dis- 
 honor him in small but effectual ways. He felt 
 correspondingly depressed. 
 
 Miss Josie was sure the efforts of their society 
 were being attended with good results, or, other- 
 wise, Wendell Morrison would not have been 
 there. She was eager to get home to tell her 
 mother the good news. Together they rejoiced, 
 and wondered why Thaddeus was not as exult- 
 ant as they. 
 
 " If all our labor for two years past accom- 
 plishes nothing more than the reforming of 
 Wendell Morrison, I shall be amply repaid," Miss 
 Josie said, with animation, and then asked, 
 " Don't you think so, Thad?" 
 
 " Indeed that would be a great work," he 
 said, smiling. 
 
 There was corresponding joy at Mrs. Jessup's 
 home. Wendell had praised the program in
 
 1 68 AN ODD FELLO W. 
 
 unstinted terms, and especially the part Jennie 
 had taken. 
 
 "Wendell is to speak next time," Jennie 
 said, when talking the matter over with her 
 mother. " Think of that ! A year ago he conld 
 not be induced even to attend the meetings. 
 Now, he is to be one of our speakers." 
 
 Wendell was delighted with the outcome of 
 that night's work. He started to enlist his 
 cousin Jennie's sympathy and help, intending 
 thereby to pave his way into Josie's favor ; but 
 at one leap he found himself firmly planted on 
 the very ground he expected to reach only after 
 tedious and difficult approaches.
 
 XY. 
 
 A PLEASANT PRISON. 
 
 R. CHARLES CHRISTIE loved fast 
 horses, and found great pleasure in riding 
 behind them ; but his indulgence in such enjoy- 
 ment had always been at the expense and whim 
 of his many friends who drove swift roadsters. 
 
 He finally concluded to own a rapid traveler 
 himself, and at once purchased the finest turn- 
 out he could buy in Brambleville, and set about 
 finding a horse to match his buggy and his idea 
 of what a man of his position should own. 
 
 " I want something ha ! ha ! that wiH 1 
 ah I pass everything ha ! ha ! on the road. I 
 do n't often drive ha ! ha ! but when I do, I 
 want to go hal ha!" he said, confidentially 
 and enthusiastically, to Simon Hunter, when 
 consulting him, 
 
 " Let me dell you, Choles," said Simon, look- 
 ing wise, " id is more imbordend to koom bawk 
 than to go, Ged a horse dat will bring you 
 bawk." 
 
 " I see ah 1 O I I see, Simon ! You ha ! 
 ha ! are alluding to runaways ha ! ha ! Well, 
 now, Simon ah ! O ! I calculate that I can 
 
 169
 
 170 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 ride ha! ha! as fast as any horse can go. 
 Ha! ha!" 
 
 ** But, Charlie," said Captain Thompson, who 
 had just stepped into Simon's store, "a few 
 broken ribs, do n't you know, is pretty big price 
 to pay, do n't you know, for a ride behind a two- 
 forty horse, do n't you know ? Slow, but sure, 
 don't you know, is good motto for pleasure- 
 riding, don't you know?" 
 
 But Charlie was not to be frightened out of 
 his purpose to have a horse that would pass 
 everything on the road. 
 
 He found what he wanted. He bought it of 
 a traveling band of Gypsies ! The next after- 
 noon he had the horse brought out for a trial 
 drive. The buggy was just from the shop, and 
 glistened in paint and varnish. The harness 
 was new, and silver-tipped. The whip was new. 
 The driving-cap, the driving-gloves, and the 
 driver Charlie himself were all new. 
 
 Captain Thompson and Simon Hunter were 
 present to see Charlie of^ but both declined an 
 invitation to ride with him. 
 
 " There is one thing, do n't you know, Charlie, 
 that you need to make your turnout complete, 
 do n't you know, and you had better get it right 
 away, do n't you know, before the new wears 
 off, don't you know?" 
 
 "Ah! O! what's that? Ha! ha I" tucking
 
 A PLEASANT PRISON. 171 
 
 the robes under his legs, and picking up the 
 lines. 
 
 "A wife, Charlie." 
 
 " Ah ! O ! Well ha ! ha I may be the turn- 
 out will help to get her. Ha ! ha !" 
 
 The next instant, at the word, the horse was 
 off in a rapid trot When he turned the corner 
 of the first block, his pace quickened to a run, 
 and Charlie's friends hurried to the corner to 
 see what was to be the result. They were in 
 time to catch a glimpse of the bnggy-top as it 
 disappeared down the street, and saw men stand- 
 ing on boxes and climbing into wagons to watch 
 the flight of Charlie's fast horse. 
 
 He passed everything on the road for two 
 miles, and tried to pass a walnut-tree that stood 
 where two roads crossed, but failed, and left 
 Charlie and the buggy in a heap, both badly 
 damaged. 
 
 Three broken ribs, a sprained arm, a scalp- 
 wound, and innumerable bruises, were Charles 
 Christie's list of hurts, to which ought to be added 
 shattered confidence and crushed hopes ; for the 
 two last named were the most serious of all. 
 
 Simon Hunter called to see his friend as 
 soon as he heard he was at home undergoing 
 surgical treatment, arriving just as the doctor 
 was departing. 
 
 " Bretty bad hurt, Charlie, eh ?"
 
 172 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 "Seems so, Simon," feebly, and with many 
 a groan. 
 
 " You haf blenty dime now to read up on art 
 of driving, eh?" 
 
 " Do n't want to know.** 
 
 " Eggsgttse me, Charlie ; you must let me 
 haf my liddle jokes." 
 
 "All right, Simon. You must joke for both 
 of us. I can't. 
 
 " Come, come, Charlie 1 You haf lots to be 
 glad about." 
 
 " Do n't know. Buggy gone ; horse gone ; 
 three ribs gone. Drat the luck !" 
 
 " Suppose you haf had your wife with you, 
 Charlie ? Think of that once !" 
 
 " If I had had a wife, I would n't have got 
 the buggy, nor these hurts," groaning fear- 
 fully. 
 
 "Take the adwice of a friend and brother, 
 and get a wife, Charlie. Who is going to care 
 for you now ? Your mother ? May be ; but she 
 is not a wife." 
 
 " Better get well first," sighing sadly, said 
 the injured man. 
 
 " Delays are dangerous, Charlie. Better swap 
 one of your broken ribs for a wife, eh ?" 
 
 " Simon, do you think any woman on earth 
 would even so much as look at me in this con- 
 ditionone eye shut, head in bandages, arm in
 
 A PLEASANT PRISON. 173 
 
 sling, face swelled, body black and bine ? Simon, 
 you are a fool 1 Ha ! ha !" 
 
 " Dere, I will go. Dat is all I waited for. 
 You will get well now. I shust wanted to hear 
 dat laugh. * Richard *s himself again,' as it 
 were. Well, so long ! I will see you again be- 
 fore beddime. You know all you haf to do is 
 to send for Simon, if you haf not all you want." 
 
 " Good-bye, Simon !" 
 
 Mr. Christie's really elegant home was next 
 to that of Mr. Lycurgus Lysander's, just beyond 
 which was Judge Tracy's. The next house to 
 Mr. Christie's was that of Simon Hunter's. 
 With such surroundings he was not in danger 
 of being neglected. His mother presided over 
 his home with stately grace, and was wondrous 
 kind ; but very quiet and sad in manner and 
 conversation. Her son inherited his vivacity 
 from his father, and his tenderness from his 
 mother. 
 
 " May I see Mr. Christie?" 
 
 " Yes, dear," said Mrs. Christie, rising to meet 
 Miss Edith Lysander, as she was shown into her 
 room. " Come with me. He will be delighted 
 to see you." 
 
 The two ascended the stairs where Mr. Chris- 
 tie lay in his spacious and richly furnished apart- 
 ment. 
 
 "Miss Edith!" he exclaimed, "I am ah!
 
 174 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 O! quite honored ha! ha! ha! But see ha! 
 ha! my right arm is in this sling, and ah! 
 O! I must give you my left hand ha! ha! ha!" 
 
 "I am glad you have a hand left to give me, 
 Mr. Christie. I am so" 
 
 "Very good! Very good! Quite good, in- 
 deed ha! ha! Miss Edith, I did not know 
 ah! O! you were given to puns ha! ha! ha!" 
 
 "I beg your pardon, Mr. Christie. The last 
 thing I should think of doing is to make a pun 
 intentionally in the presence of suffering." 
 
 "You are quite excusable, Miss Edith ah! 
 O! for I assure you I am not suffering ha! ha ! 
 Indeed, I feel quite comfortable." 
 
 "Does your head hurt you, Mr. Christie?" 
 and Edith innocently and very tenderly laid 
 her soft, warm palm on the one spot on his 
 forehead not covered with bandages, Mrs. Chris- 
 tie the meantime exploring beneath the covers 
 to see that the support for his arm was in 
 proper place. 
 
 "No! yes! that is, sometimes; but not 
 just at this particular minute ha! ha! I think 
 it will before very long ah! O!" 
 
 Mr. Christie had never spent a whole day in 
 bed as an invalid since he was a child, and all 
 this nursing and tender care was new and very 
 delightful to him. He was not very particular 
 whether he recovered rapidly or not.
 
 A PLEASANT PRISON. 175 
 
 "Is there anything I could do for you, Mr. 
 Christie? Mamma says you were so kind to 
 papa -when he had the fever. We all are so 
 glad we can repay you now, in a little measure. 
 Of course, we are sorry you are hurt, and all 
 that, and the buggy was right new, too ; but if 
 you had to be hurt, why we are glad it hap- 
 pened here, and not when you were on your 
 vacation trip ; for then you would have to go to 
 those dismal hospitals. Now, if you think of 
 anything I could do for you, let me know. 
 Mamma says we must not neglect you a minute, 
 for papa's sake." 
 
 "It is very kind of your mamma to send you, 
 and very kind of you to come." 
 
 "Please do not mention it. It is nothing. 
 It is a pleasure to take care of our friends. 
 Now, what can I do for you?" 
 
 "I think he ought to sleep all he can," said 
 Mrs. Christie, softly, and with the faintest smile. 
 
 "O!" said Miss Edith, stopping her lips with 
 a finger pressed tight against them, and arose 
 as if to withdraw at once. 
 
 Mr. Christie heard the remark, and noted 
 Edith's movement with alarm. 
 
 "I think so, too," he replied, not wishing to 
 contradict his mother, nor to discredit her judg- 
 ment "I generally read myself to sleep; but 
 I can not do that now.'*
 
 17* AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 "Do you think I could read you to sleep, 
 Mr. Christie?" 
 
 "You ah'l O! might try ha! ha! ha! 
 Miss Edith. Nobody has ever tried yet ha! ha! 
 
 "I shall be only too happy! What shall I 
 read?" 
 
 "Would you mind reading the last number of 
 the Pharmaceutical Review f It is ah! O! 
 rather heavy reading, and has a ah! O! a 
 druggy air ha! ha! ha! and ought to have a 
 soporific effect ha! ha! ha!" 
 
 ; 'O, Mr. Christie! how can I ever pronounce 
 all those hard names?" 
 
 "I can pronounce them for you, Miss Edith 
 ha! ha! ha!" 
 
 "Then you will never go to sleep, if you have 
 to stay awake to pronounce the names for me!" 
 
 "Well, take something else ha! ha! The 
 Congressional Record is there. You might read 
 some speeches ha! ha! on removing duty 
 from quinine." 
 
 M No ; let me try the Pharmaceutical Review, 
 It will be too funny to learn to pronounce those 
 horrid names. You will not mind staying awake 
 a little while to pronounce them for me, will 
 you, Mr. Christie ?" 
 
 " No, Miss Edith ha I ha ! ha ! I dare say 
 you will need but little help." 
 
 " Thank you 1" drawing a chair near to the
 
 A PLEASANT PRISON. \TI 
 
 bedside. "But what will you do, Mrs. Christie? 
 Listen?' 
 
 "Yes; but down-stairs, dearie. If Charlie 
 needs anything, just tap the bell, and I will 
 come up." 
 
 "Why can not I get it for him ?" 
 
 *' I am going to sleep ha ! ha ! ha ! mother, 
 and will not need anything ha ! ha 1 ha !" 
 
 Mrs. Christie smiled softly, and quietly went 
 below stairs. 
 
 Edith spread the Review in her lap, leaned 
 over it, and commenced to read the first article 
 on the editorial pages, the meanwhile toying 
 with the charm that hung from her necklace. 
 Mr. Christie had known Edith from her girl- 
 hood days ; but he had not before noticed how 
 womanly she had become in appearance, though 
 retaining the artlessness of her younger days. 
 As she read the Review editorials aloud, he 
 silently read her face and studied the character 
 so plainly described thereon. 
 
 "What does that mean, Mr. Christie?" Edith 
 asked, looking up suddenly. 
 
 "Why ah! O! ha! ha! ha ! Miss Edith, I 
 beg pardon ; but I really did not hear ah ! 
 O ! that is, I was thinking of something 
 else." 
 
 " Now, listen !" and she read the sentence 
 again. 
 
 12
 
 r 78 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 "Well ah! O ! the plain English of that 
 is that a druggist's life is not a happy one !" 
 
 "But is n't it?" 
 
 " Some druggists ah ! O ! ha I ha ! are 
 never satisfied with what they have. But ah ! 
 O! Miss Edith ha! ha! that's not me!" 
 
 " I should think not !" with wide-open sur- 
 prise. "You have everything to make one 
 happy, Mr. Christie." 
 
 " Not everything, Miss Edith," soberly. 
 
 " No ; not a horse or buggy !" 
 
 " Now, that is ah ! O ! mean ha ! ha ! 
 Miss Edith, considering my present state 
 ha! ha!" 
 
 " Well, let me finish this editorial. I declare ! 
 I am beginning to get interested in drugs and 
 druggists myself!" Then she read on just as 
 if she had not sent an arrow straight to Mr. 
 Christie's heart an arrow that he did not care 
 to draw out, but which actually made him think 
 less of his bodily hurts. Did she mean to say 
 that? or was it one of her artless outbursts of 
 sincerity ? 
 
 When she closed the Review, and glanced at 
 the patient, his eyes were shut, and he was 
 breathing regularly and quietly. She looked at 
 him a minute, and then said softly, inquiringly : 
 
 "Asleep?" 
 
 Not a muscle moved, but he was not asleep.
 
 A PLEASANT PRISON. 179 
 
 He was feigning sleep; for he did not wish to 
 \veary the reader the first day, and did not 
 want her to think her labors were in vain. He 
 heard the soft swish ot her dress as she arose 
 and tip-toed out of the room. He heard her 
 say to his mother, in the hall down-stairs, as 
 she paused in the open door way. 
 
 " He seemed to enjoy it. I will come again 
 to-morrow." 
 
 Then he went to sleep. His last wish was 
 that he might not awaken at all until to- 
 morrow.
 
 XYI. 
 
 BITTER-SWEET. 
 
 1 I THE Temperance Society could not do other- 
 -*- wise than indorse the invitation Miss Josie 
 had given Mr. Morrison to address the next as- 
 sembly of the workers and friends of the cause. 
 They had no desire to do otherwise. 
 
 The Banner always gave prominence to an- 
 nouncements of meetings of the Temperance 
 Society, and in every way advertised the speak- 
 ers. No exception was made in this case ; but 
 the editor was sure that Morrison was insincere 
 in his attitude, though he could not decide what 
 motive prompted him. 
 
 Miss Josie was entirely free of suspicion of 
 insincerity, and Jennie Jessup was confident 
 that a great reformation in her cousin was at 
 hand. The one out of pure philanthropy, the 
 other out of pure love, rejoiced that he was to 
 address the assembly, and held frequent con- 
 ferences to perfect plans for leading the young 
 legislator into hearty espousals of their princi- 
 ples and faithful observance of their practices. 
 
 " You can influence him as no other person 
 can, Josie," said Jessie, as they were discussing 
 
 the matter at Josie's home. 
 iSo
 
 BITTER-SWEET. 181 
 
 "I do not know," she replied, hesitatingly 
 and thoughtfully, at the same time flushing 
 slightly at the compliment paid her persuasive 
 powers by Jennie. 
 
 U I am sure you can. He has spoken lately 
 to me in snch warm terms of admiration for 
 you that I know you can do more to bring him 
 out on our side than any one else, or all of us 
 put together." 
 
 "Do you really think so?" Josie asked 
 eagerly, looking up, the slight flush deepening 
 to a bright coloring, that made her lovely face 
 all the lovelier in its softness and radiancy. 
 Jennie's quick eye caught this change, and she 
 was encouraged thereby to press the case to its 
 utmost. 
 
 "If he is my cousin, Josie, you must agree 
 with me. that he is brilliant, entertaining, very 
 gifted, and destined to exert a great influence 
 with men. If that influence can only be di- 
 rected toward sobriety and other good causes, 
 what a blessing his life may be, and whoever 
 saves him from drunkenness and a wrong life, 
 saves scores of others through him : perhaps 
 hundreds; may be thousands!" 
 
 For a little while Josie had been oblivious to 
 Jennie's presence, and did not really hear; or, 
 if hearing, did not comprehend what she had 
 just said. Josie was dwelling on the words first
 
 r 82 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 spoken: "Lately he has spoken in such warm 
 terms of admiration of you." She was flattered. 
 Thaddeus loved her devotedly. She was sure of 
 that. She loved him fondly. There was no 
 doubting that. But here was another soul turn- 
 ing toward her, praising her, and waiting to be 
 led by her. He was Thad's enemy and rival. 
 That she knew ; but why might she not become 
 a peacemaker and unite their energies instead of 
 permitting them to waste their strength fighting 
 each other? Could she not prove her devotion 
 to Thad by making friends with Wendell, and 
 using him for Thad's advancement? It looked 
 as if she could. She was dreaming of this when 
 Jennie, who had waited a minute or more for 
 her to reply, said, pleadingly : 
 
 <( Will you not undertake the task ?" 
 
 ** I beg pardon, Jennie, I was lost in reverie. 
 What did you say?" 
 
 " Will you not undertake to win Wendell 
 over to our side ? He is on your side already," 
 she said, with a little laugh, and an expression 
 of eyes and tone that pleased Josie greatly. 
 
 "Yes," she said, meditatively, "if you think 
 I can do any good. But I undertake it un- 
 willingly. Mr. Morrison is not a congenial com- 
 panion. His tastes are so different from mine 
 in every way." This she said more to herself 
 than to Jennie.
 
 BITTER-SWEET. 183 
 
 "O! that is because you do not know him. 
 At heart he is royally good. You know him 
 only as a public man. Just wait until you know 
 the private man. Then you will change your 
 mind." 
 
 " Perhaps !" said Josie, with a bright gleam 
 of pleasure at the thought of the reformation to 
 be wrought by her influence. 
 
 After a little while, having completed ar- 
 rangements for the next assembly, Jennie said : 
 
 " Does Wendell visit here?" 
 
 " O no; only to see father on business." 
 
 " Excuse me, Josie ; bnt I am so anxious 
 about him that I may seem impertinent. Would 
 you object if I should bring him up some night 
 for a call ? He comes to our honse two or three 
 times a week now." 
 
 " I should be too happy to have him come 
 with you," 
 
 "When?* 1 
 
 " Any night except no, any night I have 
 no engagements for this week." 
 
 "Wednesday night?" 
 
 " Yes Wednesday night or Thursday, if it 
 makes no difference," Josie said, remembering 
 that Wednesday was reserved for Thaddeus. 
 But then Thaddeus need not interfere in her 
 reform work. She would sacrifice her prefer- 
 ences to her work; why should not he?
 
 1 84 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 " Wendell generally comes down to our house 
 on Wednesday night," said Jennie, " and I will 
 send him a note that we are to spend the 
 evening here." 
 
 " Very well." 
 
 When Wendell received Jennie's note, he 
 read it hastily, not giving due attention to the 
 words used, and rushed at once to the conclu- 
 sion that he was to call on Josie at her sug- 
 gestion, and not by arrangement made by his 
 cousin Jennie, and forthwith fell to congrat- 
 ulating himself on the easy marches he was 
 making to the citadel he was intending to cap- 
 ture. He gave no credit to his cousin for her 
 part in the work, but arrogated to himself all 
 praise for his captivating manner when he set 
 his heart to it! 
 
 Miss Josie was ill at ease after Jennie left 
 She doubted the policy of having Thaddeus 
 meet Wendell in her parlor the first night the 
 latter should call. It would be better to excuse 
 herself to Thaddeus, and receive and entertain 
 Jennie and Wendell alone. So she sent a note 
 to him, saying: 
 
 " MY DEAR THADDHTTS, Will you excuse me from the 
 engagement for Wednesday night? I will explain why, 
 sometime ; but do not ask me. Let me take my own time 
 about it. Come down Thursday night, and Friday night, 
 and even Saturday uiglit, to make up for Wednesday night. 
 
 "JOSIR."
 
 BITTER-SWEET. 185 
 
 Thaddens read the note with real sorrow. 
 He had counted much on the Wednesday night 
 visit His heart leaped in joy at the cordial in- 
 vitation to call three successive evenings, but 
 sank again when he recalled that every night 
 had important business engagements that could 
 not be put aside. 
 
 But, of course, he would excuse Josie. Why 
 should n't he ? She had never before made 
 such a request. It was not unreasonable. The 
 note he sent in reply was warm, regretful, sub- 
 missive, and loving. It touched Josie's heart, 
 and made her wish she had not consented to 
 receive Wendell's call. 
 
 Wednesday afternoon, Wendell was in the 
 Banner office, reading the city exchanges which 
 had come on the late train. To take the best 
 seat in the office, to appropriate the latest and 
 brightest exchanges for first perusal, and to read 
 aloud some striking sentence and give an oral 
 comment for Thad's enlightenment, had become 
 so common with Wendell that the young editor 
 had ceased to chafe under such unwarranted 
 treatment, and quietly submitted to the intru- 
 sion and the annoyance. However coolly Wen- 
 dell had acted toward Thad at public meetings 
 or elsewhere, however insolently he had talked 
 to him in the presence of others, or however 
 maliciously he had talked about him in his ab-
 
 1 86 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 sence, he never failed to make his daily call at 
 the Banner office to read the papers, and to 
 leave to be printed some item complimentary 
 to himselfc 
 
 " Hello ! here is a good one ! M 
 
 So saying, Wendell dropped his feet from 
 the editor's desk, picked up the editor's pen, 
 and, not seeing any paper near by, thrust his 
 hand into his coat-pocket, and brought up his 
 cousin Jennie's note telling him of the engage- 
 ment at Miss Josie's home. Turning the sheet 
 over, he wrote an item for the Banner on the 
 blank side, put a paper-weight on it, and soon 
 after went out of the office, leaving the item for 
 the editor's inspection. He read it, and was 
 about to hand it out for copy, when he noticed 
 the writing on the other side, and indifferently 
 turned it over to see what it was. He read in 
 amazement He could scarcely believe his eyes. 
 Then it was to meet Wendell that Josie had 
 canceled her engagement for Wednesday night! 
 He was deeply wounded. He was very angry 
 at himself and also at Josie. His impulse was 
 to tear the sheet of note-paper into pieces, and 
 toss them into the waste-basket He concluded, 
 instead, to rewrite the item for the printers, and 
 to keep the note for future use. He put it 
 away in a drawer, and resumed his duties with 
 a heavy heart.
 
 BITTER-SWEET. 187 
 
 Just before he went home that evening he 
 re-read the note, and discerned, what he had 
 not noticed before, that Miss Jennie clearly 
 stated that the engagement was at her solicita- 
 tion. Then he was ashamed of himself for 
 doubting Josie for one second. He was ashamed 
 of himself for flying into a passion over such a 
 small affair. He saw how discreetly and kindly 
 Josie had acted ; for he certainly would not be 
 happy in Wendell's presence in Judge Tracy's 
 parlor. He went home comforted. He admired 
 Josie more than ever. He could trust her now 
 to do the right thing at all times. He was 
 proud of her. She was a woman of rare tact. 
 He loved her. She had proved herself so ten- 
 der of his feelings, and had sacrificed her pleas- 
 ure to his peace of mind. Those were the 
 thoughts that made his walk toward home 
 bright and cheerful. 
 
 He laughed aloud as he passed through the 
 gate opening into his own door-yard. He would, 
 just for a joke, next week, ask Josie to excuse 
 him from his engagement, and would then spend 
 the evening with Miss Jennie Jessup. That 
 would make them even, and both would have 
 something to tease the other about. Happy 
 thought 1
 
 XVIL 
 
 CROSS PURPOSES. 
 
 TTTHADDEUS did not see Josie before the 
 -|- next Wednesday night, owing to many 
 hindering occurrences, the chief of which was 
 her absence at a neighboring city for a few days ; 
 so he was looking forward with blissful antici- 
 pations to that visit, when he remembered his 
 determination to retaliate, in a mild way, for 
 his disappointment of the week before. It 
 required an heroic effort to deny himself the 
 pleasure in store for the uncertain sweets of 
 revenge ; but he was equal to the task, and, at 
 a late hour, sent the office-boy with a note to 
 Josie, asking to be excused, as " very important 
 interests demanded his immediate attention." 
 He justified his note by saying to himself, as 
 he intended to say to Josie when he met her, 
 that his relation to Josie as an accepted suitor 
 was a very important interest, and that was what 
 he intended to attend to in his call on Miss 
 Jennie Jessup. 
 
 " A very happy surprise !" said Jennie, cor- 
 dially, as she admitted Thacldeus to her parlor. 
 "I was just thinking about you." 
 i8
 
 C&GSS PURPOSES. 189 
 
 " 'It is sweet to be remembered when we are 
 away,' he replied, gallantly, repeating a part of 
 a song that Miss Jennie sang often, and blushed, 
 in spite of himself, at the very great frankness of 
 that remark. 
 
 Miss Jennie blushed slightly in return, and 
 said, gayly : 
 
 "That seems to be with you one of 'The 
 Songs we Never can Forget,' " quoting the title 
 of another song that she had sung, and in which 
 Thad sang the bass. 
 
 "When did we ever sing that?" he said, 
 rising from the chair where he had just seated 
 himself, and going over to the piano. 
 
 "O, ever and ever so long ago!" Jennie re- 
 plied, taking her place at the instrument, and 
 waiting for the music which Thad was search- 
 ing for on the music-rack. 
 
 While they were singing, Mrs. Jessup opened 
 the door, and admitted Wendell Morrison. Not 
 to disturb their singing, she led him back into 
 the sitting-room, glad indeed for a few minutes 
 conversation with him alone. 
 
 " No, auntie, I will not stay. Jennie has com- 
 pany, I see. I will call some other evening. 
 No, I can not to-night" 
 
 " She will be so disappointed if you do not," 
 his aunt said, pleadingly. 
 
 "Do not tell her I was here. I will come
 
 190 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 down again tomorrow night perhaps. Who is 
 in there ?" 
 
 "Thad Throckmorton." 
 
 "Has n't been here lately, has he ?" 
 
 "No, not for weeks." 
 
 "That settles it, auntie. Thad is a splendid 
 fellow. I wonld not break in on Jennie to- 
 night for a fortune. Do not tell her I was 
 here." 
 
 Wendell slipped softly to the curtains that 
 separated the parlors, and peeped in, his aunt 
 looking in with him. Then he bowed himself 
 out, saying under his breath, for the music had 
 ceased : " H-s-h ! Not a word, auntie ! Will come 
 down again soon. Do not tell her. Thad 's a 
 good fellow. Am glad he likes Jennie." 
 
 Before he reached the front gate the piano 
 rang out an interlude, and the last he heard of 
 Jennie and Thad, as he walked rather hurriedly 
 away, was a strain of a duet they were singing. 
 
 A half-hour later, Wendell stood ringing the 
 bell at Judge Tracy's door. 
 
 "No; I will answer the bell," said Josie, fly- 
 ing down the stairs, and intercepting the maid 
 in the hallway. She was sure Thad had changed 
 his plans, and had come anyway, though late. 
 
 "May I have the pleasure?" said Wendell, 
 bowing low, and smiling blandly, as he paused 
 a moment on the threshold.
 
 CX OSS PURPOSES. 191 
 
 "O!" gasped Josie, when she saw who the 
 'caller was, and pressed both hands close over 
 her heart. " I thought pray come in, Mr. 
 Morrison. Do, please, excuse my blundering. 
 I was not expecting you." 
 
 "Some one else, then?" said Wendell, in a 
 tone of offended dignity, yet with courteous 
 humility a manner and a tone of which he was 
 complete master. 
 
 For a moment Josie was confused, but only 
 for a moment, recalling instantly that she was 
 not looking for Thad, and answered composedly : 
 
 "No one else, Mr. Morrison; nor was I ex- 
 pecting you." 
 
 " I hope I do not intrude ?" 
 
 " By no means, Mr. Morrison. You must ex- 
 cuse my blundering. Is is youi mother quite 
 well?" 
 
 "Quite, Miss Josie. I trust Mrs. Tracy is in 
 good health?" 
 
 " She is, thank you I" 
 
 For some reason both felt constrained, and 
 the atmosphere was icy. Josie regretted this ; 
 for she was truly desirous of reaching Wendell, 
 and accomplishing his reformation. He was 
 sorry ; for he had counted on a cordial recep- 
 tion, and had felt sure of making a grand march 
 toward the conquest of Miss Josie's heart. He 
 rallied his retreating confidence, and essayed a
 
 192 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 flank movement. So lie said abruptly, but with 
 apparent earnestness and sincerity : 
 
 "You can not imagine, Miss Josie, how much 
 interest I feel in the success of your temperance 
 movement" 
 
 "I am glad to hear you say that. Of course, 
 we are all so grateful to you for your address 
 the other night. At our regular meeting we 
 will adopt a resolution of thanks, and will send 
 you an engrossed copy ; but I must say to you 
 personally how your words stirred my soul !" 
 
 "You honor me above my deserts, Miss Josie. 
 I am not insensible to the honor conferred on 
 me by your invitation, and am truly glad that 
 my efforts were appreciated." 
 
 " Indeed they were. Our cause has taken on 
 fresh vigor since then. I am quite sure you 
 have done us a world of good." 
 
 "Can you sing that song for me to-night, 
 Miss Josie, that you sang then?" 
 
 "If you desire it," she said, promptly. 
 
 "I certainly do. May I turn the music 
 for yon ?" 
 
 "Thanks!" 
 
 Miss Josie was delighted beyond measure at 
 this invitation. Her heart was in a flutter, and 
 the hot blood mounted to her lace, and she cast 
 a wistful glance at Wendell as he stood beside 
 her. She had selected and sung that song at
 
 C&OSS PURPOSES. 193 
 
 the assembly for his especial benefit, hoping it 
 would touch his heart; and now he asked her 
 to sing it again ! It had surely been a success- 
 ful venture. What would Thad say when he 
 knew of her victory ? These thoughts inspired 
 her with hope, and thrilled her soul with pleas- 
 ure. Wendell noted her animation, her evident 
 happiness at being asked to sing for him, and 
 he counted the movement a fortunate one. She 
 was not as hard to capture as he had supposed. 
 But, then, he was a skillful maneuverer. So he 
 thought, and he smiled appreciatively upon the 
 fair singer. He did not ask her to sing again ; 
 but the remainder of the evening devoted him- 
 self to entertaining her, relating amusing epi- 
 sodes in his legislative life, describing famous 
 men he had met, and manifesting an interest in 
 the success of moral reform movements that 
 surprised and gladdened Josie, 
 
 " I do not remember when I spent a more 
 delightful evening, Miss Josie," he said, rising 
 to go. 
 
 " I am sure the enjoyment has been mutual,' 7 
 she said, earnestly. 
 
 " I am not sorry now that a disappointment 
 led to my coming here, though to confess the 
 truth I did not leave home to come here." 
 
 " So / am second choice," she said, archly. 
 
 " Do not put it that way, Miss Josie. You
 
 194 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 see, I went down to see Jennie Jessup to-night, 
 but found Mr. Throckinorton was there ; and 
 as they were having such a fine time singing 
 together, I would not let auntie tell them I was 
 there. Not knowing just how to put in the 
 evening, I ventured to come here. But, Miss 
 Josie, you must know if my last call here had 
 not been so agreeable I should not have even 
 thought of coining to-night" 
 
 " Thanks," she said, calmly, though her 
 heart was in a tumult. 
 
 When he had gone, she went to her own 
 room, and was disconsolate. She resolutely re- 
 solved to keep her wouuded heart hidden from 
 Thad. She almost lost all desire for Wendell's 
 reformation. It had already cost her much. 
 Could she afford the entire expense? There 
 was one consolation, however: Wendell had 
 never before shown any preference for any lady 
 in that city, and she had brought him to her as 
 a suitor. She would encourage him just enough 
 to hold him near her until her object was ac- 
 complished. That would annoy Thaddeus, per- 
 haps ; but then had he not given her liberty to 
 do that by breaking an engagement with her to 
 call on Jennie Jessup? After all, it might be 
 convenient to have Thad less attentive for 
 a while. Comforted, she fell asleep, and dreamed 
 away the night.
 
 CROSS PURPOSES. 195 
 
 At Jennie's home, the hours sped rapidly. 
 The evening was devoted entirely to music. 
 
 "I have it now!" Jennie exclaimed, enthusi- 
 astically, after a particularly happy rendering of 
 two parts of a quartet song. " Let us have a 
 select quartet! You, Wendell, Josie and I. 
 That would be just too splendid !" 
 
 Thaddeus smiled, and seemed to be looking 
 for another song. 
 
 M We are so anxious about Wendell," Jen- 
 nie continued, softly thrumming the piano keys 
 with one hand, " and I know it would do him 
 good to go with our set." 
 
 " But would he?" Thad asked, with but little 
 show of interest. 
 
 " Certainly. He is trying to reform, I am 
 sure. Josie has great influence with him more 
 than any one." 
 
 Thaddeus sighed heavily, and sank into a 
 chair and drifted off into a reverie, as he was so 
 wont to do. 
 
 Jennie was busy with her own thoughts, and 
 did not notice his abstraction for a little while. 
 Then she said : 
 
 " Will you agree to it ?" 
 
 " O, of course, if the others will." 
 
 "And may I arrange for the quartet, if I 
 can ?" 
 
 " I do n't think you can ; but I am in favor
 
 196 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 of it," Thad said, with an attempt at indif- 
 ference. 
 
 "Yes I can. I will begin right now. You 
 come down Friday night. Will you?" 
 
 " Yes," said Thad. " Then what ?" 
 
 " I will ask cousin Wendell to bring Josie 
 down, and after a social hour we will spring the 
 matter on them. They could hardly object, 
 could they, when you and I both insist?" 
 
 Thaddeus trembled, and his heart stood 
 still. " They could not object" Wendell and 
 Josie he said, over to himself. " You and I 
 insist" Jennie and Thaddeus. What fate was 
 linking their names like that? 
 
 " Could they ?" she asked again, after waiting 
 a minute for him to reply. 
 
 " O, of course not," he answered, springing 
 up and looking at his watch. " Eleven o'clock ! 
 Is it possible !" 
 
 "That is early," said Jennie, brightly. 
 
 "Why did I so forget myself?" Thaddeus 
 was talking to himself more than to Jennie, and 
 thinking of Josie rather than of his hostess. 
 
 " I hope I may have some blame for that," 
 Jennie said, laughingly. 
 
 " You have certainly beguiled me into staying 
 an hour longer than I should." 
 
 Thaddeus went home sadly, repenting at 
 every step that he had thus retaliated upon Josie.
 
 XYIII. 
 
 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 
 
 MOST unexpected occurrence, trivial in 
 appearance, but important in results, must 
 be recorded here. 
 
 Rev. Archibald Outwright had a way of his 
 own in conducting the affairs of the Church of 
 which he was pastor. He prided himself on the 
 spirit and general excellence of the social meet- 
 ings, especially prayer service, and never let 
 pass an opportunity to create new interest in 
 that assembly of the flock. In pursuance of 
 this purpose, he called at the office of Tracy & 
 Morrison to invite the young lawyer to come to 
 prayer-meeting. Could anything be more auda- 
 cious? Yes; the inviting of Mr. Morrison to 
 address the temperance rally! That had been 
 successful ; and why not this? That had been 
 brought about by the young people. Why 
 might not a pastor achieve a similar victory? 
 With a courage that many could never sum- 
 mon, Mr. Outwright entered the lawyer's office 
 early one morning, and, finding him alone, pro- 
 ceeded at once to make his errand known, en- 
 couraged by the hearty greeting extended him. 
 It was easy for Wendell to be hearty in his 
 
 14 197
 
 198 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 friendship. It was a cultivated grace a part 
 of his trade. 
 
 " Why, my dear Mr. Outwright I Is this not 
 early for a clergyman to be abroad? I had an 
 idea that, except on rare occasions, they in- 
 dulged in large measures of ' tired nature's 
 sweet restorer.' But I am royally glad to see 
 you! How are you, this bright morning?" 
 
 " Quite well, I thank you. No, it is not un- 
 usually early for me to be out; but, if it were, 
 this would be ' a rare occasion ' which would 
 justify iny early call. I have come to ask you 
 to be present at prayer-meeting to-night." 
 
 " What 1" Wendell said in unfeigned aston- 
 ishment ; " come to ask me to attend prayer- 
 meeting! Mr. Outwright, you surely are not 
 'guying' me, as the boys say?" 
 
 " Not by any means. I am in earnest. Will 
 you cotne to-night?" 
 
 "Well, well!" Wendell said, meditatively. 
 And then he lifted his eyes to Mr. Outwright's 
 and added : " You are the first man that ever 
 invited me to such a place ; but I have scores 
 of invitations to go to the bad. I hardly know 
 what to say. I would do almost anything to 
 please you, Mr. Outwright, for I have always 
 considered you my friend ; but this is so un- 
 usual a request I am not prepared to answer at 
 once. I v/ill take it under advisement."
 
 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 199 
 
 " Do nothing of the kind," said the minister, 
 earnestly, at the same time putting his hand 
 upon Wendell's shoulder in a respectiully famil- 
 iar style, peculiar to himself. "It is a little 
 thing I ask you to do. Say yes or no now, and 
 send me on my way rejoicing; for I know you 
 will say yes." 
 
 " But you must know, Mr. Outwright, that I 
 have no faith in religion such as you teach. 
 I believe in being as honest as one can, and not 
 get swindled out of everything he has; I be- 
 lieve in helping the poor, and all that ; but as 
 to praying and singing why, somehow, I do n't 
 take to it like some people." 
 
 "Then you say no?" Mr. Outwright asked, 
 in a tone that clearly indicated his regret at 
 the decision. 
 
 " Not exactly ; but I wanted to warn you 
 that if I should say ' yes,' it would be to ac- 
 commodate you, and not to please myself!" 
 
 " I understand that ; I ask it as a personal 
 favor this time ; some other time I might urge 
 other considerations." 
 
 "Well, then, to please you" stopping to 
 weigh well his decision " I will come ; pro- 
 vided, I can get some one to come with me 
 some one who is as much a stranger there as I 
 will be to keep me company, you know." 
 
 " Good !" Mr. Outwright exclaimed, " I wish
 
 200 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 I had a hundred and fifty men like yon in the 
 Chnrch ; men who will not only come them- 
 selves, but who will bring some one for com- 
 pany. Good ! Be sure to bring a companion. 
 Good-bye ! 
 
 In an instant Mr. Outwright was out of the 
 door, rejoicing in his heart over the success of 
 that venture. 
 
 The young politician sat in his office after 
 the minister left him, smiling over the bright- 
 ness of his future prospects. Rapidly, very 
 rapidly, his mind had wrought out a scheme 
 while Mr. Outwright was awaiting his decision. 
 With his usual quickness, he saw the end from 
 the beginning, and decided accordingly. 
 
 " What a surprise that will be for her I" he 
 said aloud, as he turned to his desk to write a 
 note to Miss Tracy. " But I will not let it be 
 the last. One surprise shall follow another until 
 the last great surprise, when she finds herself 
 my wife, and I her lord. Then, then I will go 
 and come as /please." 
 
 He wrote, asking her to go with him to 
 prayer-meeting. 
 
 When Miss Tracy received the note, and had 
 read it once, she held it open in her hand, and 
 thoughtfully considered its request. 
 
 To prayer-meeting? Why, she rarely went 
 herself 1 To prayer-meeting with Wendell Mor-
 
 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 2OI 
 
 rison? What would Thaddens think? What 
 would people say? 
 
 She turned to the note, and read it again. 
 There was no reference to his recent call at her 
 house; but perhaps, after all, something she said 
 then had led him to believe she was not only 
 a member of the Church, but a regular attend- 
 ant on all its services. It would not be safe 
 for her to disappoint him just now, when she 
 was so earnestly endeavoring to reclaim him 
 from the use of intoxicants ! So she read the 
 note a third time, and in new light. Hastily 
 writing a note of acceptance, she dispatched it 
 by the messenger who had brought Wendell's 
 request, and felt she had done a noble act had 
 sacrificed herself and Thaddeus, too, on the 
 altar of duty. 
 
 Encouraged by his signal success in persuad- 
 ing the young lawyer to promise to attend 
 prayer-meeting, Mr. Outwright went immedi- 
 ately to see the editor of the Banner, counting 
 that there he could not fail, and was certain of 
 adding at least two persons to the members 
 who would be at Church that night. 
 
 " As usual, working for life !" he said, closing 
 behind him the door of the editor's office, where 
 Thaddeus was driving his pencil across the 
 pages of soft paper as if only an hour remained 
 for a whole day's work.
 
 202 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 " Correct !" he said, glancing up at the 
 speaker, and then continuing his work. "Have 
 a seat ;" and on the pencil dashed. " Be done 
 in a minute," he added, and wrote on. " The 
 boys are nearly out of copy," he explained a 
 minute later, as he finished the page and 
 handed a lot of copy to the foreman. 
 
 " In that case I will tarry but a minute. By 
 the way, did you know this is prayer-meeting 
 night?" 
 
 Thaddeus laughed, and said : " So it is ! 
 Well, I have been a little negligent for some 
 weeks, I confess; but I will turn over a new 
 leaf this very day, pastor, and will keep it 
 turned right along. That sermon of yours last 
 Sunday morning stirred me up wonderfully. 
 Yes, I will be there, if nothing happens to pre- 
 vent." 
 
 " Good ! Good ! Well, good-morning 1 I will 
 look for you." 
 
 " You may," Thaddeus added, earnestly. 
 " But say !" he called, as Mr. Outwright was 
 closing the door, after he passed out. 
 
 " Well?" he asked, peeping through the door, 
 as he held it ajar. 
 
 " I suppose you will not object if I bring 
 somebody with me?" 
 
 " Not I ! Do bring somebody ; bring two !" 
 
 " That I will," Thaddeus called to him as he
 
 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 203 
 
 closed the door. And so he did, though no one 
 could have guessed who the two would be. 
 Thaddeus intended to call for Miss Josie, never 
 doubting her certain acceptance of his in- 
 vitation. 
 
 Mr. Outwright was so pleased over his suc- 
 cess so far that he was just in the mood to push 
 his work to the utmost. With this thought in 
 mind, he entered Mr. Christie's drugstore to 
 make a trifling purchase, and was waited on by 
 Mr. Christie himself. As no one was present 
 besides the two, Mr. Outwright said, with a 
 peculiar sidelong glance of mingled hope and 
 fear, brightened by a smile of kindliness that 
 always foiled resentment : 
 
 " Mr. Christie, there is one place in Bramble- 
 ville you do not know much about" 
 
 "Well, yes ha! ha! Mr. Outwright ha ! 
 ha ! I am quite sure O ! ah ! ha ! ha ! there 
 are many places in Brambleville ah ! that I 
 do n't know much about ha ! ha ! but O ! 
 ah ! ha ! ha ! I can not guess which one O ! 
 ha ! ha ! you refer to now." 
 
 "I mean prayer-meeting." 
 
 "Well, that is a good one, of course. O! 
 ha! ha! I don't know much about that place 
 ha ! ha ! but, Mr. Outwright, my mother O ! 
 ha! ha! my mother ha! ha! 'tends to that 
 for us both. Ha ! ha !"
 
 204 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 "Yes, your mother comes regularly. That 
 is why I think you ought to come occasionally. 
 Come to-night, just to please me and your 
 mother." 
 
 " I ah ! ha ! ha ! well, I I perhaps 
 ha ! ha ! I will, just to please you ha ! ha ! 
 and my mother." 
 
 "Thank you! I will look for you. Good- 
 day !" and the minister was gone, seeking some 
 other person to invite to prayer-meeting. 
 
 His work in that direction was abundantly 
 successful, as the attendance that night demon- 
 strated. 
 
 There was no doubt in Thaddeus's mind 
 that Miss Josie would go with him to prayer- 
 meeting if he should ask her, and he intended 
 to ask her before he went home for dinner. 
 With this thought in view he turned to his 
 work with enthusiasm, after the minister left, 
 and put so much vigor and push into his labor 
 that he soon saw a mass of " copy " pile up on 
 his desk, and found himself at liberty to make 
 an informal call at Judge Tracy's an hour or 
 more before noon. 
 
 Messenger-boys in Brambleville were not 
 regularly employed as such, but were picked up 
 here and there from among the unengaged, 
 wherever the patron could find one willing to 
 perform the service required. It was such a
 
 THE PRAYER-MEETTttG, 205 
 
 one as this that Thaddens saw coming out of 
 the gate at Judge Tracy's as he approached. 
 They passed a short distance from the entrance 
 to the judge's home, and when Thaddeus was 
 about to open the gate, he saw at his feet a 
 sealed note. He picked it up, glanced at the 
 address, recognized the handwriting,' and for a 
 moment was transfixed with astonishment and 
 filled with intensest indignation ; for in the well- 
 known, almost perfect, and smoothly-flowing 
 chirography of Miss Josie's pen, was the name 
 of Wendell Morrison. A moment only he 
 hesitated ; a moment only was he indignant ; a 
 moment only did he give place to wrathful 
 thoughts, the next, he was calm, tolerant, and 
 decided. Hurrying after the boy, he delivered 
 the note to him ; rebuked him gently for his 
 carelessness ; and told him when he had given 
 the message to Mr. Morrison, to come to his 
 office for another, to be taken to Mrs. Jessup's. 
 Would he ? 
 
 "'Course/' he answered briefly; for he was 
 concerned in something more important than 
 carrying notes, though that was desirable work 
 just then, as he was endeavoring to save up 
 money enough to go to the next show, already 
 advertised to appear in Brambleville ; and at 
 once the barefooted and frowsy-headed volun- 
 teer messenger-boy commenced to ply the young
 
 
 
 206 AN ODD FELLOW. . 
 
 editor with questions, and to flood him with in- 
 formation gained from his street companions, 
 winding up, as they reached the Banner office, 
 with a pointed question : 
 
 " Say, now, ef I 'd carry notes for yo' ev'ry 
 day an' ev'ry. day, would yo' give me tick's to 
 ev'ry blamed show thet cums 'long? 'Cause 
 the boys all say you gits comp's to ev'rything, 
 an' /never see yo' ter nun uv 'em." 
 
 "I do not have many notes to carry," Thad- 
 deus said, laughing ; " and I am afraid tickets 
 to shows will not be good for you." 
 
 As he spoke, he put his hand on the boy's 
 head, and turned his face upward toward his 
 own. The happy expression faded from the 
 fair face, and the blue eyes took on a deeper 
 hue, as a sense of disappointment filled the 
 childish heart. With an effort to be calm, ac- 
 companied by a perceptible swallowing of grief, 
 the boy stood for a second like a statue. Thad- 
 deus's heart was touched. Thinking rapidly 
 what to say or do, his face brightened, and the 
 sunshine of his heart fell upon the soul of the 
 child, and made his eyes shine like a June sky. 
 He said: 
 
 "After you take my note, I will pay you, and 
 will give you a ticket to a concert at the church 
 next week, if you will go to a Church enter- 
 tainment**
 
 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 207 
 
 "Golly! Will I go? I '11 go!" 
 
 Away he ran, or rather jumped ; for his feet 
 scarcely touched the pavement as he bounded 
 like a rubber-ball along the street. Watching 
 him, Thaddeus forgot for a moment his own 
 disappointment, and stood, smiling after him, 
 one foot on the pavement, the other on the first 
 step of the stairs he was about to mount to 
 reach his office. He was living over the years 
 of his own happy childhood, and wishing all 
 boys might have such a home as his, when Seth 
 Russell touched his arm, having come to his side 
 noiselessly. 
 
 "Say!" the old man said, pointing toward 
 the boy, just disappearing in the stairway lead- 
 ing up to Morrison's office, "whatever you do 
 for that boy will bring blessings on your head. 
 Did you see his eyes? They are his mother's 
 a piece of heaven's own blue. Did you notice 
 his head? It is his father's, and a skillfuller 
 mechanic never lived than him. Knew 'em 
 both. Both are in God's home, they say; but / 
 reckon both of 'em are right nigh him that is 
 kind to their Joseph. But, say, Thad, my poor, 
 dear boy, son of my best friend, old Seth's 
 heart aches for you! You are to be tried as by 
 fire. Never flinch ! Be true to yourself, and to 
 the right, and to those who love you. *L,ove 
 with a pure heart, fervently.' First, let love be
 
 208 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 pure ; then, fervent. Good-bye ! Old Seth 
 has eyes and ears open for those he loves. 
 Good-bye !" 
 
 Thaddeus mounted the stairs two steps at 
 once, saying, as he did so: "He is an odd fel- 
 low, and no mistake." 
 
 There were two happy hearts at prayer- 
 meeting that night: The pastor's, because his 
 invitations had so generally been accepted ; Mrs. 
 Christie's, because her son had voluntarily ac- 
 companied her to the service. 
 
 There were two sadly-disturbed souls at 
 prayer-meeting that night : Miss Josie Tracy's, 
 because she was there with Wendell Morrison 
 and Thaddeus was with Jennie Jessup ; and 
 Thaddeus Throckmorton's, because of the same 
 unexpected groupings. 
 
 Such an assemblage, in its heterogeneous- 
 ness, never before had appeared in that church, 
 and never afterward. Paths met there, crossed, 
 separated, diverged, and never again on earth 
 escaped the controlling influence of that brief 
 hour and a half in the house of God. 
 
 Whose hand brought them there? Whose 
 will sent them away with new and strange 
 thoughts? Who put fire into the heart of the 
 pastor that night, and power into his words? 
 Who dropped the lead into the religious life of 
 one, showing how shallow it was, because it ran
 
 THE PRAYER-MEETING. 209 
 
 over the shoal of selfishness ; and who sounded 
 the life of another, revealing its great depths, 
 because God's providences had every day broken 
 up and carried away the hidden rocks of selfish 
 desire? Who, in one hour, severed bonds, like 
 cords of tow, that were thought to be bands of 
 iron? Who melted, and ran into one mold, 
 hearts that had, until then, been singularly an- 
 tagonistic? Who, but the One who works out 
 his own designs, whether men assist or resist? 
 
 As Thaddeus walked home in deep medita- 
 tion, after leaving Miss Jennie Jessup and her 
 mother at their door, he met Seth Russell at the 
 corner. 
 
 "I was waiting for you, Thad, son of my best 
 beloved friend. 'God is love,' and all he does 
 is for the good of those who trust him. I see 
 he has set your feet in the path that leads to 
 happiness, renown, and wealth. Follow his 
 leadings, though it break your heart. Remem- 
 ber, ' He healeth the broken in heart, and bind- 
 eth up their wounds.' You are broken-hearted 
 and wounded to-night, sou of my best beloved 
 friend. I know. I saw you. Good-night!" 
 
 The aged but lithe form disappeared down 
 the street, the white hair and whiter beard blow- 
 ing about his head and face, like finest silk, in 
 the breeze of that summer night.
 
 XIX. 
 
 EXPLANATIONS. 
 
 TTTHE next morning, while Jennie Jessup was 
 - engaged in her piano practice, her mother 
 came in, and, sitting down with broom in hand 
 and sweeping-cap on, said, with emphasis and 
 an air of deep concern : 
 
 "Do stop a minute or two, Jennie, and let 
 me know what you think. I have my own 
 thoughts, but they may not be right." 
 
 Jennie did not stop at once, but touched the 
 keys very softly while her mother was speaking, 
 and then went on to the end of the score she 
 was playing ; but at the same time answered 
 her mother : 
 
 "One, two, three, four about what, mother? 
 One and two, and three and four, and in a min- 
 ute, mother. One, and a two, and a three, and 
 a tour, and a just as soon as I get this right 
 once. One and two, and three and four. There ! 
 Now, what, mother?" she said, turning round on 
 the stool to face Mrs. Jessup. 
 
 "Well, about prayer-meeting last night. I 
 was' never so wrought up in my life," the mother 
 said, sweeping away imaginary dust from about 
 her chair. 
 
 210
 
 * Now, what, mother?" she said, turning round on the 
 stool to face Mrs. Jessup. Page 210.
 
 EX PLAN A T1ONS. 2 1 1 
 
 "It was good," Jennie said, folding her arms, 
 and dropping her head meditatively. 
 
 " I suppose it was ; but that is not what I 
 mean. I mean the people who were there." 
 
 "There was a large attendance; but, then, 
 Mr. Outwright knows how to get people out I 
 think it is his " 
 
 "I do not mean the many, but the kind of 
 people who were there, and the way they were 
 there." 
 
 "O !" Jennie said, in surprise, lifting her eyes 
 to her mother's. 
 
 "Did n't you notice it?" 
 
 "Why not particularly." 
 
 "You didn't? I did. Now, there was your 
 cousin Wendell. Nothing has happened in a 
 dozen years to surprise me like that, except his 
 temperance speech that time. Do you know 
 how he happened to come ?" 
 
 "Mr. Outwright, I suppose." 
 
 "Or, Josie Tracy?" Mrs, Jessup added; and, 
 for a few minutes, mother and daughter were 
 silent. 
 
 "But another thing, Jennie, puzzled me. 
 How did it happen that Thaddeus came by for 
 you? Now, if it had been anybody else I should 
 have thought nothing of it." 
 
 "Why should you anyway, mother? Thad- 
 deus used to come by for me very often."
 
 212 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 "But that was a long, long time ago." 
 
 "Not so very. We were in the same classes 
 in school, you know." 
 
 "And, then, there was Charlie Christie at 
 prayer- meeting. I am expecting the millen- 
 nium right away now, when such a dry stick as 
 Charlie gets to coming to Church, and such a 
 hard case as Wendell is at prayer-meeting." 
 
 " Mother, I do believe you did not hear one 
 word the pastor said," Jennie replied, laughing 
 gayly. " You were absorbed in the people." 
 
 "Yes, I heard what he said, right enough; 
 but I was worked up by what I saw." 
 
 M Well, I thought it was a splendid meeting, 
 and did not pay much attention to the people 
 who were present." 
 
 " Except to one," Mrs. Jessup said, signifi- 
 cantly. 
 
 "What one was that?" Jennie asked, inno- 
 cently, turning to the piano to put another piece 
 of music on the rack. 
 
 "Thaddeus." 
 
 " Not much to him, either," she replied, and 
 turned about to face her mother, showing just a 
 little uneasiness at being detained longer from 
 her practice. 
 
 " But tell me, Jennie," Mrs. Jessup said, 
 sighing softly, and thumping the floor with the 
 broom, not caring to lift her face to her daugh-
 
 EXPLANATIONS. 213 
 
 ter's, " are you not afraid to have Thaddens 
 come back to you? Do you not remember how 
 hard it was to be reconciled to his going away 
 before ?" 
 
 " Mother," Jennie said, impulsively and with 
 much feeling, though she strove to be calm, " I 
 was young and thoughtless then. I hope a ma- 
 ture mind is more to be trusted than a giddy 
 girl's." 
 
 " It is, my daughter, it is ; but the heart is 
 seldom ever guided by the judgment." 
 
 " If you feel that way," Jennie said, submiss- 
 ively, after a few minutes' reflection, " when he 
 comes to-night I will tell him plainly what you 
 think, and ask him not to call any more." 
 
 "'When he comes to-night!' Is he coming 
 to-night?" Mrs. Jessup, exclaimed, excitedly. 
 u I am sorry," she added, in a quieter tone, re- 
 suming her manner of sorrowful concern. " I 
 am very sorry. For several reasons I am sorry, 
 and almost as much on his account as on yours." 
 
 "What can you mean, mother? You are 
 taking the matter all too seriously. Thaddeus 
 has called once or twice, and has gone to Church 
 with me once, and is to call again. Surely all 
 that is very little ; but you speak as though we 
 were engaged, or about to be." 
 
 " There are some things I know that you do 
 not, my daughter, and I can not tell you now.
 
 214 AM ODD FET.LOW. 
 
 I was glad when he quit coming, though it did 
 so nearly break your heart, and I can not but be 
 sorry to have even the appearance of a renewal 
 of his visits. Will you let me influence you in 
 this, without giving my reasons ?" 
 
 " Mother," Jennie said, kindly, but firmly. 
 " I am not now the girl I was then. Then I 
 yielded to your wishes ; but now I feel that I 
 have rights that I must not surrender even to 
 you. I can not retain my self-respect and do 
 that If you will give me one good reason why 
 I ought not to receive calls or any attention 
 from Thaddeus, I will gladly do as you say lor 
 a good reason." 
 
 Mrs. Jessup did not reply at once. She was 
 undecided what course to take for awhile; but 
 finally determined to make a bold stand, and 
 said: 
 
 "There is very serious doubt as to who his 
 parents are!" 
 
 " But I thought " Jennie said, in surprise 
 and alarm. 
 
 " Yes, I know what you think ; but I can not 
 tell you any more now." 
 
 " But why did you not tell me this before?" 
 
 " See how it distresses you now. Could you 
 have received it with less remorse when you 
 were in love with him as a 'giddy girl,' to use 
 your own words?"
 
 EX PL AN A TIONS. 2 1 5 
 
 " But is there any disgrace in not knowing 
 your ancestry ?" 
 
 " By no means ; but the ancestry, if knowu, 
 might be a disgrace !" 
 
 " And might be a great honor !" 
 
 " Possibly ; but not in this case." 
 
 " Then you know." 
 
 " I have my suspicions." 
 
 " What are they ?" 
 
 " I can not tell you now. Sometime I may. 
 But have I not given you a good reason for dis- 
 carding his attentions?" 
 
 "No, mother!" 
 
 " I am sorry, very sorry, my daughter. You 
 take your own risks." 
 
 Mrs. Jessup arose and went about her work, 
 leaving Jennie with her music; but the hour 
 slipped by without a sound from the instru- 
 ment, for the player was in no mood to invoke 
 sweet harmonies and rich melodies from its 
 vibrating cords. Memories of other years swept 
 over her soul like a flood, and she felt the touch 
 of thoughts and hopes she had believed were 
 forever dead. 
 
 Thaddeus lost no time that same morning in 
 calling on Miss Josie, determined to undo, as 
 far as he could, the wrong of the past few days, 
 and to set himself right in her mind. He was 
 heartily tired of deception, even in the way of
 
 2 1 6 AN ODD FELLO W. 
 
 practical joking. He was sure, very sure, he 
 was not prompted by a spirit of jealousy. 
 
 " Pardon this call at such an unseasonable, 
 if not unreasonable, hour," he said, rising to 
 greet Miss Josie as she cauie into the parlor. 
 
 In reply she smiled faintly, extended her 
 hand, and, as she sank into a chair, said : " An 
 early call is better than none ;" and so saying 
 echoed the sentiment of her heart. 
 
 " Thank you, Josie ; that is better than I de- 
 serve. But, believe me, I did not stay away 
 because I wanted to. I thought perhaps you 
 did n't care." 
 
 " Did you, indeed ?" she said, with arching 
 brows. 
 
 " Indeed I did ; but I have come this morn- 
 ing to say I am sorry if I have given you pain 
 for even an hour. Will you forgive me ?" 
 
 " I will," she said calmly, so far as her voice 
 was concerned ; but she straightened herself in 
 the chair, clasped her hands tightly, and let 
 them fall heavily on her lap, and Thaddeus no- 
 ticed a constrained look of peace on her face. 
 Quickly she added : " I will on one condition." 
 
 "What's that? That I shall never do so 
 again? That's easy! I promise that with all 
 my heart," he said, eagerly. 
 
 Josie was disconcerted for a moment by his
 
 EXPLANATIONS. 217 
 
 eagerness; but with a forced smile and uncer- 
 tain voice she said : 
 
 " Not that but easier perhaps. That you 
 let me have time to work out a cherished hope 
 something I have prayed over very earnestly, 
 and feel to be a duty ; though, in some respects, 
 an unpleasant one." 
 
 "Certainly!" Thaddeus replied, earnestly. 
 Rising, and walking over to Josie's chair, he 
 stopped right before her, and was about to take 
 her hand when she put them out of his reach, 
 and said: 
 
 " Wait ! What would you do to save a soul, 
 Thaddeus?" 
 
 " Your soul, Josie ? Anything in my power ! 
 I should limit myself in no way. I would make 
 any sacrifice; endure any affliction !" 
 
 " Would you ? I believe you would ! But I 
 did not put the question right What do you 
 think /ought to do to save a soul?" 
 
 Thaddeus was silent, and tried to read the 
 eyes bent so earnestly and heroically on him. 
 But in their clear depths he saw no clue to 
 Josie's meaning, and he was obliged to say : 
 
 " A soul is worth much, Josie ; even a world 
 is nothing in comparison. I can not answer 
 that question for you. You must answer it for 
 yourself."
 
 2 1 8 AN ODD FELLO W. 
 
 " So I know ; so I have done ; my mind is 
 made up. But will you help ine ?" 
 
 " I will, most faithfully and earnestly. What 
 would you have me do ?" 
 
 " Leave me to myself awhile until I bid you 
 come again*" 
 
 "Josie!" he exclaimed in distress. 
 
 " It has cost me a fearful struggle ; but I 
 have gained the victory." 
 
 "Josie, you are beside yourself! I can not 
 believe you know what you say !" 
 
 " I am not beside myself! I know perfectly 
 well what I am saying." 
 
 "Then will you tell me all the particulars of 
 this sudden and very strange determination." 
 
 "I will. You were at prayer-meeting last 
 night?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "You saw me there with with Wendell?" 
 
 "I am sorry to say, I did." 
 
 "I knew you would be. But except for me, 
 Wendell would not have gone. He said so ; and 
 he was much interested, and told me he would 
 go often if I would go with hi in." 
 
 " The knave !" 
 
 "How could you! Remember you have 
 promised me to help! After we came home last 
 night he signed the temperance pledge. I wrote 
 it here with my own hand, and he signed it"
 
 EXPLANATIONS, 2 19 
 
 ''And you believe he will keep it?" 
 
 "Yes; for he left it with me, and made me 
 write another and sign it myself and give it to 
 him to keep. He said whenever he should look 
 at my pledge he would think of me and his 
 pledge !" 
 
 "What else did you pledge?" Thaddeus 
 asked, in such cold and deliberate tones that 
 Josie was startled. 
 
 "Nothing; except that I said I would go 
 with him to Church Sunday night. I do so 
 want him to hear one of Mr. Outwright's 
 sermons," 
 
 "Good-bye!" 
 
 Before she could utter one word of protest 
 he was gone. 
 
 She shuddered at the thought of what he 
 must suffer; but consoled herself with the re- 
 flection that she was sacrificing her happiness 
 and his for the uplifting of an immortal soul. 
 
 "If need be," she said aloud, when she had 
 returned to her room, " if need be, I believe I 
 could actually marry Wendell to save him from 
 ruin! Thaddeus, my darling, you do not need 
 any help. You are strong in yourself, while 
 Wendell is weak at one point, though strong 
 everywhere else. He says I am 'a tower of 
 strength to him 1' "
 
 XX 
 
 MR. CHARLES CHRISTIE. 
 
 "TV /flSS EDITH, you can scarcely guess 
 * \--*- ha! ha! how many people have called 
 to-day ha! ha! to say how surprised, or ah! 
 how delighted, if you will ha! ha! excuse 
 the term, to see me at prayer-meeting last 
 night! And ha! ha! I was quite surprised 
 myself ha! ha! and delighted, of course ha! 
 ha! to find myself there! I hope O! ah! 
 Miss Edith, you were not wholly displeased 
 yourself iia! ha! to know that I can go to 
 prayer-meeting occasionally ha! ha! when a 
 sufficient reason is given ha ! ha ! Do I pre- 
 sume ha! ha! Miss Edith, on your interest 
 in the meeting, or ah ! in me, to suppose you 
 were pleased." 
 
 "By no means, Mr. Christie! I was really 
 glad to see you there for your sake as well as 
 the meeting's." 
 
 "Ah! thank you." 
 
 "I was glad to see you so interested in the 
 services, Mr. Christie, especially in the singing." 
 
 "How could I fail ha! ha! Miss Edith, to 
 be interested in singing ha! ha! when Ol
 
 MR. CHRISTIE. 221 
 
 ah! you contributed so largely ha! ha! to 
 its excellence. What would they do, Miss 
 Edith, without your voice? ha! ha! I distin- 
 guished that ha! ha! in the midst of all the 
 others I" 
 
 "Thank yon, Mr. Christie; but I am sure 
 you give me too much praise. Did you not 
 notice how Miss Jessup and cousin Josie sang? 
 What a beautiful alto Miss Jessup's is!" 
 
 "I did not notice it O! ah! of course, I 
 know, in a general way ha! ha! Miss Jessup's 
 voice is fine ; but ha ! ha ! not to be men- 
 tioned ha! ha! if you will pardon me, at the 
 same time O! ah! with your own." 
 
 "But is not Mr. Outwright splendid?" 
 
 "In what way, Miss Edith? I am not ha! 
 ha! very familiar with points of excellence 
 ha ! ha ! in clergymen. Now, if it was O ! 
 ah ! spiritus frumenti or morphia, or something 
 like that ha! ha! I would know." 
 
 "Or horses, Mr. Christie!" 
 
 "Spare me, Miss Edith! I am not ha! 
 ha! doting on horses at present ha! ha! 
 Miss Edith; for O! ah! you know, yourself, 
 my feelings on that subject." 
 
 "Yes; I know what were your feelings when 
 I helped your mother nurse you through your 
 hurts and breaks." 
 
 "Do you really ha! ha! Miss Edith,
 
 222 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 know ha! ha! my feelings O! ah! when 
 you were so kind as to help me through ha! 
 ha! those long, dreary hours?" 
 
 "And were they dreary, after all? You have 
 told me several times they were not ; that you 
 did not mind being shut in !" 
 
 "Did I, truly, Miss Edith? O! ah! then 
 ha! ha! I must reaffirm my declaration. It was 
 dreary at times ; but ha ! ha ! of course, you 
 could not have known that ha! ha! for O! 
 ah ! you were not there at such times." 
 
 "Do you not drive any more at all, Mr. 
 Christie? I am very fond of driving. I can not 
 get papa to go with me nearly so often as I 
 would like." 
 
 "No, Miss Edith ha! ha! I have disposed 
 of my horse. The carriage, you know ha! 
 ha! was quite effectually ha! ha! disposed 
 of at the time of the mishap. But perhaps I 
 will O! ah! find a gentler horse, and then 
 ha ! ha ! but O, by the way, Miss Edith, if you 
 feel perfectly safe in driving, and only lack com- 
 pany, and ha! ha! if Mr. Lysander can not 
 take time from his office to go with you ha! 
 ha! I should be happy ha! ha! to have 
 you O! ah! accept me as a substitute ha! 
 ha! a very inadequate one, I am sure, but bet- 
 ter than none ha! ha! if I may be so pre- 
 sumptuous as to say so ha! ha!"
 
 MR. CHRISTIE, 223 
 
 "O, I am a splendid driver, Mr. Christie! I 
 really believe if I had been with you that time 
 your accident happened, I could have pre- 
 vented it." 
 
 " Do you, truly ? Then I am very sorry I 
 did not O ! ah ! have the pleasure of your 
 company." 
 
 u But if you had n't been hurt, I would not 
 have been called to nurse you, and would never 
 have learned what I did about drugs and drug- 
 gists' supplies, and would never have learned so 
 many awfully hard names, and " 
 
 " O ! ah ! Miss Edith, I should have been 
 only too happy to teach you all that without 
 being laid up for six weeks. Ha ! ha ! I am 
 sure I could teach you now ha ! ha ! much 
 better than when suffering so much from bruises 
 and cuts ha ! ha ! if you care to learn." 
 
 " O, I only learned then to please you ! I was 
 to entertain you, you know ; and when I saw it 
 pleased you to have me learn, I did it." 
 
 "But it would ha! ha! please me now to 
 have you go right on learning. Ha! ha!" 
 
 " But you are not sick now, Mr. Christie, and 
 do not need to be humored." 
 
 " I am never O ! ah ! very well, Miss 
 Edith ha! ha! and " 
 
 "Have you thought of consulting a physician, 
 Mr. Christie? Think of your mother! What
 
 224 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 if you should die, and leave her alone in the 
 world ?" 
 
 "I do think of that, Miss Edith; and O ! 
 ah ! I often think of myself, if she should die, 
 and leave me alone in the world. That would 
 be worse, you must O ! ah ! allow, Miss 
 Edith." 
 
 "That would be awful! What would you 
 do, Mr. Christie, if that should happen? Your 
 mother has been with you so long, you would 
 surely miss her greatly." 
 
 "Not so very long ha! ha! Miss Edith; 
 but I would miss her greatly. Ha ! ha 1 I get 
 very miserable sometimes, Miss Edith, thinking 
 about losing her, and " 
 
 " Mr. Christie ! I never supposed you were 
 miserable a day in your life. You are always 
 so cheerful and full of humor, always laughing, 
 and" 
 
 "Ah! Miss Edith, you do not know ha! 
 ha! how many miserable days I have put in 
 since that accident Before that time ha ! ha ! 
 I was tolerably contented ha ! ha ! but since 
 then, somehow, I have lost interest in O! ah! 
 nearly everything, and time hangs heavy ha ! 
 ha ! on my hands. Now, do you suppose 
 you" 
 
 "Let me sing you a song I learned to-day. 
 That may cheer you,"
 
 MR. CHRISTIE. 225 
 
 "Thanks! Do!" 
 
 "It is 'The Song that Reached my Heart.' 
 Do you know it?" 
 
 "No, I do not. Perhaps it will reach mine, 
 too. Ha ! ha ! Indeed, of that O ! ah ! I am 
 quite certain, if you sing as you did last night." 
 
 "Do you know 'Marguerite,' Mr. Christie?" 
 
 "Marguerite who? That is not your friend's 
 name who was here from Kentucky?" 
 
 "O no! It is the name of a very popular 
 song." 
 
 "O! ah! I see! Ha! ha! No, I do not 
 know 'Marguerite.' " 
 
 "Shall I sing it for you, too?" 
 
 "I should be too happy, Miss Edith. Ha! ha! 
 Shall I turn the music for you? Is the light 
 O! ah! just right, Miss Edith? Ah! beg par- 
 don! Let me adjust the stool for you. It was 
 quite careless in me ha ! ha ! not to offer to 
 do that. Is that quite as you would have it? 
 Ha! ha!" 
 
 "Thank you! You are very kind." 
 
 "But Miss Edith O! ah! you can hardly 
 guess ha ! ha ! what pleasure it is to be kind 
 to O! ah! to ha! ha ! to your 
 
 " Hold on, Mr. Christie ! I have n't played 
 half of the prelude yet. You read music, do 
 you not?" 
 
 "Yes, Miss Edith ha! ha! when I have 
 15
 
 226 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 nothing better ha! ha ! to read; but just now, 
 I O ! ah ! find it hard to keep my inind on 
 the notes. Ha ! ha ! Your pardon, please ! 
 Ha! ha!" 
 
 " Do not mention it !" 
 
 "But, Miss Edith O! ah! please permit 
 me to mention something else ha! ha! that 
 troubles me more than O ! ah ! forgetting to 
 turn the music, if I may be so bold?" 
 
 "Certainly, and you shall see how sympa- 
 thetic a friend I can be !" 
 
 "That is it, Miss Edith O ! ah! Ha ! ha ! 
 I need a friend ha ! ha ! a sympathetic friend, 
 and I hoped ha ! ha ! you would be a friend 
 to me in this trouble. Ha ! ha !" 
 
 "Shall I sing this song first?" 
 
 "Just as you please ha! ha! but O! ah! 
 I could come again to hear the songs, if I may 
 be O ! ah ! so bold !" 
 
 "I should be glad to have you come again." 
 
 "I certainly will, if I may; but, as I was 
 saying, I ha ! ha ! do not feel that I have 
 ever O ! ah ! adequately or suitably expressed 
 my gratitude for your l.lnd care of me ah! 
 when I was laid up by that accident" 
 
 " Please, do not mention it. It was nothing." 
 
 "But I must mention it, Miss Edith. I shall 
 have no peace until I do mention it If I 
 thought you would not be offended, and would
 
 MR. CHRISTIE. 227 
 
 accept what i would offer, I should ha! ha! 
 be happy to show you how truly, truly, I appre- 
 ciate your kindness, gentleness, goodness, help- 
 fulness, and even sweetixw* O! ah! if I may 
 be so bold !" 
 
 " There ! there ! Mr. Christie, do not hunt up 
 any more adjectives! If it vill please you, I 
 certainly will be glad to accfc^t any slight token 
 of your appreciation." 
 
 " It is a slight token, Miss Edith ; but I beg 
 you to accept it It will make me very happy 
 to know you do accept it, Miss Edith. O! ah! 
 let me offer you begging you to accept the 
 gift let me offer you offer you my my- 
 self!" 
 
 "Stand up, Mr. Christie! Do, please, stand 
 up! Quick! Papa is coming down the stairs!" 
 
 "Ah, Mr. Christie! My wife has just in- 
 formed me of your contemplated call to-night, 
 and I ran down to make a few brief inquiries 
 concerning the present status of the political 
 campaign, and the apparent possibilities of Mr. 
 Morrison's election to the Legislature," 
 
 "I beg pardon ha! ha! Mr. Lysander, for 
 not answering your question ha ! ha ! for in 
 the present state of my mind ha ! ha ! I may 
 not O ! ah ! give a clear account ha ! ha ! 
 of the outlook ha ! ha ! I have a case on hand 
 that has troubled me greatly for some time, and
 
 223 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 I feel that I must call on you for counsel per- 
 haps for pleadings." 
 
 "Ah ! I am at your service, Mr. Christie, and 
 will take your case in hand at once, if you desire." 
 
 "I O! ah! have been pleading ha! ha! 
 myself, but O ! ah ! without much success. 
 Ha! ha! You will remember, Mr. Lysander, I 
 have your consent ha ! ha ! but O ! ah ! 
 Miss Edith " 
 
 "Ah! that case! In that case, Mr. Christie, 
 you must consider me as retained to carry the 
 cause to a higher court ; but at present I must 
 leave you to make your own arguments. Good- 
 night !" 
 
 "And I, Mr. Christie, must ask you to ex- 
 cuse me " 
 
 " And do you reject me ?" 
 
 "I do not" 
 
 "Then do you accept me?" 
 
 "I do not" 
 
 "Must I go without an answer?* 
 
 "You must to-night" 
 
 "And may I O ! ah ! may I may I come 
 again ?" 
 
 "You may!" 
 
 "May I speak to Mr. Lysander?" 
 
 "Certainly; I will send him down. Good- 
 night?" 
 
 " Good-night r
 
 XXI. 
 
 A POLITICAL SCHEME. 
 
 "TJ 
 -L4- "Hello!" 
 
 The first greeting was spoken in a bright, 
 energetic manner, which betokened interest and 
 hope, as Sam Slimkins threw open the door of 
 Wendell Morrison's office. 
 
 The reply was uttered in a careless and half- 
 smothered tone that indicated extreme indiffer- 
 ence on the part of the young lawyer. Una- 
 bashed and undaunted by the coolness of his 
 reception, Slimkins advanced to Wendell's desk, 
 and, uninvited, drew up a chair, and, when 
 seated, slapped the attorney on the knee, and 
 said: 
 
 "I've got it!" 
 
 "Well, what is it worth, now you 've ' got it ?' " 
 Wendell asked, with a slight frown darkening his 
 eyes, and a rasping emphasis jarring his words. 
 
 " It is worth a million to you ; but how much 
 to me, I have n't found out yet." 
 
 "Slimkins, did you ever come to me in your 
 life without the thought of making a gain out of 
 me ? I 'd give half I am worth for a friend who 
 
 16 229
 
 230 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 was n't a friend for the money there is in it just 
 for one hand's-turn out of pure friendship, with 
 no thought of financial reward. I am sick to 
 death of bribes !" 
 
 Wendell spoke vehemently, and punctuated 
 his words with terrible oaths, picking up and 
 flinging down with vengeance the various ar- 
 ticles on his desk by way of exclamation points. 
 
 "You've made your own bed," Sam replied, 
 with imperturbable calmness. 
 
 For a reply to this thrust, Wendell was con- 
 tent to scowl at him fiercely. 
 
 "And just let me ask you," Sam went on, 
 after a moment's silence, "just let me ask you, 
 when did you ever come to me without having 
 a scheme or a dirty job you wanted me to work 
 out for you ? A nice man you are to talk about 
 pure friendship !" 
 
 " Shut up ! Go on with what you came to 
 tell me," Wendell said, with impatience, as he 
 rearranged the papers on the desk he had a mo- 
 ment before scattered in his wrath. 
 
 "Thad is dying to go to the State Senate." 
 
 "Tell me something I don't know." 
 
 "O, you know that, do you?" Sam said, sar- 
 castically. "Well, if you know all about it, I 
 need n't tell you. Good-day !" 
 
 He arose, and strode toward the door. 
 
 " Come back !" Wendell said. "Sit down here.
 
 A POLITICAL SCHEME. 231 
 
 I want to talk to you about other matters. What 
 else do you know?" 
 
 By this time his manner had changed en- 
 tirely, and his voice was soft and smooth as a 
 lover's, and his bearing as gentle as a woman's. 
 
 "Well, what I was going to say," Sam re- 
 plied, resuming his chair, "is, that you must 
 make Thad believe you do not want to go to 
 the State Senate, but would like to have the 
 nomination for Congress." 
 
 "But I do want to go to the State Senate, 
 and there is no chance of my getting the con- 
 gressional nomination." 
 
 "Of course, you want to go to the State Sen- 
 ate, and you will go there, too ; but if Thad be- 
 lieves you do not want it, he will announce 
 himself as a candidate, and " 
 
 "And get the nomination!" 
 
 "Not by a big sight!" 
 
 "What's to hinder, if I am out of the way?" 
 
 "Can't you see further than your nose ? O, 
 come off ; and talk like the man you are, and not 
 like a school-boy." 
 
 " You are to make this scheme plain to me. Go 
 ahead, and let me play unsuspecting innocence." 
 
 "Well, if you make Thad think you do not 
 want to go to the State Senate, and let us fellows 
 know that you do want to go, we will see that 
 you get there."
 
 232 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 "For a consideration, of course?" Wendell 
 said, with an ill-concealed sneer. 
 
 "You bet your sweet life ! What are we here 
 for but for money ?" 
 
 "Well, go on." 
 
 "When he finds you are off on the Senate, 
 he will make the Banner red-hot for you for 
 Congress." 
 
 "Will he?" 
 
 "He said he would told Judge Tracy so in 
 my presence." 
 
 "Good! Goon." 
 
 "Just before the Convention, say the day be- 
 fore, come out yourself for the Senate, and us 
 fellows will have things fixed to sweep every 
 delegate, except a few from outside towns, into 
 your line, and there you are ; but where on earth 
 will Thad be? Scooped! Snowed under ! De- 
 feat^r 3 ' Crushed ! Ground to powder ! Blown 
 away Everything yours !" 
 
 " Wise head, Sam ! It shall be as you say ; 
 for that is just what I was thinking about 
 doing!" 
 
 " Yes, you were !" very sarcastically. " That 
 is what made you so all-fired happy when I 
 came in !" 
 
 " Not thinking of it this morning, I admit, 
 but before this." 
 
 *' Then, from this on, the Heavier is to boom
 
 A POLITICAL SCHEME. 233 
 
 you for Congress ; and we are to pat Thad on 
 the back for the State Senate, and knife him in 
 the caucuses ? Everything is fair in war, eh ?" 
 
 Sam arose, and towered over Wendell, who 
 could not but admire his fine physique, however 
 much he loathed his deformed spirit. 
 
 With noiseless step Seth Russell had climbed 
 the stair just after Sam Slimkins, and, pausing 
 for a moment at the entrance, he could see 
 through the clear spaces between the frosting 
 on the glass of the upper half of the door who 
 were the occupants of the office, and hearing 
 through the transom, which was ajar, the name 
 of his dear friend's son, he listened to what was 
 said, and thanked God he had been sent to 
 hear. 
 
 As Sam Slimkins passed out, Seth Russell 
 passed in, not forgetting, however, to make a 
 profound bow to the tall schemer ; not out of re- 
 spect, but to hide the flashing of his eye as his 
 heart burned with strong indignation against 
 him. But Seth was master of his spirit, and his 
 body as well ; so when he raised his eyes to Wen- 
 dell's, they were twinkling with mirth instead of 
 flashing with wrath, as a moment before. But 
 the mirthful twinkle was a mask behind which 
 was hidden the fire of fierce resentment. Seth 
 had learned to wear a mask early in life. It 
 was never worn by him far evil purposes only
 
 234 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 for serving uuselfish purposes; only for discov- 
 ering and thwarting unholy conspiracies. 
 
 "The sun shines not more serenely this cloud- 
 less day than does your face this moment. I 
 hope peace reigns within I" As he concluded 
 he made a low bow to Wendell, a counterpart 
 of the one he made Sam Slimkins. 
 
 Wendell smiled upon the old man, and ex- 
 pected a smile in return ; but when Scth lifted 
 his eyes to Wendell's, they were like balls of 
 fire in the intensity of their glow, and burned 
 into his heart like the focused rays of the sun 
 through the microscope. Instantly the smile 
 faded, peace departed, the sun darkened, and 
 Wendell felt chilled ; but he knew not why, and 
 he wished Seth had not come in. The change 
 was noted by the old man ; and having satisfied 
 himself of his power, he cared not to use it fur- 
 ther at that time, and the soft light of forbear- 
 ance followed the glare that had pierced Wen- 
 dell's guilty soul. What a relief it was to 
 Wendell ! 
 
 M Yes, I have peace within," he said, having 
 found words to reply to Seth's salutation. " Why 
 shouldn't I? Isn't virtue its own reward, 
 Seth ?" 
 
 " It is, it is, my son ! Take the advice of an 
 old man, who has traversed the rough ways of 
 life too long to be deceived by appearances, and
 
 A POLITICAL SCHEME. 235 
 
 seek only such things as conscience can com- 
 mend ! Love is not blind, as heathens declare ; 
 for God is love, and his eye is everywhere ! 
 Who wears the mask of love to serve the devil 
 in, will find the devil in all the love he gains !" 
 
 " What 's new about town ?" Wendell asked, 
 wishing to switch the old man off his moralizing 
 track. 
 
 " ' There is nothing new under the sun,' Sol- 
 omon said, and so I find it. 'Though hand 
 join in hand, the wicked shall not go unpun- 
 ished.'" 
 
 " Somebody will have a big contract on hand 
 to carry that out," Wendell said, with a forced 
 laugh. " Besides, you know, Seth, you must 
 catch the hare before you skin it!" 
 
 " Men are not hares, my son, and God is not 
 man ! Mark that. God can punish the wicked 
 while they run their running may be their 
 punishment !" 
 
 "Running for office, I suppose you mean, 5 ' 
 Wendell said, with another forced laugh. 
 
 " Perhaps ! ' The race is not to the swift, 
 nor the battle to the strong. '" 
 
 " But the office is for the man who gets the 
 most votes. You can not deny that, old fellow." 
 
 " I can, and do ! Throckinorton got the most 
 votes for county treasurer; but he did not get 
 the office. 1 *
 
 *# A** O&D FELLOW. 
 
 " Thad's father, you mean ?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "Ah! that was before my day. I do not 
 know anything about ancient politics." 
 
 " But there are scores of us old gray beards 
 who do know about ancient politics, and modern 
 too." 
 
 " Throckinorton must have been an odd fel- 
 low, if he was anything like Thad is now," Wen- 
 dell said, meditatively. 
 
 " He was an odd fellow, and no mistake 1" 
 
 " You knew him, then ?" 
 
 " Knew and loved him like a brother ; and I 
 love every one who bears his name !" 
 
 " Thad wants to be senator State senator, 
 you know." 
 
 " He shall have my vote ; and influence too, 
 for that matter." 
 
 " As against me ?" Wendell said, with well- 
 assumed surprise. 
 
 " As against anybody !" 
 
 " O, well," Wendell said, resignedly, " I guess 
 I have had sufficient honor in that line. If I 
 can't get it, I should like to see Thad have it" 
 
 " Have what ?" asked Judge Tracy, who at 
 that moment entered the office. 
 
 " The State senatorship, Judge." 
 
 "It would be poor policy to spoil a good ed-
 
 A POLITICAL SCHEME. 237 
 
 itor to make a poor legislator," the judge said, 
 smilingly, as he passed into his private office. 
 
 "Or to spoil a good congressman to make a 
 poor senator," Seth added, in a loud voice, and 
 then quickly left the office. 
 
 His remark cut like a two-edged sword, 
 wounding both Judge Tracy and his partner; 
 Wendell Morrison, not seriously, to be sure ; but 
 the 'blood followed the blade,' and both were 
 uneasy for an hour over the remark of the old 
 man, though both counted him as naught ir 
 party movements. Wendell felt that the remark 
 was a thrust at his congressional aspirations, 
 and a backward stroke at his past legislative 
 record. Judge Tracy felt it was a blow at his 
 senatorial plans, intimating that to be congress- 
 man was enough for him ! 
 
 It is surprising how Mordecai can annoy 
 Haman ! It is surprising how Mordecai tri- 
 umphs over Haman and yet not surprising 
 when God is with Mordecai ! 
 
 " Here is a note," the judge said, coming out 
 of his office, "that Josie asked me to hand you. 
 I forgot it when I came in." 
 
 Wendell sprang to his feet to receive the 
 note, and bowed his thanks.
 
 XXII. 
 
 A STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE. 
 
 i I THERE were only a few people in Bramble- 
 -- ville who knew the facts in the matter of 
 Thaddeus Throckmorton's parentage. Silly gos- 
 sip had been indulged in from time to time by 
 envious or inconsiderate neighbors concerning 
 the disappearance of Mr. Throckmorton, and it 
 was to the alleged cause of his disappearance 
 that Mrs. Jessup referred when attempting to 
 dissuade Jennie from receiving his son's atten- 
 tions. There is not much to the story, and the 
 details may as well be given now as later. 
 
 Mr. Throckmorton, at that time an ambitious 
 but highly sensitive young lawyer, partner in 
 business with Judge Tracy, had been elected 
 county treasurer by a good majority of votes. At 
 least so it appeared from the unofficial returns 
 given out by the clerks of the several voting pre- 
 cincts. There was great rejoicing among the 
 young lawyer's friends, and among all the voters 
 of his party ; for he was the only candidate on 
 their ticket who was elected, and his election was 
 the first break in the continuous control of all 
 county affairs by the opposition. For several 
 days, or from the time of closing the polls and 
 238
 
 A STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE. 239 
 
 Counting the votes to the time of the official can- 
 vass of the returns by the County Board, great 
 demonstrations of delight were indulged in by 
 Throckmorton and his friends. It was a cold 
 and blustering day in early November when the 
 County Board sat, at night, to complete their 
 work, which had been begun in the forenoon. 
 They were in the main room of the old court- 
 house in Brambleville, just within the bar, the 
 inclosure around the judge's bench reserved for 
 use of attorneys during court sittings. 
 
 Several candles on the table at which they 
 were sitting furnished all the light in the room. 
 A number of spectators, representatives of both 
 parties, stood outside the railing and watched 
 the proceedings. Suddenly a window was 
 thrown open, and a gust of wintry wind swept 
 through the room, putting out the lights, blowing 
 papers about, and leaving all in darkness. Then 
 followed confusion, overturning chairs, and many 
 an oath and complaint. Finally the window was 
 closed, the candles relighted, and it was seen that 
 all the canvassers were present, as were all the 
 spectators ; but the tally-sheet, the poll-book, and 
 the ballot-box from the precinct of Brambleville, 
 which had given Throckmorton his majority, 
 were gone! 
 
 Then arose a wrangle. From laughing re- 
 marks about the strength of the wind, seeing it
 
 240 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 had spirited away a heavy ballot-box, the con- 
 troversy grew serious, after the room had been 
 searched, and no trace of box, book, or sheet 
 was found. Then Throckmorton and his friends 
 abandoned their first suspicion, that some wag 
 had hidden them during the temporary dark- 
 ness, and that it was accidental that the box 
 that gave him his majority was the one gone. 
 Angry words were quickly followed by threats 
 of personal violence. In hot resentment for an 
 insulting remark, Throckmorton rushed upon 
 the chairman of the Board, felled him to the 
 floor, and pounded him to insensibility before 
 he could be delivered out of the hand of his 
 assailant. Rejecting the advice of his friends, 
 and believing he had most rashly and foolishly 
 maimed and disfigured, if not mortally wounded, 
 his victim, Throckunortou, with a hasty good- 
 bye to his young wife, left Brambleville "until 
 the storm should blow over." The injuries the 
 chairman received were slight, and the next day 
 he laughed about the affair, and said he would 
 never have made such a remark about so 
 straight a man as Throckmorton had he not 
 been drinking freely, and was a little excited 
 over the election anyway. In a short time, 
 though the missing box was never found, and 
 Throckmorton's opponent was "counted in," 
 peace prevailed, and the affair was looked upon
 
 A STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE. 241 
 
 as a dead subject by all except one and that 
 one was the young wife who became a mother 
 after a few months for all said, " He will come 
 back," and his political friends predicted an- 
 other victory for him at the next election ! 
 
 But he never came back ! The West was a 
 wilderness then, unbroken by railway, and un- 
 touched by telegraph. It was easy for one to 
 lose himself, and to be buried from sight and 
 hearing as effectually while living as when dead. 
 
 Gossips, as the years rolled by, forgetting 
 the political wrangle, but remembering the fact 
 that Judge Tracy, then a young lawyer like 
 Throckmorton, and unmarried, was a welcome 
 guest in the happy home of his partner, most 
 cruelly and falsely bandied the name of the 
 young mother, and pursued the child and the 
 subsequent man with malignant innuendo. 
 
 But for no second of time in all those years 
 did Seth Russell lose confidence in his beloved 
 friend, the absent lawyer, nor fail to follow his 
 child, and afterward the man, with his prayers 
 and his protection. Not a Sabbath afternoon 
 went by without bringing Seth to the home of 
 Mrs. Throckmorton for a lew minutes' chat, and 
 a flood of wild but very soothing prophecies of 
 future bliss and fame for both father and son! 
 " For, I tell you, he is not dead," he would say 
 as a parting word each time. " If he were, I 
 16
 
 242 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 would feel it here" striking his hand repeatedly 
 upon his breast " He will come back !" 
 
 Mrs. Throcktnortoii had come to count her 
 husband as on the other shore, and listened to 
 Seth's oft-told faith as one would listen to the 
 tale of a wandering mind. 
 
 . Sometimes Seth would become very fatherly 
 in his manner, and in soft tones would say : 
 
 " Never marry, my dear Mrs. Throckmorton. 
 It would be awkward for you, if you should, 
 when he comes back. 
 
 " No, no ! He will not come to me, but I 
 shall go to him." 
 
 " But is he not here now ?" he would say, 
 excitedly. " Surely, surely, my dear woman, 
 your heart tells you he is here ; not over there ! 
 Is he not in your heart?" 
 
 " I have him in my heart every hour, Mr. 
 Russell. And do you know I can not think of 
 him as old? He must be old now, you know, 
 and gray as I am ; but I think of him as young 
 and strong, as lithe and gay. I hear him speak 
 in round, full tones. I see him walk with 
 steady step and erect form. Though my hair 
 is gray, I think of his as clustering in black 
 curls about his head. Though I wear glasses, 
 I imagine his eye flashes as in those other days 
 when we were so happy together !" 
 
 "To be sure! to be sure! That is love! Ah!
 
 A STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE. 243 
 
 you know ! Love never grows old. How can 
 love be old ? ' God is love.' And love is like 
 God's mercies new every morning." 
 
 "What a philosopher you are, Mr. Rnssell !" 
 
 "Not at all, not at all, iny dear woman. Far 
 from it. I am no philosopher. I do not go 
 about, trying to find the whys and wherefores. 
 But let me tell you ! I have found a fountain 
 of perpetual youth. The same that the Span- 
 iards looked for in the New World centuries 
 ago looked for, but never found, because they 
 searched through hills and vales. It is not 
 there. It is in God's Word. Like Paul, I be- 
 lieve ail the law and the prophets. Not a little 
 here and a little there ; but all." 
 
 " I am sure you do. And I believe you are 
 just as young in thought and feeling as when 
 first I knew you, thirty years ago." 
 
 "Younger, younger, my dear woman. I am 
 younger to-day than then by a score of years. 
 My heart is with children now as never before." 
 
 "By the way, have you noticed Tingleman's 
 children lately ?" 
 
 " Noticed them ? How could I fail to notice 
 anything in your family? They are bright 
 boys just like their mother. She was a jewel." 
 
 "Did you know her well?" 
 
 "Know her? Didn't I see her baptized 
 when not more than three months old ? Did n't
 
 244 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 I know her mother? Wasn't her mother an 
 own cousin to Judge Tracy?" 
 
 " Mr. Russell !" Mrs. Throckmorton exclaimed, 
 in genuine surprise. " You do not mean that 
 these Tingleman boys belong to the Tracy 
 family?" 
 
 "That is just what I mean. And why not? 
 Do they dishonor their stock ? Not a bit of it. 
 Tingleman is a scamp, no doubt ; but his wife 
 and his wife's mother are of royal blood ; and 
 blood tells, Mrs. Throckmorton, though years 
 intervene and providences seem to go awry." 
 
 "But do you suppose Judge Tracy and his 
 wife and Miss Josie know who these children 
 are?" 
 
 "To be sure. What would you have them 
 do? Not take the children, surely not while 
 you live? I would not, and the Father above 
 would not; you would not, and Judge Tracy 
 would not; and so it is all harmonious, though 
 so very inharmonious when you come to con- 
 sider the reasons. You would not, because you 
 love the children ; the Father above would not, 
 because he has prepared your heart and home 
 for just this purpose ; Judge Tracy would not, 
 for his wife and daughter do not wish to be 
 bothered ; and I would not, because I see what 
 gems you are making out of these rough stones. 
 So all are harmonious, but each has a different
 
 A STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE. 245 
 
 reason for doing just what the Father wants 
 done." 
 
 "Yon are a philosopher, Mr. Russell." 
 
 " No, no, no f not a philosopher, but simply 
 a believer in God's Word the Law and the 
 Prophets as was Paul. His law is perfect, 
 converting the soul ; his testimonies are sure, 
 making wise the simple. I am a simple old 
 man I mean young man but I am wise be- 
 cause I believe God's Word. He says, 'All 
 things work together,' and I believe it." 
 
 And so it was. Though Seth Russell knew 
 the source of his strength and his wisdom, he 
 little dreamed how very strong he was, nor how 
 wise, as he went forward, day by day, trusting 
 God, and doing with his might what his hands 
 found to do. 
 
 Nor did Wendell Morrison, nor Sam Slim- 
 kins, know, until too late, how the foolish things 
 confound the wise, and the things that are not 
 bring to naught the things that are^ when God 
 is with the foolish and when he is with the 
 weakl
 
 XXIII. 
 
 PLOTS. 
 
 Y "WENDELL MORRISON was fully com- 
 ^ ^ mitted to two objects. The one was 
 election to the State Senate, and the other the 
 wedding of Miss Josie Tracy. These two ac- 
 complished, he felt he would then be prepared 
 for further political advancement. One man 
 only stood in his way Thaddeus Throckmor- 
 ton and he stood in both paths. 
 
 To defeat Thaddeus politically, as already 
 shown, Morrison could trust to the maneuvers 
 of Sam Slimkins, assisted by the chief of police 
 and his subordinates. To thwart his desires 
 and plans matrimonially, he dared not leave the 
 work to any other. Nor was any scheme too 
 hazardous for him to undertake in his contest 
 for the hand and heart of Miss Tracy. For this 
 reason, when she invited him to assist her in 
 making out a program for an active canvass of 
 the county in the cause of temperance, he cheer- 
 fully and promptly complied, and even consented 
 to become the principal speaker at the majority 
 of the township meetings which the program 
 provided for. 
 
 It must be understood that at that time tein- 
 246
 
 PLOTS. 247 
 
 perance agitation had not seriously disturbed 
 the political parties. Indeed, its advocates 
 sought the individual reformation of the drinker, 
 rather than the suppression of dram-selling. It 
 had never occurred to the temperance people 
 that the end sought could best be attained 
 through political organizations, and by way of 
 the ballot-box. Nevertheless, he must be a 
 courageous politician who would antagonize the 
 saloon element by boldly and publicly espousing 
 the temperance cause. 
 
 Wendell Morrison had no lack of courage, 
 and hence was never deterred from any course 
 by fear of popular disapproval. He trusted al- 
 ways to his skill in managing men, and calcu- 
 lated with surprising faith to ride to place and 
 power on the reacting wave of sentiment that 
 follows every tide of opposition to the right. 
 
 He foresaw the burst of derision and the 
 storm of dissent that would greet his participa- 
 tion in the temperance crusade, and calmly 
 counted the chances of his stemming the cur- 
 rent until it should flow back, and put him 
 where he longed to be in Judge Tracy's fam- 
 ily, and in the State Senate. Consequently he 
 was prepared for Sam Slimkins when he rushed 
 into his office, exclaiming : 
 
 "All the gods in heaven and all the devils 
 on earth can't save you if you do n't cancel
 
 248 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 these dates !" holding out a copy of the Banner, 
 in which were printed the places and dates of 
 the rallies for temperance reform. 
 
 " I am depending on mortals, and not on the 
 gods, Sam, and have learned that mortals are 
 very subject to moods, and are not often con- 
 trolled by cool judgment; and yet the worst 
 men have a vein of virtue that is like gold in 
 the rock the most valuable and the most easily 
 worked of all their nature, though not the most 
 prominent." 
 
 "A part of your speech, I suppose?' Sam 
 said, with a sneer, as he sat down near the 
 young attorney. 
 
 "Perhaps so. I have not yet decided just 
 what I will say." 
 
 " Have some sense, Morrison ! Here we have 
 worked every whisky man in the county to op- 
 pose Throckmorton because he is a temperance 
 crank, and you come along and spoil it by be- 
 coming a crank yourself! I tell you, the jig is 
 up unless you cancel the dates, and say the pub- 
 lication was unauthorized. Geeminy crickets, 
 Morrison! I have just thought of it! Do that, 
 Morrison, and we can make it appear that 
 Throckmorton published the dates in his paper 
 to kill you with the saloon people. The tem- 
 perance folks already know you drink like a 
 fish, even when you are spouting for them."
 
 PLOTS. 249 
 
 "But I have signed the pledge, Sam, and do 
 not intend to drink another drop until after 
 the election." 
 
 " Yes, you have !" Sam said, with a tone of 
 incredulity. 
 
 "Fact I am going to work the goody-goody 
 voters, and want you and the boys to look after 
 the bums. See ?" 
 
 " I see ; but, Morrison, you are a blasted 
 fool ! What do you want to cater to the God- 
 and-morality people for? You know they are 
 solid for the party. If the whisky men get 
 mad, no power on earth can hold them. It is 
 business with them dollars and cents." 
 
 "Do n't I know all that, Sam? Trust me to 
 bring this out all right. I want to get talked 
 about The whisky men will damn me awhile; 
 but when I put up my money for all the liquor 
 the floaters can drink, they will see how very 
 shallow is my conversion to temperance. But 
 for awhile I must stay away from saloons, and 
 you can put it down that I will not hurt their 
 business in my speeches." 
 
 "That is all very nice on paper, or in your 
 mind ; but it won't work. Let the whisky men 
 learn once that you are actually in the field 
 against them, making speeches here and there 
 and everywhere, and it will take a year to get 
 them to see what you really are at"
 
 250 AN ODD FELLOW* 
 
 "Not correct, Sam. It might take a year for 
 me to establish myself as a true convert to the 
 temperance cause ; but say, you old fool, one 
 big drunk would put me back, safe and sound, 
 on the broad-gauge of old times. See ? It is 
 hard working tip to the God-and-morality plane, 
 but I can get down in the twinkle of an eye." 
 
 "Well, what shall I do?" 
 
 "For the present, kind o' turn a cold shoul- 
 der to me publicly; but see that things are 
 kept boiling where the boys are. Come up to- 
 night, and bring a lot of the fellows with you. 
 I will have refreshments of a proper kind on 
 hand, and we can play for a small consideration 
 until good retiring time say three or four A. M. 
 See? Our morality campaign does not begin 
 until next week." 
 
 "All right. A dozen or more of the boys 
 will be up to-night. Shall I tell Billy not to 
 'pull us?'" 
 
 "Tell him," Wendell said, laughing at the 
 mere suggestion of the chief of police arresting 
 the proposed gambling party, " tell him to come 
 up about nine, and to bring a corkscrew with 
 him. That is all the pulling he will care about 
 having a hand in." 
 
 "And Andy, too?" 
 
 "Yes, Andy, too. Just as well have the 
 whole force here as not. Then we are sure not
 
 PLOTS. 251 
 
 to be surprised while at our game. Capture 
 the officers, you know, and then they can not 
 capture you." 
 
 The plans were all executed as indicated, and 
 when midnight, with its solemn silence, hovered 
 over Bratnbleville, Wendell Morrison and his 
 boon companions were thumping the tables in 
 his office as they threw their cards, filling the 
 room with clouds of tobacco-smoke, and repeat- 
 edly draining glasses that had been replenished 
 with intoxicants. In the group assembled were 
 law-makers, law-executors, law-judges, and yet 
 all were law-breakers. Pharisees and hypocrites, 
 every one ! 
 
 The same night, in Judge Tracy's parlors, a 
 different scene was being enacted. 
 
 When Thaddeus received by messenger the 
 program Miss Josie and Wendell had prepared, 
 accompanied by the usual request for publica- 
 tion, he could scarcely believe his eyes. For an 
 hour he struggled against the temptation to 
 throw it into the waste-basket, and, by refusing 
 to give publicity to the arrangement, defeat in a 
 measure the scheme he believed Wendell had 
 wickedly concocted for selfish purposes. He 
 well knew that Mr. Monmoskin, of the Gazette, 
 would never mention the proposed campaign, 
 and that the Banner must be depended upon to 
 advertise it. To refuse to publish it would
 
 252 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 offend^Morrison ; and had iiot Morrison sent him 
 word that very day that he had withdrawn from 
 the race for the State Senate, leaving the field 
 clear to Thaddeus? He blushed at the thought 
 of his ingratitude, and mentally confessed him- 
 self baser than he had ever supposed, because he 
 would let Wendell's attentions to Miss Tracy be 
 grounds for withholding his support from the 
 temperance work. He picked up the copy, and 
 carried it to the printer, remembering, as he 
 walked across the floor, that not to publish the 
 program would also offend Miss Josie ; and he 
 hoped to have another interview with her, if for 
 no other purpose, at least to apologize for his 
 hasty and impolite departure when he was last 
 there. He wanted to make a reconciliation as 
 easy and as certain as possible, and to publish 
 the program was a step in that direction. So he 
 had two good reasons, aside from his personal 
 interest in the work of reformation, for giving 
 the program unusual prominence in the coining 
 issue of the Banner. It was published, and its 
 publication and the warm editorial indorsement 
 of the scheme pleased Morrison, and delighted 
 Miss Tracy. 
 
 She was delighted, because she took the 
 hearty indorsement the Banner gave the cam- 
 paign as evidence that Throckmorton had be- 
 come reconciled to her plan to have him step
 
 PLOTS. 253 
 
 aside temporarily while she rescued Morrison 
 from the habit of strong drink. 
 
 Morrison was pleased when he read the an- 
 nouncement and editorial comment, for he as- 
 sumed that Thaddeus was conciliated by his 
 feigned withdrawal from the race for State 
 Senate, and he believed that he could easily 
 hoodwink the young editor all through the 
 contest. 
 
 Thaddeus himself was quite satisfied when 
 he glanced over his paper and noted the edito- 
 rial, for it seemed to be evidence that he was 
 really generous and self-sacrificing. And yet, as 
 he walked toward Judge Tracy's house a few 
 hours later, he had misgivings as to the outcome 
 of the matter. 
 
 But his reception was so cordial, and so dif- 
 ferent from what he had feared it would be, 
 judging from the manner of their last parting, 
 that he was reassured, and laughed at the fears 
 that had haunted him. 
 
 " Thank you, ever so much," Miss Josie said, 
 as soon as she could find a place for the remark 
 after ordinary greetings, u for the kind notice 
 you gave of our temperance meetings." 
 
 " Do not mention it," Thaddeus said, for- 
 mally, a sudden chill choking back the words of 
 love that were trembling a moment before on 
 his lips. Her thauks sounded strangely in his
 
 254 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 ears. Together they had worked for months 
 and months in the temperance cause, and he no 
 more expected thanks for that notice than for 
 any other editorial comment he had written. To 
 thank him as though a personal favor had been 
 conferred on her, was virtually ruling him out as 
 an interested party in the cause that had en- 
 gaged their united energies. Then he stumbled 
 over the " our," feeling that it meant Miss Josie 
 and Wendell, and not Miss Josie and himself. 
 
 "You will be with us, I suppose, of course," 
 Miss Josie said, brightly. 
 
 " Of course !" Thaddeus replied, mechan- 
 ically ; but instantly realized that his lips and 
 his heart were at variance. Possibly he would 
 be with them for political effect ; but it would 
 be a fearful departure from the truth to say he 
 was with them in heart! 
 
 His impulse was to excuse himself as grace- 
 fully as possible, and quit the place forever ; and 
 yet he could not go. 
 
 Finally he stammered, without fully under- 
 standing the import of his words : 
 
 " Miss Josie, is this arrangement of yours 
 with Wendell to continue long?" 
 
 "Miss Josie!'* she said, smiling, repeating 
 his 'words. "That carries me back a great 
 many months, Thad. It has been quite a time 
 since you were so forainV
 
 PLOTS. 255 
 
 j " I beg pardon, my dear, it was an uninten- 
 tional return." 
 
 This deliberate use of a pet term seemed 
 like mockery to him ; for, just then, under the 
 agony of wounded pride, almost any other per- 
 son was more dear to him than Miss Tracy ! 
 
 " Thank you !" she said, with a little laugh, 
 that to Thaddeus's distorted mind was full of 
 taunting. " You are not very amiable to-night, 
 Thad." 
 
 He quickly noticed that she had not re- 
 sponded to his attempted return to the allowable 
 familiarity oi persons related as they were. It 
 cut like a knife; but he would not let his hurt 
 appear in word or manner. Rallying all his 
 forces, he held himself steady to the purpose ol 
 his call. 
 
 "Josie," he said calmly, "I know Morrison 
 better than you can possibly know him up to 
 this time. I beg you, if you love me at all, not 
 to receive any attention from him ; and do not 
 permit yourself to be deceived by his pretended 
 reform. He is " 
 
 "Thad," she replied, interrupting him, "I 
 do not grant that you have any right as yet 
 to dictate to me. What I have done, and what 
 I am proposing to do, has my mother's sanction, 
 and her approval is all that I am concerned 
 about.' 1
 
 256 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 " Then she approves your course, knowing, 
 as she does, that we are engaged ?" 
 
 " She does. She feels that my influence over 
 Mr. Morrison will save him from a drunkard's 
 grave. She knows that we are not to be mar- 
 ried for a long time yet; not until you have 
 been elected, you know ; for you said so your- 
 self and that may be longer than either of us 
 think. So I do not feel that it is right for me 
 to refuse iny help to him now. Papa is greatly 
 taken up with the idea. He says, but for that 
 one fault, Wendell would be as perfect a gentle- 
 man as he is a brilliant and successful lawyer." 
 
 " But, Josie," Thaddeus said, gently, and with 
 some of his old-time iervor of manner, u would 
 you be quite satisfied for me to make a sim- 
 iliar arrangement with some one for a sim- 
 ilar purpose to save her from some fearful sin, 
 at the same time holding you to your promise 
 to me?" 
 
 He hoped to find by that route a way to her 
 heart, but was disappointed when she answered, 
 a slight flushing of her face being the only token 
 that his words had touched her at all: 
 
 " Of course I must allow you the same free- 
 dom I claim for myself. If you know of some 
 one whom you can save why, I must not 
 object 1" 
 
 " Josie," he said, with a sigh, " I hoped you
 
 PLOTS. 257 
 
 would see I hoped your woman's heart would 
 tell you that aiiy one needing to be saved would 
 be an unworthy companion for me. And I 
 hoped you would feel in your soul how torturing 
 to me is your proposed plan for rescuing Wen- 
 dell. He is stronger than you, my love, and I 
 tell you now, he laughs at your notion of res- 
 cuing him. He does not want to be rescued. 
 He wants you. O, my darling, I can not endure 
 this ! Your pure soul must never be joined with 
 his ! I beg of you, sweetheart, do not expose 
 yourself to his wiles to his power. He is rich ; 
 he is brilliant ; he is successful ; but then he is 
 a knave, and unworthy of you ! I am poor, and, 
 so far, have achieved no fame, such as his ; but, 
 darling, I love you, and that is more than he can 
 say ! He loves only one ; but that one is Wen- 
 dell Morrison I" 
 
 Thaddeus stooped as he spoke, and took 
 Josie's hands in his, and pressed them to his 
 heart She did not resist; but he was conscious 
 that no response came from her heart to his pas- 
 sionate appeal, nor did her eyes meet his, but 
 were bent upon the floor. Wounded afresh by 
 her indifference, he arose from her side, and re- 
 sumed his seat, burying his face in his hands, 
 and awaiting the reply. 
 
 " Thaddeus, what you have said ought to 
 have thrilled my soul ought to have moved 
 17
 
 258 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 me from my present purpose ! But it does not. 
 I am quite as much surprised that it does not as 
 you are wounded by my indifference. To me 
 this is a revelation. I begin to doubt whether I 
 have not mistaken pity for you in your strug- 
 gles for love. It may be I have. Forgive me 
 if I have. Yet I know I have loved you and 
 do now some, surely. And yet, because I am 
 willing to let you go to save Wendell, must 
 mean something." 
 
 " It does, Josie, it does ! I see now what I 
 have not seen before. It is pity, and not love 
 for me. I do forgive you. Even your pity has 
 been very sweet to me. It has been a light in 
 many a dark hour. This is a cruel awakening, 
 and yet it must be best !" 
 
 " It must be," she answered simply ; for her 
 heart was too uncertain in its promptings to 
 permit her to say more. 
 
 " And yet, Josie, have we not been happy to- 
 gether? And is the past to be but a memory? 
 Do our paths diverge here? Will they never 
 fall in the same direction again ? It is a dream, 
 after all !" 
 
 " Do not grieve so, Thad," she said, softly, 
 with just a hint of her old-time tenderness in 
 her voice. " It is better for us both to have 
 this happen now than after it is too late !" 
 
 " But promise me one thing, Josie: By the
 
 PLOTS, 259 
 
 love I bear you, by the memory of all you have 
 been to me, I beg you not to give yourself to 
 Wendell. Anything but that !" 
 
 " I can not promise. Just now I do not 
 think I ever will; for I do not believe he cares 
 for me except, perhaps, as a sister, and " 
 
 " Say no more. I understand it all. Already 
 his fascination holds you. Good-bye once 
 more and forever. L<et no one know of this. 
 I shall be too busy in the office to take any part 
 in the campaign you have outlined. It is just 
 as well. Good-bye!" 
 
 Thaddeus arose, took her hand in his, clasped 
 it fervently for a moment, hoped for some slight 
 token of regret on her part at the parting, but 
 none was given, and he silently withdrew, go- 
 ing out into the starlight with an aching heart 
 and a crushed spirit. 
 
 "Whither, so wearily?" asked Seth Russell, 
 stepping before him as he walked slowly home- 
 ward. " Have your enemies come upon you to 
 eat you up? Hope thou in God; for thou shalt 
 yet praise him ! Wait on the Lord ; be of good 
 courage, and he shall strengthen thy heart. 
 Wait, I say, on the Lord !" 
 
 " God bless you, dear friend ! You must be 
 an angel in disguise. You happen upon me 
 always just at the right time. I am discouraged 
 to-night! I have a notion to tell you some-
 
 260 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 thing something that I should like to tell my 
 father, if I only had one to tell !" 
 
 " Tell me, my son ; tell me ! In old Seth's 
 keeping, any secret is safe." 
 
 "It is only this: I have been engaged to 
 Miss Tracy. Did you know it?" 
 
 " Of a truth, my son, I knew it ; but no great 
 joy came to my heart on that account!" 
 
 "But to-night " and Thaddeus hesitated. 
 It could not be true! "But to-night," he went 
 on, "the engagement was broken, and it nearly 
 kills me!" 
 
 "So it does! Poor boy! But do not grieve. 
 Do not be cast down; there are other truer 
 hearts ! And as to wealth, there are those who 
 are wealthier, but do not know it Now am I 
 glad! Now do I know why I wandered the 
 streets to-night! It was to meet you, and to 
 cheer you. It was to be made happy myselt 
 by hearing this. The Lord hath delivered your 
 soul from the snare of the fowler. To him be 
 praise. Good-bye !" 
 
 Quickly down a side street, Seth disappeared, 
 and Thaddeus walked home with a lighter heart 
 and a firmer step. " There are those who are 
 truer and wealthier," he repeated to himself. "I 
 wonder to whom he referred ?" 
 
 "I just came to say," spoke Seth, as Thad- 
 deus was entering his home, " what I should
 
 PLOTS. 261 
 
 have said a little while ago. There is one who 
 has a better title to the Morrison estate than 
 Wendell. Let the stars sing to you, and let the 
 inoon smile on you. Let the stm greet you at 
 dawn with his glory, for your night is passing ; 
 and, behold, the day is here !" 
 
 "What an odd fellow he is, to be stiref" 
 Thaddeus said, half aloud, as he entered his 
 home. "But there is a deep meaning to his 
 wild words, it I could but fathom them."
 
 XXIV. 
 
 TEMPERANCE MEETING. 
 
 THE announcement that Wendell Morri- 
 son was to be the principal speaker drew 
 crowds of people to every meeting in the tem- 
 perance campaign, as arranged by Miss Josie. 
 The temperance workers were in ecstasy, be- 
 cause the men they had longed for so much 
 the tipplers, and even confirmed drunkards- 
 were out in large numbers, drawn thither by 
 curiosity, to see and hear for themselves the 
 one-time liberal and free Morrison, who had be- 
 come so suddenly the champion of sobriety. 
 
 If Miss Josie ever had a doubt of the success 
 of her scheme, it was dispelled at the first meet- 
 ing. Such crowds ! Such enthusiasm ! Such a 
 brilliant address ! Such a perfect success ! 
 There was, nevertheless, a fly in the ointment. 
 Thaddeus was not there, and somehow his ab- 
 sence affected her spirits strangely. She did 
 not know he had had such a large part in her 
 life. His absence was noted by others, and com- 
 mented upon variously. 
 
 "He is a candidate for the State Senate or 
 rather, the nomination and he is afraid of the 
 saloon men," said one, with a sneer. "It is no 
 262
 
 TEMPERANCE MEETING. 263 
 
 more than I expected. Otir best men kneel to 
 that element It makes me heart-sick," 
 
 "I don't believe it," said another. "Thad- 
 detis Throckmorton is too true to be guilty of 
 snch a fear. Let the Banner speak for him. 
 Week after week it devotes column upon col- 
 umn to temperance facts, and its arguments are 
 telling." 
 
 " But, do n't you know," said Captain Thomp- 
 son, who had driven out to the country church, 
 where the first meeting was held, as company 
 for Major Morrison and wife, who were easily 
 persuaded to lend the help of their presence to 
 the crusade, seeing that Wendell was to take 
 such a prominent part in the proceedings, " do n't 
 you know that a ten-line editorial of Thad's has 
 more real sense, more hard-fisted argument, in 
 it, don't you know, than a whole hour of some 
 men's harangue, do n't you know ?" 
 
 "I hope ha! ha! Captain, you do not 
 now ah ! refer that is to say ha ! ha ! you 
 do not mean ah ! to have us ha ! ha ! draw 
 any inferences at the present ha ! ha !" said 
 Mr. Christie, as he leaned out of the buggy, and 
 gently beat the dust off the weeds by the road- 
 side with the whip ; for he had come with Miss 
 Edith in her father's buggy, driving a horse 
 that could not run away if it had wanted to, 
 being made proof against such a caprice by the
 
 264 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 infirmities of years. Indeed, with difficulty the 
 faithful old servant made the distance of ten 
 miles from Brambleville to the country church, 
 hopping along on two feet, and dragging the 
 other two through the dust, sending a cloud of 
 it into the air at every attempted lifting of the 
 feet out of it as it lay three inches deep in the 
 much-used highway. 
 
 Notwithstanding this, and notwithstanding 
 the fact that the meeting was well under way 
 when they reached the church, Mr. Christie 
 said, as he lifted Miss Edith to the ground : 
 
 "A very dusty drive ha! ha! Miss Edith, 
 and all ! a very heavy road ; but ha ! ha ! 
 we made it in a remarkably short time. It 
 seems but ah ! a short hour, when," looking 
 at his watch, "when it is now nearly noon. 
 Ha! ha!" 
 
 " Impossible, Mr. Christie ; for we started at 
 eight o'clock, and surely we have not been four 
 hoars coming ten miles !" 
 
 "Beg pardon, my Miss Edith! The watch 
 has stopped. It is the same time I left your 
 house last night quarter to eleven. Ha! ha!" 
 
 For this reason, Captain Thompson had good 
 grounds for saying, in reply to a remark Mr. Chris- 
 tie had addressed to him when they were discuss- 
 ing the meeting just before dinner was spread: 
 
 "But, don't you know, Charlie, the best
 
 TEMPERANCE MEETING* 265 
 
 thing for you to do is to draw no inferences, 
 do n't you know, seeing what time you got 
 here, do n't you know? Why, we passed you 
 two miles out of Brambleville, do n't you know?" 
 
 "Well ha! ha! that is a good one ha! 
 ha ! on me, Captain ; but O ! ah ! if you will 
 promise ha! ha! not to mention it, I will tell 
 you what detained us ha! ha! when I get 
 home." 
 
 "Never mind; for Mr. Lysander has told me 
 already, don't you know?" 
 
 "Ladies and gentlemen!" called the stento- 
 rian voice of Wendell, as he mounted a stump 
 just outside the church. "You are invited to 
 repair to the beautiful grove just at hand, to 
 the right, and spread your lunches on the grass. 
 Arrangements have been made for supplying 
 you, free of cost, with an abundance of refresh- 
 ing drinks nectar, distilled from the dews of 
 heaven; a beverage, brewed in the sweet cham- 
 bers of God's great laboratory; a drink as pure 
 as an angel's dream, and as harmless as a dove's 
 soft cooing, an abundant supply of cool, clear, 
 delicious water." 
 
 So saying, he stepped down, took Miss Josie 
 upon his arm, and carrying her capacious basket, 
 rilled with daintiest food, led the way to the des- 
 ignated lunch-ground. 
 
 Mr. Christie and Miss Edith were dissuaded
 
 266 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 from driving home for diniier, as was their in- 
 tention when they came ; so they consented to 
 join Captain Thompson and Major Morrison 
 and wife, leaving Miss Josie and Wendell to 
 spread their dinner under another tree, where 
 they invited to lunch with them such men as 
 Wendell thought would appreciate and remem- 
 ber such a favor. 
 
 "Charlie," said Captain Thompson, as they 
 slowly walked together toward the church after 
 dinner, Major Morrison, his wife, and Miss Edith 
 having gone on before, "it is high time, don't 
 you know, for us to take a hand, do n't you 
 know, in seeing that Thad gets the nomination 
 for the State Senate? Wendell's men, don't 
 you know, are simply doing nothing for Thad, 
 though Wendell says he is out of the race, do n't 
 you know? But say, Charlie, what do you think 
 of his speech for a temperance speech?" 
 
 "Was that ha! ha! was that a temperance 
 speech, Captain? I got in late ha! ha! and 
 supposed he had got through with his temper- 
 ance talk ha! ha! and ah! was just trying 
 to please ' the boys.' It was good, as all Wen- 
 dell says is good ah! but ha! ha! as to 
 temperance well, what 7 heard was as much 
 astronomical as temperance." 
 
 "But, don't you know, Charlie, I have a 
 notion, do n't you know, that Wendell is doing
 
 TEMPERANCE MEETING. 267 
 
 this to make a reputation as an orator, do n't 
 you know, to catch the popular fancy, and to 
 cut Thad out in the end?" 
 
 "Reputation, Captain? Why, tie has that 
 now ha! ha! both good and bad. But, of 
 course, I see what you mean ha! ha! and 
 must confess ha ! ha ! it looks that way. Ha ! 
 ha! The knave!" 
 
 " Hist ! Here we are ! Well, Mrs. Morrison, 
 do n't you know, I wish you had been along, 
 do n't you know, with the Major and me, do n't 
 you know, when we had to do our own house- 
 work, do n't you know, down in Dixie ?" 
 
 And then, as they sat under the tree and 
 waited for the after-dinner exercises, the major 
 and the captain related bits of their army ex- 
 periences, helped out by Mr. Christie, who filled 
 in with the experiences of those who staid at 
 home. 
 
 The afternoon program consisted of songs 
 and recitations by the children of that neigh- 
 borhood. Later, the participants and the well- 
 satisfied people in attendance, drove homeward; 
 but among them were two restless hearts Miss 
 Josie and Wendell Morrison; for there had been 
 a lack in that gathering that seriously disturbed 
 the peace of mind of both. Both were sorry 
 and displeased because Thaddeus was not there. 
 One, because he occupied so large a place in
 
 268 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 her heart, though she had made herself believe 
 he did not ; the other, because the Banner would 
 not contain a synopsis of his address, and would 
 have no warm words of commendation of the 
 speaker's style and effectiveness. Both were 
 selfish motives, to be sure. 
 
 The drive homeward was strangely silent. 
 Neither cared to talk, though each tried to en- 
 tertain the other. The effort was so apparently 
 irksome that after awhile they agreed that they 
 were too tired to be pleasant, and both were 
 glad when the end was reached, and they could 
 say, "Good-bye!" 
 
 Both spent much time that night in devis- 
 ing a plan by which Thaddeus would certainly 
 be brought to the next meeting.
 
 XXY. 
 
 APPEARANCES DECEITFUL. 
 
 RE you surprised to see me ?" Miss Josie 
 asked, as she hurried into the Banner 
 office at noon, a few days later, finding Thad- 
 deus at his desk, quite alone. " Mamma is wait- 
 ing for me in the carriage down-stairs. I told 
 her I wanted to see you about some printing, 
 and I do. Here it is. Some blank pledges for 
 our next meeting. O dear!" She stopped a 
 moment in her rapid talking, and then went on: 
 "Running up-stairs took my breath away, and 
 my heart is all a-flutter. Let me sit down a 
 minute just a minute ; for mamma will won- 
 der what is keeping me. But say, Thaddeus, 
 won't you please go to our next meeting? I 
 missed you so much from the last one. Please?" 
 "Why should I?" he asked, rather constrain- 
 edly, though his own heart was " a-flutter," too, 
 and he had not run up-stairs, either. "I am 
 not on the program, and, from what I have 
 heard, you do not need me to swell the attend- 
 ance or get up enthusiasm, and " 
 He hesitated, and she exclaimed : 
 "Why should you? Why, principally be- 
 
 269
 
 270 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 cause /want you to go. Is not that enough? 
 It was once." 
 
 "So it was, Josie; but surely, sitrely, you 
 have not forgotten? Do n't you remember what 
 you said when last we met ?" 
 
 " I do, Thad ; but I was not myself that 
 night. Come again 1 ; I have something to tell 
 you. But I must go. Good-bye 1 We will look 
 for you." 
 
 With that she was out of the door, and hur- 
 rying down the steps. 
 
 " ' We will look for you.* Why could she not 
 have said If" Thaddeus remarked half aloud 
 and in a bitter tone, going to the window in 
 time to see her enter the carriage and drive 
 away. She cast a glance upward, and, seeing 
 Thaddeus at the window, smiled most bewitch- 
 ingly. Thaddeus was completely overcome by 
 that call. He had felt himself free from the en- 
 thrallment of Miss Tracy's attractions, and was 
 rejoicing in the ease with which he bore his dis- 
 appointment in her; but now, in a second's time, 
 he found himself again a prisoner to her whims, 
 if that term is a correct expression of her tem- 
 per. At once he did what some would call a 
 foolish thing. He strode to his office-door, 
 locked it, and then flung himself upon a pile of 
 baled paper, and groaned out a prayer for strength 
 and wisdom. But scarcely had he done so belore
 
 APPEARANCES DECEITFUL. 2J1 
 
 the door was tried by some one, desiring to enter. 
 Not knowing who it was, he sprang to his feet 
 and called out : 
 
 "All right ; wait a minute !" 
 
 " Beg pardon," Rev. Mr. Outwright said. 
 , " Do I intrude upon your privacy ? I hoped to 
 find you alone at this hour, as I knew you never 
 closed your office for dinner. You are troubled!" 
 he exclaimed, as he noticed Thad's wretched 
 face, and thought he detected signs of tears in 
 his eyes. 
 
 "Yes, troubled, Mr. Outwright; but that is 
 not new for me, and I beg you not to think 
 about it. What can I do for you ?" 
 
 The last remark was accompanied by a forced 
 smile, altogether unlike the usual radiance that 
 illuminated Thad's face. 
 
 "What can / do for you? let me ask, the 
 rather," said the minister, taking Thad's arm, 
 and walking with him to his desk. 
 
 "Nothing, my dear friend; and yet I would 
 like to have your advice. Which should control 
 one in this life, duty or desire, supposing the two 
 to be antagonistic?" 
 
 " Duty," Mr. Outwright replied, promptly. 
 "Do you not recall the Divine example? He 
 said, ' Let it pass ;' but added, Thy will, not 
 mine.' He desired to escape the cross, but duty 
 led him thither."
 
 272 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 "That is what I expected you to say* It is 
 what you ought to say; and yet, Mr. Outwright, 
 somewhere, in the Psalms I think, it is written : 
 ' Delight thyself in the Lord, and he will give 
 thee the desires of thine heart' " 
 
 "True ; but be sure you first find delight in his. 
 service. That is the condition upon which we are 
 to have the desires of our heart." 
 
 " I see. But say, Mr. Outwright, what is one 
 to do when he does not know what the desire 
 of his heart is, being so divided between two or 
 more objects?" 
 
 "Miss Josie and Miss Jennie, for instance!" 
 Mr. Outwright exclaimed, laughing knowingly. 
 And before Thad could say a word, he added : 
 " Both are gems of the first water, and you will 
 be glad always whichever you choose." 
 
 " What made you say that ?" Thad asked, the 
 color mounting his cheeks unpleasantly. " Do 
 you observe that closely?" 
 
 "A mountain is n't hard to see, my brother, 
 and practice makes perception acute. But par- 
 don the pleasantry. What objects divide your 
 heart now the State Senate and the Banner? 
 I confess I will dislike to see you elected if the 
 Banner must lose you ; and yet, in all sincerity, 
 I hope you will be elected ; for the State needs 
 you." 
 
 "The election will be certain if I am nomi-
 
 APPEARANCES DECEITFUL. 273 
 
 nated, for the district is very safe our way, you 
 know." 
 
 " But you have no opposition, have you, for 
 nomination?" 
 
 " None visible ; but I have learned to be very 
 suspicious ol some people I could name. Quiet- 
 ness does not always mean peace." 
 
 "Whom do you fear?" 
 
 " Morrison !" 
 
 "Ah! do you? Then you know! I came 
 up for no other purpose than to put you on your 
 guard. I chanced to overhear a bit of conversa- 
 tion in the post-office lobby to-day that set me 
 to thinking. Seth Russell was there at the same 
 time reading a paper ; but I judge his eyes were 
 not as attentive to the printed page as his ears 
 were to the rather loud though whispered con- 
 versation between the chief of police and Mr. 
 Slimkins." 
 
 " Did you hear anything of consequence ?" 
 
 "Perhaps not; but I caught several signifi- 
 cant words, and noticed a good deal of winking 
 and suppressed mirth. Slimkins said, ' Throck- 
 morton snowed under! Sweet innocence!' and 
 Barnwell said, 'He won't have six votes in the 
 Convention ;' but, of course, I do not know what 
 he meant. It occurred to me, however, that 
 they might be fooling you ; so I came, my friend, 
 to put you on your guard," 
 
 18
 
 274 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 " Thank you, ever so much ! It only con- 
 firms my suspicions. But if Seth was there he 
 will give me the straight of it What he does 
 not hear, he has revealed to him, surely ; for he 
 knows everything that is, has been, or is to be, 
 it seems to me." 
 
 "There is another thing. The Banner has 
 always been a temperance advocate, and now 
 that a vigorous campaign is on, I believe you 
 ought to be at all of these township meetings. I 
 missed you from the last one. You will not 
 lose, but will gain by it. Do not let Morrison 
 steal your leadership in temperance work. I 
 fear his work is all for effect; but the mass of 
 the people will not see through his disguise 
 until too late. Go to the next meeting, won't 
 you?" 
 
 "I have been thinking about it. Yes, I think 
 I will. Will you be there?" 
 
 M Unless providentially prevented. But I hin- 
 der you; besides I must hurry home, as I have 
 an engagement to meet. Good-day." 
 
 " Father," Thaddeus said, leaning his head 
 on his desk, after Mr. Outwright left, " I thank 
 thee for this servant of thine, and the help he 
 has brought me to decide what to do. Be thou 
 with me in this struggle for the right !" 
 
 That evening found Thaddeus at Judge 
 Tracy's home, a place he thought he should
 
 Hello, Seth!" Thaddeus exclaimed. Page 275.
 
 APPEARANCES DECEITFUL. 275 
 
 never again enter. The hopes his last visit had 
 so cruelly crushed, had revived under the warmth 
 of Miss Josie's invitation for him to call, and the 
 promise that she would tell him something, gave 
 him grounds upon which to build a belief that 
 she had repented of her hasty action in dismissing 
 him for Wendell. 
 
 "Excuse me," Miss Josie said, meeting him 
 at the dooor, having been warned by his well- 
 known, decided, and quick step upon the stone 
 walk, at the same time blushing deeply in con- 
 fusion, " Mr. Morrison is in the parlor. Will you 
 come in, or would you rather call some other 
 time?" 
 
 "Thank yon, some other time ; good-night," 
 and he was gone. Could there have been a more 
 inopportune call than that? Where now were 
 all his good resolutions and his adherence to 
 duty, his promise to Mr. Outwright, and his be- 
 lief that God was guiding his steps ? He strode 
 down the walk, flung the gate open, and was in- 
 tending to let it come back to its place with a 
 resounding clash, when it stopped halfway, closed, 
 and a voice said softly : 
 
 "The sheep does well to seek the fold when a 
 grievous wolf is around." 
 
 "Hello, Sethi" Thaddeus exclaimed. "Did 
 you drop from heaven, or come up out of the 
 ground?"
 
 276 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 " From heaven, my son, and soon enough to 
 see that wolf enter that home. Beware, lest his 
 teeth harm you !" 
 
 "What is the news, Seth?" Thaddeus said, 
 calmly, walking toward his office with his friend, 
 and, by sheer will-power, beating back the grief 
 of that sudden and new disappointment. 
 
 "Much news, son of my best beloved friend. 
 You are your father's heir ! He was the victim 
 of conspiracy, and lo! you have his heritage. 
 Nets are spread for your feet, and your familiar 
 friend is the fowler that would ensnare thee ! 
 Trust not to appearances !" 
 
 "What now, Seth? You must drop your 
 figures and tell me plainly. Who is plotting 
 against me, and what can be done to thwart him ?" 
 
 " Well asked, my son ! Morrison is secretly 
 cherishing the hope of nomination for the Senate, 
 though he is out for Congress. He knows that 
 he will not get the Congressional nomination, but 
 intends to crush you by taking the State Senate 
 nomination right oat of your hands in the Con- 
 vention. The plan is this: Every precinct will 
 instruct for you, and select delegates for Morrison. 
 Instructions are wind ; but delegates are flesh and 
 blood, that can eat and drink and vote. There 
 it is in a nutshell !" 
 
 " Thank you ! Forewarned is to be forearmed. 
 I will meet him on his own grouud !"
 
 APPEARANCES DECEITFUL. 277 
 
 "Good, son of my well beloved friend! Do 
 that and victory shall be yours. Never lower 
 your standard. Hope thou in God. I/et Morri- 
 son trust in chariots and in the multitude of his 
 horses ; but put your trust in God, and get out the 
 voters at the primaries /" 
 
 "Would you advise me to attend these tem- 
 perance rallies? Morrison is the chief speaker, 
 you know, at all of them." 
 
 "Go to all of them! He may be the chief 
 speaker, but when his eloquence is forgot, people 
 will remember your songs. Go and sing as never 
 before ! One of your songs will outlive a hun- 
 dred of his speeches. Sing and if you can 
 mark my word, sing and if you can find any- 
 where a voice that blends with yours, and a heart 
 that looks up to you as a leader, get that voice 
 and that heart, and you are equipped with divine 
 armor! The voice is God's spear, the heart is his 
 buckler." 
 
 Thaddeus was pursuing his way in silence, 
 but in deep thought. When he turned to 
 speak to his friend, he was nowhere in sight. 
 He had noiselessly slipped away down a con- 
 venient by-street, leaving Thaddeus to his own 
 reflections. 
 
 " 'A heart that looks up to me as a leader,' " 
 he repeated. " That can not mean Josie, for 
 she has always rather exercised dominion over
 
 278 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 me; or, if not that, has held herself beyond me. 
 'A voice that blends with mine !' That can not 
 be Josie's; for, while onr voices harmonize, they 
 do not blend. Each is as distinct as gold and 
 silver. 'A voice that blends ' whose can that be 
 but Jennie's ? 'A heart that looks up to me as 
 leader?' Bless her! all through school-days, how 
 she came to me for advice and help in her little 
 troubles and in her lessons! 'A heart that looks 
 up, and a voice that blends !' O Seth Russell, 
 thou art a messenger from God ! Thou art, in 
 his name, the giver of sight to the blind ! Thou 
 art a liberator of the bound ! Thou art the abode 
 of the Spirit of God!" 
 
 With a lighter heart Thaddeus hurried home, 
 glad that Morrison had prevented his interview 
 with Miss Josie. Doubtless they were at that 
 moment perfecting their plans for the continu- 
 ance of their work together. If Providence would 
 but open the way, the next meeting should be 
 enriched by song, as well as illuminated by elo- 
 quence. "Two voices that blend," and two hearts 
 that are complements will together strive for pub- 
 lic favor on the same platform with 'two minds 
 that plan, and two hearts that scheme for place 
 and power. Never doubting that the way Seth 
 Russell pointed out was the way the Father 
 smiled upon, Thaddeus went to sleep with a 
 deep-drawn sigh of reliefl
 
 XXYI. 
 
 VIEWS AND INTERVIEWS. 
 
 RE those blank pledges ready ?" Miss Josie 
 asked a few days later as slie swept into 
 the Banner office. 
 
 " Excuse me," Thaddeus said, hastily arising 
 and going toward the table where the pledges 
 lay, wrapped and ready for delivery. " You need 
 not have called. I intended to send them up to 
 you." 
 
 " Need n't I ?" she asked in a low voice, with 
 a half-sad face, and then added: "But I wanted to 
 come " and after just the slightest pause, that 
 was very effective in its work on the heart of the 
 young editor, she said, half apologetically "for 
 the cards." 
 
 Quickly, and with a show of asperity, Thad- 
 deus said impulsively, a frown darkening his 
 brow, "You need not have said that, for I knew 
 as much." 
 
 " But you do not know //, Thad. If you did, I 
 know you would not judge me harshly. It was 
 not my fault that Mr. Morrison was there first the 
 other night Will you come again just once ?" 
 
 This was said so earnestly and so pleadingly, 
 
 279
 
 280 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 that his resentment vanished like a cloud of mist, 
 and he replied, with a sigh of relief, a smile chas- 
 ing the frown from his face : 
 
 " If it will please you." 
 
 11 It will. Do come ! To-night?" 
 
 "Yes as far as I now know." 
 
 "Do.*" 
 
 With that, and a backward glance and a smile, 
 she hurried out the door, and was on the street 
 before Thaddeus realized that he had violated a 
 solemn pledge made to himself, that he would 
 not for any consideration call at Judge Tracy's 
 again. 
 
 "Fool that I am!" he said, in smothered 
 tones, as he resumed his seat at the desk. 
 "Why didn't I say 0, and be done with it?" 
 
 "Too late for this week's paper?" Wendell 
 inquired as he walked in, holding up to view a 
 communication. 
 
 "I guess not, if not too long; though we 
 must go to press in an hour or two." 
 
 "It is not long. Since you were not at the 
 meeting, I have given you a little account of my 
 speech at the rally the other day. Great crowd, 
 and a fine time! I talked for an hour and a 
 quarter, and made the fur fly, I tell you ! Say, 
 Thad, you must be with us next time." 
 
 " I have been planning to go," Thaddeus an- 
 swered, quietly, but feeling very wretched at
 
 VIE WS AND INTER VIE WS. 28 1 
 
 the thought of the misery of the hour when he 
 should see Wendell and Miss Josie the leading 
 spirits where he had so long been in chief com- 
 mand, and she his willing assistant! 
 
 " That 's right. I want you to be there ; for 
 I know you can report my speech so much bet- 
 ter than I can. Say!" and Morrison grew very 
 confidential, lowering his voice to a whisper, 
 and drawing a chair close up to the editor's 
 desk. "Make the Banner speak in its well- 
 known convincing and entertaining style of my 
 candidacy for Congress, and you will lose noth- 
 ing by it when I get there ! Say, Throckmorton, 
 you deserve something nice for your faithful 
 services the past six or eight years. How 
 would you like to be consul at Callao, or some 
 such place? I will get that for you, if I am 
 elected. Shall I?" 
 
 " But if not elected, then what am I to get 
 for the Banner's service?" he asked, with a 
 forced smile, half jokingly and half in earnest. 
 
 "By Jupiter!" Morrison exclaimed, rising 
 hastily, "get what the rest of us get a chance 
 to pocket defeat, and try again!" 
 
 Thaddeus saw that Morrison was offended at 
 his question, and so said in a conciliatory 
 manner. 
 
 "But we will not anticipate any such trouble. 
 You will be elected, of course, if nominated ; and
 
 282 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 nominated snrely, if everybody proves true to 
 you. The Banner never deserts the party." 
 
 "That is so, Throcky. The Banner has 
 never deserted its principles," Morrison an- 
 swered, in a kinder tone, and then said, refer- 
 ring to the communication he had brought in : 
 "You may think it a trifle strong, the way I 
 speak there of my speech, but it was remarked 
 on all sides that the like had never been heard 
 in this county before. One thing pkased the 
 boys, and that was when I excoriated the 
 Church. Put it in just as I have written it, and 
 be sure to be at our next one yourself. I '11 not 
 forget you when I go to Washington. Father 
 and the President were old army chums, and 
 that will help. Father was on his staff" at the 
 close of the war." 
 
 "The knave!" Thaddeus said, with a stamp 
 of his foot, though the word was muttered 
 under his breath, as he glared after Wendell 
 when he had gone. " Yes, I will put it in just 
 as it is written, and I will be at the next meet- 
 ing; and I will make the Banner bright with 
 puffs for his congressional aspirations ; and I 
 will retire from Judge Tracy's, and will do 
 many other servile things, all for the chauce of 
 political preferment for myself! He shall not 
 know that I have the secret of his scheming!" 
 
 The more Thaddeus meditated upon the sit-
 
 VIEWS AND INTERVIEWS. 283 
 
 nation, the firmer became his determination to 
 cast sentiment and devotion to the winds until 
 after the election, and to be a cold, calculating, 
 astute politician. " In that form I will go and 
 call on Miss Tracy to-night," he said, pushing 
 his chair aside, and hurrying to the case to "set 
 up " Wendell's eulogy of his own speech ; for 
 the printers were behind, and the Banner must 
 come out on time! By an heroic struggle 
 through the rest of the day, Thaddeus kept his 
 heart in the prison-house of his political aspira- 
 tions, and shut love up in the dark dungeon of his 
 self-control! With such prisoners in his breast 
 he called at Judge Tracy's, and was received 
 smilingly by Miss Josie. He was not himself 
 at all. He was certainly another person. He 
 dared not glance in the mirror as he stood be- 
 fore the hall-tree a moment before entering the 
 parlor, whither Miss Tracy led the way, for fear 
 he would be alarmed by his changed counte- 
 nance. He wondered if Miss Tracy did not no- 
 tice the difference. Perhaps she did ; but if so, 
 she made no sign of surprise. Of one thing he 
 was certain : He was a heartless man ; for was 
 not his heart in prison ? He was sure it was ; 
 for he could feel its th robbings through the 
 thin walls of its hastily-constructed ward! He 
 was a loveless man ; for his love was fast asleep 
 in the dark dungeon ! Fast asleep ? There he
 
 284 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 was wrong; for it was the cry of love he heard, 
 faint indeed, but very distinct, as he watched 
 the gleam of a ring which Miss Josie turned 
 round and round on her ringer. She had on 
 but one that night, though she usually wore 
 several, and that one was his gift to her. It had 
 never been returned, nor had he ever thought to 
 ask for it, though it was the token of their 
 plighted love ! Was she toying with it to re- 
 mind him that she yet wore it and wore it to 
 the discarding of all others? Surely not for that 
 purpose; for her voice was gay and her eyes were 
 bright not a suspicion of regret in a single 
 gleam that flashed upon him. 
 
 What could Thaddeus do with heart and love 
 both bound with chains that night? Do! He 
 could play the politician, and plan for success. 
 He could show Miss Tracy that he was a man 
 now, and not the foolish youth who had lost his 
 heart to her! 
 
 And that he did and more ! What if Seth 
 Russell had been hiding in the depths of the 
 window! Would not his old heart beat wildly 
 in admiration for the heroism of his friend's son? 
 But Seth was not hiding there. He was else- 
 where, and on an errand of mercy. 
 
 "Mr. Morrison tells me," Miss Josie said, 
 brightly, "that you have agreed to go to our 
 next meeting:."
 
 VIEWS AND INTERVIEWS. 285 
 
 "Did Morrison tell you that? Well, it is 
 true ; but I wish Mr. Outwright had told you, 
 for I promised him to go before I saw Morrison ; 
 and I would rather you would believe that I 
 yielded to Mr. Outwright's persuasion, and not 
 to Morrison's dictation." 
 
 "Why?" This was said with a deep ques- 
 tioning from the eyes; but Thaddeus did not 
 heed the silent inquiry, seeing that love was 
 locked up, so he answered carelessly : 
 
 " For no reason, except that I believe in be- 
 stowing honor where honor is due, if I may be 
 so bold as to assume that any one is honored by 
 having me yield to his influence." 
 
 "O!" she replied, with a little sigh, "I 
 thought there might be some oilier reason. But 
 what you say is quite natural and proper." 
 
 "Thank you ! I am in the race for the Sen- 
 ate, and mean to win if hard work and serious 
 planning can carry me through. From now on 
 there is to be no play where I am. I know what 
 I have to contend against, and mean to be a 
 man!" 
 
 Thaddeus was surprised at himself, and not 
 a little ashamed. There he was before Miss 
 Tracy, a non- voter, and a person without polit- 
 ical influence, boasting of his manliness and of 
 his courage. Why should he speak so loud, and 
 with such a show of bravado? Why, indeed,
 
 286 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 except to drown the voices calling to him from 
 their narrow and uncomfortable prison-cells? 
 
 "What makes you speak so loud?" Miss 
 Josie asked, quietly, smiling in genuine amuse- 
 ment at his defiant air. " Are you practicing 
 for the campaign next month?" 
 
 " Beg pardon ! Does my voice sotmd loud 
 to you? It did to me; but I thought it was 
 due to this cold I have taken." 
 
 14 Perhaps it is. But say, Thad, papa says 
 you have no opposition for the State Senate, 
 since Mr. Morrison declines to run. It was so 
 kind in him to withdraw in your favor." 
 
 "Certainly it was. Mr. Morrison is a very 
 kind man. But of course you know, Miss Josie, 
 that a man can not be a State senator and a 
 congressman at one and the same time. I am 
 willing to concede to Mr. Morrison all the praise 
 he deserves for withdrawing from the race 
 against me; but the larger prize he seeks 
 must be awarded some influence in his action." 
 
 44 Perhaps your friends have induced him to 
 seek the other prize, and to leave this to you?" 
 
 " Not at all impossible, but very improbable !" 
 
 "I hope you count me your friend 'f" 
 
 " It is an honor and a pleasure that I am 
 proud to acknowledge." 
 
 " I hope you will believe that I have some 
 influence with Mr. Morrison."
 
 VIE WS AND INTER VIE WS. 287 
 
 44 Too much, by far !" Thaddeus said, hastily, 
 and with such a manner of expression that he 
 quite lost self-control, and his heart was in his 
 throat in a second. 
 
 " Do not say that especially when my in- 
 fluence has been used for your benefit" 
 
 " Political, you mean, of course, Miss Tracy," 
 Thaddeus said, recovering self-control quickly. 
 
 " That, at least" 
 
 Then they talked briskly and cheerfully of 
 temperance, of charitable work, of social events, 
 and finally came back to politics, Thaddeus all 
 the while acting the part he had assumed, and 
 keeping all thought of the relations between 
 them in the background. Not until he arose to 
 go, and when she offered him her hand in say- 
 ing good-night, did he permit himself to allude 
 to their engagement even most remotely. Then, 
 as if to test her, to sound the depths of her 
 heart, to discover her real desire, he said, with 
 what carelessness he could summon, assuming a 
 matter-of-fact air : " Miss Josie, would you let 
 me take that ring you have on?" 
 
 " Certainly, if you wish it ;" and before he 
 could add a word or explain his intention, the 
 ring was in his hand, while his friend smiled 
 upon him brightly, though he thought he de- 
 tected a quiver of the lip, but was not sure- 
 
 Awkwardly, holding the ring still in his ex-
 
 288 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 tended and open hand, he stepped back, bowed 
 himself out, and heard the door close softly be- 
 hind him, as if reluctantly shutting him away 
 from that parlor and that heart 
 
 " I hope I will not meet Seth to-night," he 
 said to himself. " I feel like a traitor ! Whom 
 have I betrayed? Myself or Seth? Am I right, 
 or am I wrong? Does pride, or does passion 
 control me ? Be brave, good heart ! I have won 
 the battle to-night ! And yet another stick vic- 
 tory would ruin me. I have lost more than I 
 have gained. I went there clear-headed, fully 
 persuaded as to myself! I am going away con- 
 fused, and undecided whether my fortune is in 
 her keeping or in the hands of Seth Russell !" 
 
 "Who calls me?" 
 
 With a start of surprise, Thaddeus turned 
 about to see his friend at his heels. 
 
 " Did some one call you ?" Thaddeus asked, 
 as they moved on together. 
 
 " Perhaps not ; but I felt called to come out 
 and meet you to-night you or some other dis- 
 tressed soul. It must be you, seeing you are the 
 first I have met. And does your heart bear up, 
 son of my beloved?" 
 
 "Not as I wish; not as I wish!" 
 
 "A divided house can not stand, nor a divided 
 heart. First of all, settle the heart. Success 
 can come only to a true heart. A true heart is
 
 VIE WS AND INTER VIE WS. 289 
 
 a whole heart. Have only one door to the heart, 
 and only one chamber! Who enters must be 
 sure that no other hides in some unknown 
 recess." 
 
 " But, Seth," Thaddeus said, musingly, " sup- 
 pose the head and the heart do not agree, 
 what" 
 
 "Follow your heart. Out of the heart are 
 the issues of life. The head is only the private 
 secretary. A secretary may make a mistake. 
 It so, the heart can correct it on sight" 
 19
 
 XXVII. 
 
 A PROPOSAL OF MARRIAGE. 
 
 V I THE next meeting in the temperance move- 
 -- ment was a more decided success in point 
 of attendance, in enthusiasm, and in excellence 
 of program than the preceding one. For some 
 reason every class of people was interested. 
 Ministers of various Churches, lawyers of noto- 
 riety, physicians and merchants, farmers and 
 town-people, young and old, crowded to the 
 township meetings with such unanimity as to 
 make one believe that drunkenness, and espe- 
 cially the open traffic in intoxicants, could not 
 continue one week in that county. Such un- 
 precedented enthusiasm did not fail visibly to 
 affect the bearing of the new factor in the move- 
 ment, who, because he was a new factor, took to 
 himself all the credit for the attendance and the 
 apparent interest of the masses. From being a 
 rather reluctant participant and a questioning 
 follower, he suddenly emerged into the leader, 
 not to say dictator, of the movement, taking the 
 management out of Miss Josie's hands, making 
 changes in the program, and in other ways as- 
 serting his personality until all spoke of the 
 290
 
 A PROPOSAL OF MARRIAGE. 291 
 
 gatherings as " Morrison's meetings." And so 
 in fact they were. They were Morrison's be- 
 cause he controlled them, and they were Morri- 
 son's because he used them to further his own 
 ends. Nevertheless all that did not affect the 
 attendance, nor diminish the interest. It was 
 quite the thing, all that summer, for the people 
 to put up dinner in baskets, and spend one day, 
 every two weeks, in the woods, giving heed 
 to Morrison's eloquence and Trockmorton's 
 singing. 
 
 When Morrison spoke, the people applauded, 
 and cheered lustily when he had finished, and 
 there the matter ended. When Throckmorton 
 sang, the people were silent as the grave; but 
 when he had finished, they cheered and cheered, 
 again and again, and would not be content until 
 he had sung another and another song; and 
 there the matter begun, instead of ending, as in 
 Morrison's case. Mothers and fathers went 
 home, thanking God for such an example for 
 their sons, and praying a blessing upon the 
 head of one who preached and practiced a cor- 
 rect life. Young men went home, secretly to 
 model their habits after Throckmorton, and to 
 sing as best they could, at smaller gatherings, 
 the songs he made popular at the Morrison 
 meetings; while young ladies left the rallies 
 determined to urge, by many a hint and open
 
 292 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 declaration, their brothers and friends to be- 
 come Throckmortons in life. 
 
 And yet, in all he did, Thaddeus did not seek 
 his own. His attendance upon the meetings 
 was a personal sacrifice all around. It took 
 him from his business ; it threw him into un- 
 pleasant contact with Morrison, whose sincerity 
 he had great reason to doubt ; it opened afresh 
 the slowly-healing wound that Miss Josie's con- 
 duct had caused ; it put him in association with 
 Miss Jessup so constantly and so publicly that 
 he was annoyed by frequent jocular references 
 to it by inconsiderate youth and unkind adults. 
 It was only because he had promised Mr. Out- 
 wright, and had listened to the entreaty of Seth 
 Russell, that he started into the work. It was 
 because a great desire seized upon him, after 
 the first meeting, to put some soul into a move- 
 ment which threatened to go to seed prema- 
 turely, and really to uplift the community, that 
 he persisted in the campaign, submitting grace- 
 fully and patiently to the almost insufferable 
 dictatorialness of Morrison. That he was an 
 attraction never entered his mind. That he 
 would gain votes in the Convention, did not 
 form any portion of his calculations. An ardent 
 advocate of temperance from principle, he 
 rushed into this field with self-sacrificing ardor, 
 because it was an opening he had long coveted.
 
 A PROPOSAL OF MARRIAGE. 293 
 
 That his singing was effective, he did not doubt; 
 but with strange blindness he did not see from 
 what earthly source carne his strength ; nor did 
 he recall how perfectly his voice and Jennie 
 Jessup's blended as she sang with him in duets; 
 nor did he count the delicacy of conception nor 
 the perfectness of touch with which she accom- 
 panied his solo singing with the organ, giving 
 a clear field when he was strong, and supporting 
 with full organ his weak places. He remem- 
 bered, but did not sufficiently value, her labor 
 in going through a mass of vocal selections 
 every day to find something new and striking 
 that just suited his voice. He knew that she 
 had something ready at every rehearsal, and 
 that she never failed to select just the thing ; 
 but he did not stop to consider what labor had 
 been gone through with to secure it. He did 
 not know for he could net see, and no one took 
 pains to tell him how her mood changed with 
 his in his singing, and how her eyes, her mouth, 
 her whole countenance, indexed, unmistakably, 
 the pathos, the po\\er, the sadness, or the sweet- 
 ness, of the song he sung. He did not know 
 how there was no other person for her in all 
 that great mass of people, while he was before 
 them singing. He did not know how, nightly, 
 she pleaded passionately at the Throne for his 
 success, though she believed all the time that
 
 294 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 his heart was pledged to another. She did not, 
 after the first rehearsal, allow herself to give the 
 slightest significance to his considerate atten- 
 tions and little kindnesses, knowing he was, in 
 the nobility of his soul, devoting himself to the 
 work in hand for his love of it, staying away 
 from Miss Tracy only that her cousin Wendell 
 might be won to a life of sobriety and usefulness. 
 
 The final meeting of the series was to be at 
 home, in the Brambleville music-hall, and a 
 crush of people was expected. 
 
 It was within one day of that meeting, and 
 Wendell was at Judge Tracy's home, in consulta- 
 tion with Miss Josie about some details of the 
 gathering or rather, was there to give his orders 
 concerning the details, quite satisfied to leave the 
 execution of his plans to her. 
 
 "Miss Josie," he said, with a seriousness 
 and a depth of feeling which he could simulate 
 to perfection on demand, u with sincere regret I 
 reach the end of this campaign. I will not 
 longer disguise from you the pleasure I have had 
 in this work because it is yours. It has been a 
 delight to do your bidding, I will not withhold 
 longer a confession I have longed to make, but 
 dared not until now. I have kept the pledge. I 
 have not touched a drop of intoxicants since we 
 exchanged pledges that night You have been 
 my strength and my stay. But after to-morrow
 
 A PROPOSAL OF MARRIAGE. 295 
 
 night this delightful and helpful association will 
 cease I fear. I tremble for myself, nnaided by 
 you. How like a tower of strength you have 
 been to me, let my successful, my first success- 
 ful, keeping of the pledge answer ! Miss Josie, 
 dare I hope you will not cast me off to go to the 
 bad ? By the memory of these weeks of victory 
 together, I beg you to let me be your servant 
 longer even for life !" 
 
 He took her hand in his. She made a slight 
 movement to withdraw it ; but, his clasp tighten- 
 ing, she permitted him to retain it for a moment, 
 saying, with genuine embarrassment and confu- 
 sion, for his declaration was wholly unexpected 
 at that time : 
 
 "I do not quite understand you, I fear, Mr. 
 Morrison." 
 
 " I^et me be candid, then, and let me be clear. 
 Miss Josie, will you be my wife ?" 
 
 Withdrawing her hand from his, she sat a mo- 
 ment silent, and then said, very slowly, and with- 
 out any sign of emotion : 
 
 "I understand you now. You honor me, I 
 am sure. You would not want me to answer you 
 hastily. It is a very sacred relation that of 
 wife Mr. Morrison. I could never marry where 
 I do not love devotedly. It is sweet to me to 
 hear you say I have helped you keep the pledge. 
 It is very flattering to me to have you say your
 
 296 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 hope of future success is in my acceptance of 
 your offer. But would marriage without the 
 heart be marriage at all?" 
 
 "Certainly, certainly, Miss Tracy. The courts 
 nowhere inquire into the question of sentimental 
 attachment. The only point to be decided is, 
 whether the marriage contract has been legally 
 celebrated and recorded. But in this case, Miss 
 Josie, I have been led to believe the heart was 
 not untouched." 
 
 "I am sure, Mr. Morrison, that no one could 
 be thrown into your company, as I have been 
 during the past few weeks, without being com- 
 pelled to admire your brilliant talents as an or- 
 ganizer and as an orator, and to concede your 
 perfect observance of all requirements of polite 
 society. But I am not ready to-night to to 
 say more." 
 
 "You do not reject me?" 
 
 "I do not, Mr. Morrison. My heart will not 
 let me do that" 
 
 "Pardon me, Miss Tracy! Under the cir- 
 cumstances, may I not presume to ask you, is 
 your heart free ?" 
 
 " If I should say it is, you would take that as 
 notice that you have your suit to win. If I 
 should say it is <?/, you would believe your case 
 won, and only the decision held in reserve," she 
 answered, evasively.
 
 A PROPOSAL OF MARRIAGE, 297 
 
 "Ah, I see!" Morrison replied, with well- 
 assumed grace, though he was impatient at this 
 dallying, "you are a worthy daughter of a worthy 
 sire. The judge himself could not be more poli- 
 tic. But I shall consider my case as under ad- 
 visement. I beg you to remember what death- 
 less results await your decision !" 
 
 That was a restless night for Miss Josie. She 
 had in her hands the soul of an immortal being. 
 So she thought. He had fame, brilliant talents, 
 and wealth. His family were of highest respect- 
 ability. When daylight came, she was sleeping 
 from sheer exhaustion and restless tossing. She 
 was sleeping because she had decided to accept 
 his offer. She would become Mrs. Wendell Mor- 
 rison. A note, dispatched to him by her father 
 as he went to the office, told him of his accept- 
 ance by her. 
 
 As for Morrison, that night, he was as happy 
 as a man like he was could be. He was as happy 
 as he had been often before, when a packed jury 
 had speedily reached a verdict in favor of his 
 client just that happy, but no happier. 
 
 The next night there was the crush expected 
 at the music-hall. Every seat was taken, and 
 every available space occupied. The hour for 
 opening came. Mr. Outwright, who was to offer 
 prayer, was there ; the mayor of Brambleville, 
 who was to preside, was on the platform ; the
 
 298 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 chorus of singers, Thaddeus, and Miss Jessup, 
 were in their places ; and only Miss Josie and 
 Wendell needed to come to make the company 
 complete. Miss Josie was waiting for her escort, 
 wondering just how it would seem to go with 
 him, now that he was her accepted lover. 
 
 "It is his way," Thaddeus whispered, to Mr. 
 Outwright. " He will come in late to attract 
 more attention. Suggest to the chairman that 
 we have the opening numbers the chorus, the 
 prayer, and the next song. By that time he will 
 be here if he is coming." 
 
 "You do not think he would fail to come to 
 tins magnificent audience, do you?" Mr. Out- 
 wright asked, incredulously. 
 
 "I do not know. I am afraid he would if he 
 wanted to." 
 
 The chairman did as suggested, and yet it fell 
 to Mr. Outwright to bridge, with a few impromptu 
 remarks, the gap left by Wendell's non-appear- 
 ance between the song and his speech. 
 
 A half-hour slipped by, and Mr. Outwright 
 was still talking, to the great delight of the audi- 
 ence ; but Wendell was not there, nor would he 
 be that night. He was at home drunk I 
 
 Judge Tracy and wife were in the hall, having 
 left Miss Josie to come with Wendell. When 
 they learned of the cause of the failure of Mor- 
 rison to appear, they quietly withdrew, and hast-
 
 A PROPOSAL OF MARRIAGE. 299 
 
 ened home to condole with their daughter over 
 the failure of Morrison's appearance at the hall. 
 But she needed more comfort than even their 
 loving words could impart. The wound was 
 deeper than they surmised, and was of a differ- 
 ent character. 
 
 And yet she bore it bravely. She did not 
 weep, nor moan, nor charge any one rashly. She 
 was silent so silent and uncommunicative that 
 Mrs. Tracy was greatly alarmed. 
 
 " Do not worry, mamma dear. I will be my- 
 self by and by," she said, quietly, with pallid 
 lips and trembling voice. Then she asked : " Was 
 Thad there?" 
 
 "Yes, of course, dear; but for him I fear the 
 meeting would have been a failure certainly. 
 But it was not It was a great success. He does 
 sing so magnificently I" 
 
 "Jennie was there?" she asked again. 
 
 "Yes; but seemed very sad. I wonder if 
 she knew of Wendell's fall before she came! 
 Poor girl, she is so wrapped up in him !" 
 
 "Papa," Josie said, turning to him a sad face, 
 and speaking in a voice that betokened an in- 
 ward struggle to be calm, " did you deliver my 
 message to Mr. Morrison this morning?" 
 
 "I did not, daughter. He has not been in 
 the ofHce to-day, nor did I see him. It is in 
 my desk."
 
 300 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 " Then, papa, bring it home to me to-morrow. 
 I would rather he would not have it just yet." 
 
 "My dear, do not be so sorrowful. Such dis- 
 appointments come to every life. Even our 
 Master did not escape them. Everybody knows 
 it was not your fault that he was not there, nor 
 that he has fallen again." 
 
 "Mamina, may I go to my room now and 
 be alone awhile? Do not worry about me. I 
 will call you if I need you. I must think this 
 all out. I do not see." 
 
 " Be considerate, dear. Do not blame your- 
 self," Mrs. Tracy added, putting her arm around 
 her daughter, and walking with her to the foot 
 of the stairs. 
 
 "Good-night, mamma!" 
 
 Wearily O so wearily ! Josie climbed the 
 stairs, grasping the balustrade as she went up, 
 and when alone in her own room sank into a 
 rocker, and pondered upon the folly of that 
 night, and perhaps of the whole campaign, 
 thankful in her secret heart that the note was 
 undelivered.
 
 xxvin. 
 
 AN UNMATED PAIR. 
 
 T ,,ET no one suppose that Morrison's return 
 * to his habit of drinking intoxicants, or his 
 failure to keep his engagement with the people 
 at the last rally of the temperance campaign, 
 militated against his political prospects. 
 
 Quite the contrary; they were improved 
 thereby, and no one knew this so well as Mor- 
 rison ! Indeed, but for his drunken spree just at 
 that time, and but for his failure on that night, 
 his most sanguine political friend would have 
 predicted utter defeat through the opposition of 
 the liquor-dealers. His spree revived in them 
 their fast-fading hope that Morrison was playing 
 a game with the temperance people, and was in 
 reality the friend of the liquor-seller as before. 
 Even the temperance element, kind, patient, 
 and confiding people that they are, did not cast 
 Morrison overboard, but said they would forgive 
 that one failure; and to encourage him, and help 
 him back into their ranks, they would vote for 
 him just as they had intended to do before his 
 fall. So if Morrison should not be given what- 
 ever political office he asked for, it would not be
 
 302 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 because the liquor-dealers and the temperance 
 people were divided on him ; for they were not ; 
 but were most solidly united. 
 
 No wonder Billy Barnwell, the chief of police, 
 slapped Sam Slim kins on the back, and ex- 
 claimed : 
 
 ** Great Caesar, Sam 4 Morrison is the greatest 
 schemer on earth ! And he 's got the grit of 
 forty-'leven men ! By Jupiter ! No other man 
 would have dared go into that temperance craze 
 and hope to get the saloon vote ; and no other 
 man but Morrison would 'a' gone on a spree at 
 the very last meeting ! But Morrison is Mor- 
 rison, and there 's none like him ! He 's got both 
 the liquor-dealers and the temperance cranks in 
 his pocket !" 
 
 "He's slick," Sam said, meditatively. "He 
 told me all about it when he went in, so I ain't 
 surprised." 
 
 Of course, Morrison gave himself to business 
 with such untiring devotion that even Judge 
 Tracy relented, and repented of his promise to 
 his wife to dissolve partnership with Morrison 
 as soon as possible. And the young lawyer ap- 
 peared to be so sincerely sorry, and so humble 
 with it all so willing to be flayed alive, as it 
 were, by her hands that Miss Josie looked with 
 pitying eye upon his misfortune, and, after sev- 
 eral days' deliberation, gave to him herself the
 
 AN UN MATED PAIR. 303 
 
 note her father did not deliver that eventful 
 morning; and he became, after all, the possessor 
 of Miss Josie's promise of marriage. Notwith- 
 standing his privilege to call, now that he had 
 her promise, and that in writing, he did not 
 often go to Judge Tracy's, but excused himself 
 from time to time, when expected, by pleading 
 business engagements. 
 
 Very soon Miss Josie became filled with 
 strange forebodings as to the strength of her in- 
 fluence over Morrison. She very wisely asked 
 herself what could she do with him after mar- 
 riage, if now, in the warmth of courtship, he 
 came so seldom, and so easily found excuses for 
 not coming when expected? But when he did 
 come he was so entertaining, so considerate, so 
 full of confession of past neglect, and so abun- 
 dant in promises of future fidelity, that she could 
 but admire him even as she pitied him. And 
 yet things did not go smoothly ; or rather did 
 not move joyously; for there were no quarrels 
 between them. Wendell was too much of a 
 diplomat to permit such a thing to occur, and 
 Miss Josie was too refined in thought and man- 
 ner to take part in any unseemly controversy. 
 But there were many and many weary stretches 
 of time when both were trying to their utmost 
 to be agreeable, even attractive, and utterly 
 failed.
 
 304 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 " I must be more lover-like, I suppose," Wen- 
 dell would say to himself sometimes. "It is 
 quite the proper thing, and no doubt she expects 
 it. I must not disappoint her." 
 
 " I must be more winsome, and must appear 
 happier to be with him," Josie would say to her- 
 self. " He seems so uninterested in my conver- 
 sation. I suppose I should be more demonstra- 
 tive, or something." 
 
 And so they planned what to say and what to 
 do when they met, and, with it all, called them- 
 selves lovers! 
 
 " I am intending to leave on a business trip 
 for a week or ten days," Wendell said, one even- 
 ing. " I shall see maiiy new and interesting 
 places. Shall I write you descriptions of them ?" 
 
 "I will leave that entirely with yourself," 
 Miss Josie replied, quietly; Wendell, the mean- 
 while, wondering what she meant by that indif- 
 ferent answer. He wished she had said, " Please 
 do?" or, " Please do not?" so he would have 
 known her desire. She, on the other hand, was 
 much annoyed, though she displayed no vexa- 
 tion, that he should ask whether he should 
 write. At any rate, she did not want him to 
 write to please her only. 
 
 " I hope you will have a safe trip and a 
 speedy return," she added, after a few minutes' 
 silence.
 
 AN UNMATED PAIR. 305 
 
 * Thank you. I wish it were so you could 
 accompany me that is, I wish this was to be 
 our wedding tour," he said, with more confusion 
 than he was wont to show. 
 
 " Is that your idea of such a tour business 
 and pleasure combined? I always thought it 
 should be wholly for pleasure," she said, blush- 
 ing; for it seemed to her that he made the tour a 
 secondary matter, a pleasant accompaniment to 
 a journey of necessity. 
 
 " You quite misunderstand," he said. " I 
 meant to suggest that my heart is impatient at 
 delay. I was wishing for a near-by date, instead 
 of the one so far away." 
 
 " The one far away is the one you first men- 
 tioned," she said. "Would you change it?" 
 
 " That seems to be best yet ; but still, do you 
 not allow me the privilege of wishing for an 
 earlier date?" 
 
 " I should be happy to know you are really 
 impatient of delay. It is something to every 
 heart to be longed for." 
 
 " That is so," he said, in a business-like way, 
 and rather absent-mindedly ; for in truth he had 
 not heard her last remark. And then there was 
 silence. Presently he said: 
 
 "What do you admire most in me, Miss Josie?" 
 
 " I can not say, Mr. Morrison," she replied, 
 promptly.
 
 306 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 " Is there not one thing more than another 
 which attracts you ?" 
 
 " Not one thing," she said slowly, and quickly 
 added, so the remark would not wound, "for 
 there are so many to be named." 
 
 "If 'so many,' do me the kindness to name 
 one just oner* 1 
 
 " Please excuse me, Mr. Morrison ; indeed, I 
 can not make a selection. You would not like 
 for me to insist on your telling me what one 
 thing in me attracts you." 
 
 " By Jove ! I could do it in a second," said 
 Wendell, springing to his feet, almost forgetting, 
 in his excitement, where he was or in whose 
 presence. "I beg pardon!" he said, resuming 
 his seat. " But for a truth, Miss Josie, I can 
 name one, or a half-dozen traits of character that 
 attract me. But it seems that not one reason 
 can you give me for for I will not say loving 
 me, but for accepting me." 
 
 " Give me time to think, Mr. Morrison. Do 
 not urge me now. I will tell you some time. 
 Be patient with me." 
 
 " I will not insist. When you have discovered 
 it, let me know ; for it is refreshing to be com- 
 plimented in earnest once in a while." 
 
 It was a positive relief when Judge Tracy 
 came in and engaged in the conversation, drift- 
 ing easily into politics and business.
 
 AN UN MATED PAIR. 307 
 
 "You have arranged to go next week to get 
 those deeds signed, have you not?" the judge 
 asked. 
 
 "Yes, Judge. I win start Monday. I am 
 planning, however, to extend my trip to the sea- 
 board, and wiy. be gone ten days or more," 
 
 " Very well ; but get the deeds signed by all 
 the heirs first, and send them to me by express. 
 I have an engagement with a party Friday to 
 close the sale of that property, but I can not 
 give a clear title without those signatures. After 
 that, you can continue your journey. w 
 
 "What deeds, papa?" Josie asked, 
 
 " Quit-claim deeds from heirs of my uncle's 
 estate. My father, you know, bought uncle's in- 
 terest ; but it was never properly conveyed, and 
 now we must get the heirs to quit-claim." 
 
 " Are all the heirs at the same place ?" Wen- 
 dell asked. 
 
 "Yes, all at Waterford ; all except one daugh- 
 ter. She went West years ago, and is supposed 
 to have died childless. But that is only con- 
 jecture. At any rate she is not known to have 
 left issue." 
 
 " Papa, is that the same branch of the fam- 
 ily that Tingleman's wife claimed to belong to?" 
 
 "Yes, the same; but she had not a scintilla 
 of proof to sustain her claim. It was all asser- 
 tion, and agreed in its details with the family
 
 308 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 history ; but that may have resulted from her 
 familiarity with such details through some scrap 
 of published personal reminiscences." 
 
 " Speaking of titles reminds me," said Wen- 
 dell, " of a discovery I made the other day while 
 searching the records for another purpose. I 
 discovered that Aunt Jessup has never quit- 
 claimed her interest in the estate my father 
 bought of the heirs. I must call father's atten- 
 tion to it before Aunt Jessup drops off." 
 
 " Yes, it ought to be attended to at once. I 
 am surprised to hear you say that; for Major 
 Morrison is one of the most particular persons 
 on titles that I ever had dealings with." 
 
 " Carelessness of some attorney, doubtless, 
 before his son was old enough to look after his 
 titles," Wendell said, laughingly, knowing full 
 well Judge Tracy had always been his father's 
 attorney. 
 
 " Perhaps," the other replied, smiling. 
 
 "O dear I" sighed Josie, "how glibly these 
 men talk business, and how animated is Wen- 
 dell's manner now, compared with its dullness 
 a few minutes ago. I do believe I am a burden, 
 and he has taken me only to wound Thad !" 
 
 Not to wound Thad I Not that, though he 
 would not have winced at that result. Not to 
 wound any one, Miss Josie, but to advance his 
 own schemes 1 It is not an affair of the heart
 
 AN UNMATED PAIR. 309 
 
 with him, Miss Josie, but just a legitimate and 
 possible way of becoming possessor of wealth he 
 could not gain so quickly or so certainly any 
 other way. 
 
 And what did you accept him for, Miss Josie? 
 Not for love I No, for your heart could not de- 
 ceive you in that. But for pity first, for fame 
 next, and for punishment for your folly lastl
 
 XXIX. 
 
 THE CONVENTION. 
 
 L/OR several weeks Thaddeus and Wendell 
 -V gave themselves up to business, endeavor- 
 ing to bring up work neglected on account of 
 the long and exciting temperance campaign. 
 Their friends were at the same time very busy 
 in arranging for their nomination at the ap- 
 proaching Convention. Wendell's men had the 
 advantage of long experience and unscrupulous 
 methods; but Thaddeus's workers had the 
 strength that comes from heart and mind united. 
 
 When the day for the assembling of the Con- 
 vention came, everybody was surprised at the 
 multitude of voters who came to witness the pro- 
 ceedings, Wendell's friends were not only sur- 
 prised, but alarmed. 
 
 And well they might be ! He had not usually 
 triumphed through popular uprising, but had won 
 his laurels by crafty scheming and unblushing 
 bribery in the primaries and in the Conventions, 
 knowing that the party would elect the nominee, 
 whoever he should be. The throng of interested 
 voters boded no good for Wendell in the Conven- 
 tion, though only regularly chosen delegates might 
 510
 
 THE CONVENTION. 311 
 
 vote. Wendell was too shrewd a political! not to 
 discover the true situation early in the day, as the 
 streets about the square in which stood the court- 
 house began to fill up with men from the rural 
 districts. He called to Sam Slimkins from his 
 office-window, as the latter stood below on the 
 sidewalk in the midst of a group of laughing men. 
 As Sam entered the office and closed the door 
 behind him, Wendell, his eyes dark with anger 
 and his face set in hard lines by his suppressed 
 wrath, exclaimed, with indignation: 
 
 "What is this I see? The streets are full of 
 voters, and Throckmorton for the Senate is all I 
 hear, go where I will ! Is it for this I have been 
 cashing all your bills these three months?" 
 
 "Keep your temper down," Sam said, coolly, 
 in expressive but inelegant language. " Do n't 
 be a fool, and do n't die until your time comes." 
 
 "But what does it mean? Have I been 
 spending money like water to pack a Convention 
 for Throckmorton? What have you done? Did 
 you lie to me when you said you had a list of 
 delegates, and that a majority were for me?" 
 
 Wendell was cooler now, but his anger was 
 none the less intense. It was only under better 
 control. 
 
 " Idiot!" Sam said, sneeringly. " This is not a 
 mass convention. I^et the crowd howl for Throck- 
 morton. The delegates will do the voting, and
 
 312 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 the delegates are ours, I tell you, and that by a 
 safe majority." 
 
 "Safe majority!" exclaimed Wendell. "I am 
 sick to death to hear you talk about safe majority ! 
 The majority ought to be so great that no thought 
 would be given the other fellow. It was for an 
 overwhelming, a crushing defeat that I have 
 been paying you money !" 
 
 " Well, a defeat is a defeat. You must remem- 
 ber that we have h?d no child's play. Throck- 
 morton is known in every nook and corner in the 
 county, and you and your blasted temperance 
 rallies have made him better known than he 
 was. I tell you to thank your stars that your 
 name is to be mentioned at all in the Conven- 
 tion. Man is a queer animal in a Convention. 
 If a stampede strikes him, he is worse than a 
 Texas steer. He will tramp the life out of his 
 grandfather to get along with the crowd. We Ve 
 got the delegates, but Throckmorton 's got the 
 crowd." 
 
 " Fool !" Wendell said, white with rage. " Fool ! 
 Did I not tell you that, and you said this is not a 
 mass convention only delegates can vote; and 
 now you say Throckmorton has the crowd." 
 
 "And he has ! That was your plan ! You said, 
 'Let the primaries instruct for him, and let the 
 delegates be chosen for me, and I will do the rest.' 
 Now, do the restl You will have your hands
 
 THE CONVENTION. 313 
 
 fall ! Begin to slick up, and brighten your mind. 
 We'll call on you for a speech, and it's for you to 
 smash the instructions. Every precinct has in- 
 structed for Throckmorton, but we 've got the 
 delegates or the most of them. They are your 
 friends. Now go in and bust their instructions, 
 and you are all right. I have done my part, now 
 you doyottr'nf" 
 
 "Your part! Your part seems to be to spend 
 all the money you get!" 
 
 " Here 's the delegates. Look over the list. 
 Count your friends, and see if they are not in the 
 majority." 
 
 Wendell took the list and read over the names 
 of delegates, and, as he did so, his manner soft- 
 ened; for he saw that a very large majority were 
 his personal friends, just such as he would have 
 chosen. Indeed, the list was almost exactly the 
 one he had made out, and asked to have sent up 
 as delegates. 
 
 " Bully boy, Sam!" he said, cheerfully. "That's 
 all right ! I '11 take my chances with those fel- 
 lows every time ! Say, have them understand 
 that I '11 settle all bills for liquor to-day. Hold 
 the Convention off until two or three o'clock. 
 Throckmorton's friends will get tired, and will 
 begin to go home early. They are not the kind 
 to hang on." 
 
 "All right 1 11 see the Central Committee,
 
 3H AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 and get them to wait tmtil about three o'clock to 
 call the Convention to order. We have from one 
 to five, according to the call. I do n't care if I do," 
 and Sam took the offered cigar, and sanntered 
 out, leaving Wendell to his reflections. Though 
 they had scowled and howled at each other for 
 ten minutes, they parted as fast friends as ever; 
 Sam to go out to smoke and drink with the 
 delegates; Wendell to sit in his office and ar- 
 range the speech he was to make, when called 
 out in the Convention, stopping occasionally to 
 laugh over the sight of Thaddeus, when he should 
 steal the nomination from him in a Convention 
 that was instructed to a man for the young editor. 
 
 The meanwhile, in the private office of the Ban- 
 ner a group of men were assembled as if by chance, 
 but they were there by agreement. They were 
 not astute politicians, but they were terribly in 
 earnest, and counted no amount of labor too great 
 to insure success, though unalterably opposed to 
 bribery. Only one in the group was a stranger 
 to politics, and that one was Mr. Outwright, 
 Thaddeus' s pastor. 
 
 " This is new work for me," he laughingly said, 
 when he came in ; " but I will try to hold the 
 hare while you men skin him." 
 
 In the group were Judge Tracy, Charles Chris- 
 tie, Simon Hunter, Captain Thompson, and Major 
 Morrison. The last-named suspected the treach-
 
 THE CONVENTION. 315 
 
 ^iy of his son in the matter, and was not surprised 
 when it was broadly hinted by others present. 
 Judge Tracy was not ignorant of Wendell's plan 
 to abandon his Congressional aspirations at the 
 last moment, and to seek the nomination to the 
 State Senate; but as snch an intention had not 
 been made public, nor had come to him authori- 
 tatively, he felt justified in working with 
 Thaddeus's friends, and hence was present at 
 this last conference before the Convention as- 
 sembled. 
 
 "What have we before us?" he asked, when 
 all were assembled. 
 
 " Mr. Outwright will speak first, I believe," 
 Thaddeus said. 
 
 " I am reliably informed, gentlemen," Mr. 
 Outwright said, " that a scheme is on foot to steal 
 the Convention from Thaddeus to-day, and to 
 give the nomination to Mr. Morrison." 
 
 He paused, and a death-like silence reigned 
 in the room for a minute or more. Then Major 
 Morrison spoke : 
 
 "Gentlemen, this comes home to me quite 
 naturally. If I were a delegate I should vote for 
 Thaddeus, even as against my own son, for I be- 
 lieve in fair play ; and up to this time there has 
 been but one candidate in the field for nomi- 
 nation, and he should have the fruit of his labor. 
 However, I believe it is only proper for me to
 
 3 1 6 AN ODD PELLO W. 
 
 withdraw from this conference, that your plans 
 may be unhindered by my presence." 
 
 And he withdrew in silence. 
 
 "I have suspected as much," Judge Tracy 
 said, "but did not know for a certainty that it 
 was so. On account of my business relations 
 with Wendell, I feel that I must withdraw from 
 this conference, though I am sincere in wishing 
 abundant success to Thaddeus in this aspiration. 
 He is competent and worthy. I will retire." 
 
 And he did, without protest 
 
 "A very proper thing ha! ha! a very proper 
 thing ah! for the major, and the judge, too, 
 for that matter. Ha! ha! Fine gentleman 
 ha! ha! both of them, with ah! a very deli- 
 cate sense ha! ha! of fitness of things. By the 
 way ha! ha! seeing that some one must take 
 the lead ha! ha! Mr. Outwright, what would 
 you ah! suggest for us ah! to do?" Mr. 
 Christie said, smiling cheerfully upon the men 
 who were yet in conference. 
 
 " I am not here, gentlemen, to suggest meth- 
 ods. I am here to work. If you have anything 
 I can do, command me." 
 
 "By the way ah! Thaddeus, do you know 
 who ah! that is to say, have you a list of the 
 delegates ? But, of course, you have ah ! being 
 an editor. Ha ! ha ! Ah, thanks ! By the way, gen- 
 tlemen ha! ha! let me read you the names
 
 THE CONVENTION. 317 
 
 ah! of the delegates as chosen ah! by the 
 primaries," Mr. Christie said, taking the list 
 Thaddeus handed him. "Ah ! Mr. Russell," he 
 continued, looking up as the door opened, and 
 Seth slipped in, and took a seat. " I suppose 
 ah ! gentlemen, Mr. Russell is ah ! not in- 
 truding. Ha! ha!" 
 
 Seth said not a word, nor did any one object 
 to his presence, so the reading commenced : 
 
 " S. L. King, Thomas Jackson, Robert Mor- 
 ton" 
 
 "Gone to Chicago," broke in Seth, referring 
 to the last-named. 
 
 "Good!" said Captain Thompson. "He is 
 worth ten men, do n't you know? Morrison will 
 miss him more than ten men. That whole dele- 
 gation, do n't you know, can be held to Thad, if 
 Bob Morton ain't in it, do n't you know ? Count 
 the rest of that township for Thad." 
 
 "But ah! ha! ha! what made Morton leave 
 just now?" 
 
 Then Seth stood up and said: "Read on! 
 Every now and anon you will strike the name of 
 a delegate that has business somewhere else. The 
 eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous. His 
 ears are open to the cry of the needy 1" 
 
 And the reading went on. From every town- 
 ship names were greeted by Seth with the re- 
 mark, "Gone to Chicago 1"
 
 3i8 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 At the close of the reading, Captain Thomp- 
 son said: 
 
 "It seems to me, don't you know, that about 
 all of Morrison's best workers have gone to Chi- 
 cago, don't you know? I do n't understand it." 
 
 "And you do not have to understand it, Cap- 
 tain," Seth said. " The ways of the Lord are past 
 finding out" 
 
 " Nonsense ! The lyord has nothing to do 
 with Bramble County politics, do n't you know? 
 Now, if you had said, 'The devil was to pay,' 
 do n't you know, I 'd have agreed with you." 
 
 "Der Sheegawga eggsbusition ees a midedy 
 beeg ding to der fellers whad neffer bean dar," 
 Simon Hunter said, gesticulating impressively 
 with both arms. " Ond dare be gustomers ob 
 mind dat I wands der see it already, right avay 
 off soon ; ond Morrison he 's mind freund, obv 
 course, ond so I sends hees freunds, ond mind 
 gustomers, too, to see der eggsbusition a week 
 or tend days, already righd avay, once. Ond 
 dat's der vay the devil's ter bay, Cabtin!" 
 
 "You do n't mean to say," said Mr. Outwright, 
 in surprise, " that you have hired Morrison men 
 to go to Chicago, and miss this Convention ?" 
 
 "Naw! I shust remarght dat I send ad me 
 own eggsbense sume gustomers ob mind ter de 
 Sheegawgo eggsbusition 1 I fine out mit mine 
 freund, Sed Russell, day 's Morrison's fretmds,
 
 THE CONVENTION. 319 
 
 doo ! Ond I not wand der spoil dare drip, so I 
 slmsht say dat magdt no diffrunce to me !" 
 
 " Well, well !" said Mr. Outwright, sighing 
 heavily. 
 
 But the rest of the company laughed heartily, 
 except Thaddeus and Seth. They were too busy 
 just then in a whispered conversation to notice 
 the general hilarity, or to remark the very satis- 
 fied air Simon Hunter wore, as he stalked about 
 the room, and examined the portraits of politi- 
 cians that hung against the walls. 
 
 " But what is to be done now ?" Mr. Outwright 
 asked, anxiously. 
 
 "Nothing. Ha! ha! I suppose ah! only 
 to go to the Convention ha ! ha ! and see Thad 
 nominated !" Mr. Christie said. "All the rest of 
 the names are solid for Thad. Ha ! ha ! It would 
 take ah ! a cyclone ha ! ha ! to move the 
 most of them ha! ha! from their ground." 
 
 "So our scare was for nothing." 
 
 " Not exactly, Mr. Outwright," Thaddeus said, 
 the meanwhile holding Simon Hunter's hand in 
 his own tight clasp. " But my friend, Mr. Hun- 
 ter, had not told us of his interest in the Chicago 
 Exposition, or we would have been less alarmed." 
 
 " But does n't Wendell know of the absence of 
 his trusted followers," the pastor persisted. 
 
 " Perhaps ; but if he does, he can do nothing 
 now. His plan is to stampede the Convention
 
 320 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 by a brilliant speech, to be followed by a rush for 
 his nomination by acclamation. Mort Humphrey 
 has kept me posted. It can not be done !" 
 
 "I hope not; but keep your powder dry, my 
 friend, and do n't forget to pray," Mr. Outwright 
 said, leaving Thaddeus and his friends to complete 
 the details of their maneuvers in the Convention. 
 
 "This beats my day I" said a delegate, looking 
 back over the immense throng that filled the 
 court-room when the Convention was called to 
 order. " Such a crowd to see one man nomi- 
 nated without opposition I" 
 
 "What man?" asked a fellow-delegate at his 
 side. 
 
 " Throckmorton, of course. There is no other 
 man mentioned, and all the townships have in- 
 structed for him." 
 
 " Instructed nothing ! I was chosen delegate 
 before any instructions were given. I shall vote 
 my individual sentiments. I do n't want any 
 psalm-singing saint to represent me in the State 
 Senate !" 
 
 " I should say not ! An imp from the re- 
 gions below would do it better !" exclaimed Setli 
 Russell, who had crowded his way through the 
 press and stood just in front of the speaker, as 
 they waited for the gavel to fall for silence. 
 
 " Only your age saves you from punishment," 
 said the rebuked man, hotly.
 
 THE CONVENTION. 321 
 
 " Let not that hinder you ! But say, was it 
 five or only two dollars that Sam Slimkins gave 
 you out in the lobby ?" 
 
 " He gave me nothing," the delegate said, 
 quickly catching himself. 
 
 And so it was in every delegation. There 
 was one or more who objected to being bound 
 by instructions. They were noisy delegates, too. 
 They had no fear of being heard. When Morri- 
 son appeared on the platform, cheers and stamp- 
 ing of feet greeted him from every part of the 
 room. He bowed his acknowledgments, and sat 
 down with a bearing born of a sense of his power 
 to control his fellows. 
 
 After the Convention had been organized, the 
 chairman a mild and timid man, with a soft and 
 low voice called for nominations. There was 
 silence for two seconds, then there arose a cry 
 from every part of the room : 
 
 " Morrison ! Morrison ! Morrison I" 
 
 Thus appealed to, he arose, and, declaring his 
 purpose to say but a few words, he launched out 
 into a speech that was marvelous for its cogent 
 reasoning, its brilliant rhetoric, its flashes of wit, 
 and its sweeping torrent of argument. There 
 was no mistaking the outcome of such an effort. 
 Its conclusion was greeted with round after round 
 of applause. The cheering ceased only to break 
 
 out afresh. The chairman was helpless. His 
 
 ax
 
 322 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 voice could not be heard in the roar of stamping 
 feet, clapping hands, and pounding of canes. 
 
 " Morrison ! Morrison ! Morrison !" was 
 the cry. 
 
 He arose, again bowed his acknowledgment, 
 and sat down, during which time there was si- 
 lence, followed immediately by a wild uproar, in 
 which the chairman's gavel, pounding the table, 
 was taken as a part of the applause, and not a 
 call to order. It was a wild scene. Amid it all, 
 Thaddeus sat near Morrison, silent, and as pale 
 as death. A fearful struggle was going on within. 
 It required all the will-power he possessed to 
 keep him from fleeing from the scene of his de- 
 feat and humiliation. Morrison was beaming 
 with smiles, and gave no heed to the silent rival 
 at his side. 
 
 "Speak, man! speak!" said a whispered voice 
 in his ear. It was Seth's. "Stand up, and break 
 the spell ! In the name of all I have done for 
 you, speak!" 
 
 Instantly, Thaddeus was on his feet The 
 storm subsided for a second, and burst forth 
 anew ; but with less force. 
 
 "Mr. Chairman!" 
 
 His voice rang out, with startling clearness, 
 above the din. He hardly thought he could 
 make himself heard, and was surprised to hear 
 his own voice in that roar.
 
 THE CONVENTION. 323 
 
 There was a httsh. 
 
 "Mr. Chairman!" he commenced again, and 
 for one brief space of time faltered, and then 
 said, with steady tone and a voice free from emo- 
 tion : " I move you, sir, that Wendell Morrison 
 be declared the choice of this Convention for 
 State Senator, and that the vote be by acclama- 
 tion." 
 
 This time it was Thaddeus's friends who 
 sprang into the breach. 
 
 "No! no! no! Vote! Ballot! ballot!" came 
 from all parts of the room. 
 
 The spell was broken. Morrison's men were 
 without a leader. Sam Slimkins was there ; but 
 he never put two sentences together in the pres- 
 ence of an audience in his life, and was helpless 
 in such an hour as that. Morrison himself dared 
 not champion his own cause, having publicly 
 declined to enter the race, and Robert Morton 
 was in Chicago. 
 
 "Order a ballot," Seth said, stepping down to 
 the chairman. 
 
 "Mr. Secretary," the chairman said, softly, 
 " call the townships." 
 
 In stentorian tones the clerk obeyed, and the 
 ballot for State senator was begun, though no 
 name had been formally presented. The battle 
 was on. Not a township voted solid, and at 
 each township there was a delay until the dele-
 
 324 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 gation could be polled. The call was completed. 
 The secretary hastily figured the result, jotted it 
 down on a slip of paper, and handed it to the 
 chairman. 
 
 "Read it yourself! Read it yourself!" they 
 called to the clerk. 
 
 He took the paper out of the chairman's 
 hands, and read : 
 
 "Throckmorton, 77; Morrison, 78 1" 
 
 There was a cheer, but it quickly subsided. 
 
 "Mr. Chairman!" It was Thaddeus again. 
 "I move the nomination of Mr. Morrison be 
 made unanimous," 
 
 It was so ordered. 
 
 Then the Convention adjourned, and all went 
 home sad. Thaddeus and his friends were sad, 
 because he had lost Wendell and his friends 
 were sad, because it had been so slight and so 
 dearly-bought a victory. 
 
 "It is night, it is night, son of my well-be- 
 loved friend," Seth said, opening the door of the 
 Banner office noiselessly, and speaking to Thad- 
 deus, who sat in his chair, oppressed by his mis- 
 fortune. "It is night; but a star arises, and the 
 day is not distant. I will retire," 
 
 " May I came in ?" 
 
 Jennie Jessup stopped hesitatingly at the door 
 which Seth had that instant abandoned to make 
 room for her.
 
 THE CONVENTION. 325 
 
 " Do !" said Thaddeus, springing to his feet. 
 He advanced to meet her, and, giving her his 
 hand, stood silent, not daring to say more lest 
 his strong emotion should quite overcome him. 
 At that instant heavy footfalls on the stair an- 
 nounced the approach of several men, and Jennie 
 could only have time to say hurriedly, as she 
 warmly clasped his hand in hers : 
 
 "Be comforted! It is far better to deserve 
 success than to gain the day unworthily! 
 Good-bye 1"
 
 XXX. 
 
 JENNIE JESSUP. 
 
 T~TTHAT night found Thaddeus at Miss Jes- 
 - sup's home ; for he felt that he owed it to 
 her to express his appreciation of her sympathy 
 and confidence as manifested by her call at his 
 office, something he had been prevented from 
 doing at the time by the presence of strangers. 
 He rang the bell, and, without waiting for any 
 one to answer, he stepped inside the hall, and 
 was hanging his hat on the rack when Miss 
 Jennie appeared. 
 
 "You didn't expect me to-night, did you?" 
 he said, in response to her look of surprise. 
 
 " Did not expect you, certainly ; but you are 
 welcome, nevertheless." 
 
 "I am sure I am," he said, seating himself in 
 an easy-chair, and then added : " This is my 
 other home, you know. Here I am as much at 
 ease as in my mother's home. Queer, is n't it ? 
 I do not feel that way anywhere else in town." 
 
 "That is a compliment that I appreciate, as 
 does my mother," Jennie said, blushing in spite 
 of her effort not to do so j " though I believe it- 
 is not a new one." 
 326
 
 JENNIE fESSUP. 3 2 7 
 
 "Hardly," Thaddeus said, not noticing Jen- 
 nie's embarrassment; "for I just now recall that 
 that is my usual preliminary remark here. It 
 takes the place of saying, ' The weather is fine 
 for this time of the year.' " 
 
 "I am surprised, but delighted, to find you 
 so cheerful after the Convention. I suppose you 
 thought it strange for me to call at your office. 
 It was a little bit unwomanly perhaps ; but I 
 presumed upon old acquaintanceship ; and, be- 
 sides, I thought a word then would count more 
 than a score later on after everybody had ex- 
 pressed sympathy, or you had recovered from 
 your disappointment." 
 
 "That is true. You surprised me by coming; 
 but I did not think it strange, and certainly not 
 unwomanly. Our long-standing friendship, our 
 recent campaign together in the temperance 
 work, not to mention the memory of our school- 
 days, all made it seem very natural. I came 
 to-night purposely to tell you how very kind it 
 was in you to do that very thing ! You are 
 still the whole-hearted and sensible girl you 
 were, Jennie, when we were pupils in the old 
 academy." 
 
 "I am so glad you do not take your defeat to 
 heart," she replied, earnestly. 
 
 "Do you know, I am surprised at myself? 
 At first I was crushed. When the first cyclone
 
 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 of applause broke upon the Convention, and I 
 saw what a hold Morrison had on the masses, I 
 choked with grief, and was strangled with fear. 
 Nor did I get any relief until I stood on my feet, 
 and moved his nomination." 
 
 "Did you do that?" she exclaimed in aston- 
 ishment, interrupting him. 
 
 "Certainly. It was the proper thing to do, 
 though it cost me a fierce struggle with pride. 
 I got my reward, however, in the ballot. He 
 was chosen by only one majority ; and if I had 
 not spoken, or if I had not moved his nomina- 
 tion, I believe he would have carried the Con- 
 vention by storm, and I would not have been 
 mentioned. As it was, we measured strength, 
 and, to my delight and his chagrin, it was almost 
 a drawn battle. But I was down away down 
 when you came. I felt that I would quit the 
 town at once and forever." 
 
 "As your father did," Jennie said, medita- 
 tively, at that instant studying the carpet, and 
 not Thaddeus's face. Had she not been, she 
 would have seen the light fade from his counte- 
 nance before the swift-moving cloud of distress 
 that swept across his memory. For several sec- 
 onds there was silence, when he said, slowly and 
 sadly : 
 
 " An inherited weakness 1"
 
 JENNIE JESSUP. 329 
 
 And when her eyes questioned his, and he 
 saw the regretful look on her face, he added : 
 
 "This fleeing from a shadow, I mean. But / 
 didn't go, Jennie. Give me credit for that." 
 
 " Pardon me ! I should not have said that. 
 I did not mean to. Mother was talking to me, 
 just before you came in, and it was in my mind ; 
 for she alluded to it I know how it distresses 
 you. I will not refer to it again." 
 
 "But, as I was saying," Thaddeus went on, 
 " I was feeling very despondent when you came. 
 Seth was at the door just before you, and, in his 
 peculiar way, comforted me ; and then your com- 
 ing was like a burst of sunshine on a rainy 
 spring day." 
 
 " Thank you ! You are truly complimentary 
 to-night," she said, quietly. 
 
 " It is no compliment, Jermie Jessup," he re- 
 plied, adopting a form of address that carried 
 them both back to their school-days, and their 
 long, long ago love affair. " I would despise 
 myself to speak compliments merely at such a 
 time. I am in earnest. You will not know what 
 you saved me from you and Seth. I was at 
 the verge of an awful step a cowardly step a 
 disgraceful step. Every true man must feel it 
 to be a disgrace to flee from duty because he 
 must suffer if he stays. Your words 'It is
 
 330 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 better to deserve success and fail than to succeed 
 and deserve failure' were as a trumpet blast 
 arousing me ; and your manner, Jennie Jessup 
 so hearty, so warm, so unaffected and unstudied- 
 revived my spirit as wine strengthens the faint 
 in body. I have come to tell you that I I 
 linger fondly over that scene." 
 
 " I do not deserve such praise," she said, 
 softly, " and pardon me it hardly is right to 
 receive such words from you, knowing, as I do, 
 your relations to Josie Tracy." 
 
 " Do me the honor to believe me when I say 
 that there is nothing in my relations with any 
 one to prevent your receiving such words, or any 
 I may speak, if you will but take them. They 
 are sincere 1" 
 
 " I believe you, Thaddeus, I could not do 
 otherwise ; for you have never deceived me." 
 
 " Never, Jennie, unless I was deceived my- 
 self. Sometimes I think I am easily deceived, 
 and may have led others astray on that account." 
 
 " But do you think Cousin Wendell will be 
 elected ?" 
 
 " O yes ; the majority in this district is large, 
 and the opposition have no hope of beating Mor- 
 rison or any other man on the ticket," 
 
 " Unless he beats himself! Poor cousin Wen- 
 dell ! I am afraid drink will ruin him ! Just an 
 evening or two ago he was here, and so intoxi-
 
 JENNIE /ESSUP. S3' 
 
 cated that lie was like a demented rnan. He 
 said things that he would not have said for the 
 world when sober. He told me a long story 
 about Josie Tracy. Indeed, he said he was en- 
 gaged to her ; but I told him I knew better ; that 
 you were the favorite there, and so on. But he 
 ridiculed the idea, and said you were ' out,' and 
 such nonsense." 
 
 " Of course," Thaddeus said, evasively, " you 
 can put no confidence in anything a man says 
 when he is under the influence of liquor. And 
 yet I have known men in that condition to tell 
 the exact truth. It seemed an accident ; not a 
 deliberate purpose." 
 
 " And another thing he told me seemed queer. 
 I wish he had not told me, even if it is not true. 
 He said he had been spending weeks in straight- 
 ening up Judge Tracy's title to his property ; 
 that perhaps the whole thing would have to go 
 through the courts." 
 
 " Nonsense !" Thaddeus said, impatiently. 
 " There is no better real estate lawyer in the na- 
 tion than Judge Tracy. It is incredible that a 
 man whose opinion in such matters is taken as 
 law by everybody, should himself be the victim 
 of a defective title, or should depend on so care- 
 less a lawyer as Morrison for clearing away a 
 cloud." 
 
 " But he said," persisted Jennie, " that the
 
 332 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 defect was in the title before Judge Tracy's day, 
 and that it did not appear until he wanted to sell 
 a part of his estate." 
 
 " Perhaps so ; but I can not believe it. I 
 will quietly look into it myself. While Morrison 
 is running for office, I will be looking up his title 
 to landed estates, if what he told you is true," he 
 said, with a forced laugh. 
 
 " What is true ? About Josie, or the judge ?" 
 
 "Both!" 
 
 " For years and years our family had trouble 
 about titles. Of course I do not know much 
 about it; but I have heard mother and Uncle 
 Morrison talk it over. They do not agree in 
 every particular, and it is hard for them to keep 
 in good humor with each other when that sub- 
 ject comes up. It is so annoying ! I would 
 rather lose a small fortune than to go into the 
 courts, and have family matters looked into by 
 strangers. So mother says, too. She is proud 
 of her family name. One thing, though, I never 
 could understand, and that is why Uncle Mor- 
 rison is so wealthy, and mother has only barely 
 enough to keep her. It seems to me there was 
 an unfair division somewhere." 
 
 " Not necessarily," Thaddeus said, thought- 
 fully. " Your uncle is a great man to make good 
 bargains, and his real estate deals have been 
 wonderfully .profitable. Your mother, I suppose,
 
 fENNIE fESSUP. 333 
 
 has been content to take legal interest on her 
 money, and " 
 
 " Not so. Her money is with Uncle Mor- 
 rison's. At least he pays her interest. But why 
 does his grow into houses and farms, and ours 
 not?" 
 
 " That is a question," Thaddeus said. "While 
 I am studying Judge Tracy's titles, shall I look 
 up }our matters? Seeing that it is all in the 
 family, I might just as well," he said, gayly. 
 
 "Do!" Jennie replied; and then the conver- 
 sation drifted off into other channels, and Thad- 
 deus found ten o'clock all too near, as they re- 
 viewed together school-days and after years. 
 
 "Well, well!" he said, rising to go, "if one 
 had told me at five o'clock when I was mur- 
 dered figuratively by your cousin that at ten 
 o'clock I would be laughing and chatting with 
 you, like a real live man, I should have thought 
 him daft!" 
 
 "Come again soon!" Jennie said, extend- 
 ing her hand. 
 
 " May I ?" he asked, eagerly. "Though this 
 is my other home, I like to be asked to come, and 
 like to be treated a little as if I were not home- 
 folks when I go away," he said. 
 
 " I was going to walk to the gate with you," 
 she said, laughingly; "but as I would not do that 
 with any but home-folks, I will stop here."
 
 334 AX ODD FELLOW. 
 
 " Do come f ' he replied, taking her "hand 
 upon his arm, and without much entreaty she 
 permitted him to lead her to the gate. 
 
 " If there is n't Seth Russell !" Thaddeus said, 
 as he passed out into the street, and waited until 
 the old man joined him. 
 
 "Good-night I Sweet be thy dreams," he 
 said, bowing to Miss Jennie ; and then, turning, 
 he walked off with Seth, who did not, appar- 
 ently, see the young lady at the gate, yet, not- 
 withstanding, he saw and understood, 
 
 " Son of my beloved friend, the polar star is 
 unchanging. Whatever sea you are on, let its 
 light be your guide. God is unchanging. With 
 him is no variableness, nor shadow of turning! 
 God is love ! Hence true love changeth not. 
 True love is the polar star of human life. Son 
 of my beloved friend, take your eyes off the 
 moon's fair face, though she sweeps the heavens 
 in queenly beauty 1 When the moon has gone 
 from sight, the polar star remains. The moon 
 is friendship ; the star is love !" 
 
 "What an odd fellow you are!" Thaddeus 
 said, impulsively, and reached out his hand to 
 clasp that of his faithful guide; but at that in- 
 stant he darted into an alley, and was gone, call- 
 ing back impressively: 
 
 "Remember what I say, and mark it well 
 mark it welll"
 
 XXXI. 
 
 TWO CALLS. 
 
 T I THE office of the recorder of deeds of Bratn- 
 -|- ble County gave up to Wendell Morrison 
 some very surprising secrets as he was gather- 
 ing information concerning the title to the piece 
 of property Judge Tracy had contracted to sell 
 at such a good bargain. 
 
 The same records were open' to the inspec- 
 tion of Thaddeus Throckmorton, or any other 
 person who cared to examine them ; so when he 
 began to follow the indications brought to view 
 at his first real search after the truth a task 
 taken up out of curiosity, after his call upon 
 Miss Jessup the evening of the day of his de- 
 feat in the Convention he was surprised at the 
 revelations the musty old books made. But the 
 political campaign was at its height soon after- 
 ward, and his duties as editor and reporter for 
 he must be both interfered with his searching 
 the records, and he was compelled to defer full 
 investigation until after the election. 
 
 But Morrison was not less busy, having calls 
 to speak every day up to the time of election. 
 He, too, was compelled to put off his investiga- 
 tions to a more convenient season. 
 
 235
 
 336 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 His district was thought to be so reliably 
 certain that he was taken by the Central Com- 
 mittee to other portions of the State, where he 
 did efficient service for his party, and returned 
 home in time to vote, with accumulated laurels, 
 and a dazzling name as an orator. That he 
 had kept sober during his speech-making tour 
 was a great delight to his real friends, and a 
 sore disappointment to his political enemies, 
 who had predicted his return in disgrace before 
 a week had passed. They were false prophets, 
 every one of them. 
 
 He had written to Miss Josie nearly every 
 day of his absence. He could not well avoid 
 it, for she wrote to him every day a letter that 
 was intended to restrain him if a letter could 
 do such a thing and was also intended to fos- 
 ter and develop her love for him. She felt the 
 need of loving him more, it she was to be his 
 wife, and deliberately set about to develop her 
 love to a proper degree. She forgot his weak- 
 nesses, his meannesses, his heartlessuess, and 
 thought only of the brilliant orator, the success- 
 ful lawyer, the rising politician, the humble sup- 
 pliant at her feet, the very gallant and always en- 
 tertaining escort. She forgot his carousals, and 
 remembered only his conquests. She forgot his 
 broken pledge to sobriety, and remembered only 
 her promise to be his wife. With the forgotten
 
 TWO CALLS. 337 
 
 things behind her, and the remembered things 
 beJore, she wrote, every day, womanly and yet 
 guardedly ardent letters to her lover. But as 
 she wrote she caught herself blushing painfully, 
 though in the privacy of her own room. Blush- 
 ing, not for love of the man she called her be- 
 trothed, but because the words she traced were 
 so dazzling and so empty; because they so 
 mocked the throbbings of her heart. 
 
 " It is false, and I will not send it !" she said 
 once, twice, and very often as time slipped by, 
 when a sheet of note-paper had been filled with 
 words of affectionate regard ; so she tore it into 
 shreds, crushed them in her hands, and crowded 
 the mass down deep in the silken bag that 
 hung by her desk for such scraps. But straight- 
 way she would begin another letter, would write 
 more deliberately, and choose her words more 
 wisely, and the corrected epistle would be 
 mailed in haste lest it, too, should find its pre- 
 decessor in the dark depths of the bag that 
 beckoned it to its legitimate resting-place. 
 
 What could Wendell do but answer these 
 daily missives ? And answer them he did ; an- 
 swered them as he answered all his letters, 
 promptly, briefly, and without unnecessary gen- 
 tleness. Without his knowing it for he did not 
 take time to think about it his answers all took 
 the same shape, and amounted to the same thing. 
 
 22
 
 338 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 "Miss Josie" they would begin, and then 
 would rush on like this, in a very clear, but ex- 
 ceedingly fine hand: 
 
 "Yours received. Glad to get it. Did me good. Write 
 again. Great meeting last night. Crowded house. Fine 
 music, and a splendid speech, they all say. Have no time 
 to write. See the daily. WENJDKU,." 
 
 He need not have suggested that she should 
 look up what the dailies said about him. She 
 saw the papers, and was not insensible to the 
 reflected honor. Truly Wendell Morrison was 
 famous. His speeches were printed in full many 
 times, and the papers lauded him to the skies. 
 But she was not satisfied. She fed on husks. 
 Her heart was starving, and she did not know 
 what was the cause. 
 
 " He will be home to-morrow. I wonder if 
 he will call here first?" she said, musingly. "I 
 hope so ; for it would be very humbling to my 
 pride not to have at least a call at once." 
 
 And her pride was humbled! Why should 
 Wendell call on her, when he arrived home to 
 find that, while he was gone, his hired servants 
 had been asleep, and his enemies had sowed 
 tares in his political field. With the quick ap- 
 prehension of a trained politician, he discovered 
 signs of defeat at his very door. With con- 
 summate skill and unparalleled energy, he ral- 
 lied his forces, and pushed hard for victory. In
 
 TWO CALLS. 339 
 
 vain! He was not elected! The whole State 
 was carried by his party, but his district elected 
 the opposition candidate. It was very mortify- 
 ing. Telegrams of condolence poured in upon 
 him; but they could not change the result, and 
 went but little way toward healing the wound. 
 He sat gloomily in his office the next day, sur- 
 rounded by a group of his local adherents, 
 listening with curling lip to their explanations 
 of the causes of his defeat, and casting off with 
 a sneer their well-meant but ill-chosen words of 
 consolation, committing them all with angry 
 vituperation to the lowest depths of Hades, 
 when some one said, in a low tone : 
 
 "A lady, Morrison, wants to see you." 
 
 " Who is it?" 
 
 "Miss Tracy, I believe." 
 
 "Tell her I am busy. Call again some other 
 time." 
 
 No need to tell her. She had heard, and she 
 retreated down the steps in hot indignation, her 
 eyes blinded by tears of stricken pride. But she 
 did not call again ; nor did Morrison call on her 
 until several days had passed, and the news of 
 his defeat had ceased to be a current topic. That 
 call was very unsatisfactory, except in one par- 
 ticular. He asked, and she readily granted, an 
 indefinite postponement of their marriage, which 
 had been set for the holidays.
 
 340 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 Wendell's bearing toward Thaddeus changed 
 completely after the election. Instead of haughti- 
 ness and a domineering manner, there appeared 
 studied politeness and courteous consideration. 
 He seemed to accord the young editor a foot- 
 ing equal to his own, and treated him as a peer 
 and not as an inferior. The responsive soul of 
 Thaddeus ran to meet these overtures of peace, 
 and rejoiced that the Banner had given Wendell 
 unfaltering support, and his defeat could not be 
 charged to silent resentment of that paper on ac- 
 count of the loss of the nomination. 
 
 " It almost pays me for what I suffered, to see 
 Wendell so humbled and so softened by his fail- 
 ure," Thaddeus said, to Jennie Jessup, one even- 
 ing, a month or two later. 
 
 "And it pays me," she replied, with pardon- 
 able flushing of her face, as she slipped her arm 
 in his and led him to the parlor, "for all I have 
 suffered these years, to see Thaddeus so humbled 
 and so softened by his failure to win an heiress 
 that he will come back to his always faithful and 
 devoted Jennie, of school-days' attachment." 
 
 "Come back?" he exclaimed. "I am not sure 
 that I ever got away ; though, I must confess, I 
 tried very hard. But do not blame me, Jennie ; 
 that is, do not censure me too strongly. I thought 
 I might just as well marry rich as poor; and, 
 then, there was much that was congenial between
 
 TWO CALLS. 341 
 
 ' the heiress ' and myself if you will persist in 
 calling your old friend by such a title." 
 
 "That is right, my dear. You are good at con- 
 fessing. No, I do not think you ever really got 
 away ; for, 'can you tell me how love cometh ?' " 
 she said. 
 
 '"It does not come,'" he quickly answered; 
 ' 't is sent.' " 
 
 "And, 'can you tell me how love goeth?'" 
 she asked brightly. 
 
 "'It was not love that went,'" he said, 
 laughingly. 
 
 "Of course not; for yon are here," she re- 
 turned, warmly. " So, now, we will let that sub- 
 ject drop, for a while." 
 
 "About a minute?" he asked, teasingly. 
 
 "Yes or a half." 
 
 " But, before I forget it, did you not tell me, 
 Jennie, your mother had a genealogical chart of 
 her family?" 
 
 "Yes; one reaching back to the family that 
 first came to America." 
 
 "Well, let me take it when I go home. I 
 have run against a snag in my search in the rec- 
 ords that it will help me remove. Now, do n't 
 forget. You promised it to me the last time I 
 was here, but let me go off without it." 
 
 "I suppose that is what brought you down 
 to-night?"
 
 342 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 "Partly principally, perhaps." 
 
 "Well, if you take it with you, you will have 
 no excuse for coming to-morrow night." 
 
 "O yes, I will! Choir-practice, you know?" 
 
 "That reminds me ! Let us look over this 
 new anthem-book. It has such lovely duets in 
 nearly every piece. Mr. Outwright said, last 
 Sunday you were not there, you know that he 
 was hungry for another duet ; that he had not 
 heard us sing any since the temperance cam- 
 paign. Let us surprise him next Sunday?" 
 
 " Good ! He deserves to be surprised. He is 
 so like a father to me." 
 
 "There ! I guess that will do for one !" Jen- 
 nie exclaimed, two hours later, as they went 
 through, the third time, a faultless arrangement 
 of a striking duet. 
 
 "There!" Thaddeus exclaimed, in the same 
 breath. "The clock in the steeple strikes ten, 
 and I am not at home yet!" 
 
 And so it was that, in the hurry of his de- 
 parture, taking into account the many hin- 
 drances finding his hat, his gloves, and so on 
 the chart was forgotten again, and the next day 
 nothing was done by him in his search among 
 the musty records. But Wendell was buried in 
 the great books that were to play such a part in 
 the affairs of both Miss Tracy and Thaddeus 
 Throckmorton,
 
 XXXII. 
 
 SEARCHING THE RECORDS, 
 
 TTTHERE was one thing Wendell Morrison 
 -J- knew abont Judge Tracy's real-estate af- 
 fairs before he began the search of the records : 
 that was, that a large part of the estate was Mrs. 
 Tracy's by will of her father. Wendell knew 
 this through common report, and not from the 
 testimony of the records. In his search he came 
 upon the will, and found his belief confirmed 
 thereby ; but he found more. He discovered 
 that this estate Mrs. Tracy's descended to 
 Miss Josie at the death of her mother, and that 
 a stated amount of the income therefrom, a very 
 handsome sum, was to be annually paid to Miss 
 Josie after she was of age. But as Judge Tracy 
 was sole executor of the will, without bond, and 
 as Miss Josie was careless of her rights seeing 
 her father supplied every want, real or imagin- 
 ary, in a generous way it was doubtful whether 
 the stated amount had annually been paid over 
 to her. If it had not, a small fortune belonging 
 to Miss Josie was in her father's hands. 
 
 "In bank-stock, doubtless," Wendell said to 
 himself, with a low whistle of satisfaction as he 
 
 343
 
 344 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 replaced the documents he had been examining 
 in the probate judge's office. 
 
 He turned from his investigation of the will 
 to the record of deeds, further to trace the title 
 he was endeavoring to quiet, and was surprised 
 and startled to find that Mrs, Tracy and Miss 
 Josie had transferred to Judge Tracy all their 
 right, title, and share in the Lysander estate, the 
 consideration, as the record had it, being " one 
 dollar in hand paid, and love and affection." 
 
 "Fools! fools! fools!" he said, slamming the 
 pages of the huge record together, and turning 
 to leave the office. He had spoken aloud. 
 
 "Who are fools?" the clerk asked, looking up 
 from his desk. 
 
 "Everyboody!" Wendell exclaimed, throwing 
 open the office-door in a vengeful way, letting it 
 swing back into its place with a loud bang. 
 
 The clerk smiled broadly, and kept on at 
 work ; while Wendell sought the privacy of his 
 own office, and took what consolation he could 
 get out of his expensive cigar, as he meditated 
 upon how to get rid of his engagement to a 
 penniless "heiress." He meditated only a few 
 minutes, however, and then sprang to his feet, 
 saying wrathfully: 
 
 "Everybody is a fool, and I am the biggest!" 
 
 Immediately his dark face took on a more 
 cheerful expression, and a smile played about
 
 SEARCHING THE RECORDS. 345 
 
 his lips. He gathered up his memoranda con- 
 cerning the title in question, and returned to the 
 office of the registrar of deeds, quite gayly enter- 
 ing upon the work he had so recently abandoned 
 in disgust 
 
 " It is a small matter after all," he said, and 
 laughed softly at his own foolish fears of a short 
 time before, " that she deeded the property to 
 her father, since she is his only heir." 
 
 While Wendell was in the office of the regis- 
 trar, Thaddeus came in, hastily examined a rec- 
 ord, and went out. 
 
 "What is Trockmorton up to?" the derk 
 asked WendelL 
 
 "I don't know. Why?" Wendell replied, 
 carelessly. 
 
 "I supposed you would; for he has been 
 tracing the Morrison real estate." 
 
 "How's that?" Wendell asked, interestedly. 
 
 "He has been making inquiries about the 
 Morrison genealogy, and looking through the 
 records for Morrison transfers." 
 
 "I can not guess," Wendell said, with a tone 
 and an air that were meant to convey the idea 
 that he did not care. 
 
 The clerk had left his desk, and was standing 
 by the table where Morrison had a huge volume 
 spread out, expecting, no doubt, a bit of gossip, 
 or an inkling of Throckmorton's purpose. Wen-
 
 346 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 dell's sudden relapse into indifference puzzled 
 him, and as no further information was given or 
 requested, the clerk returned to his writing, and 
 the attorney continued his searchings in silence. 
 
 Wendell returned, after a time, to his office, 
 quite well pleased with his day's work; but dis- 
 turbed in mind by the information that the 
 clerk had imparted. If true, and he did not 
 doubt it, there must be some object back of it. 
 What interest had Thaddeus in Morrison affairs? 
 That is the question Wendell pondered upon. 
 He had given little heed to Thaddeus's visits to 
 Mrs, Jessnp's home. It possessed no signifi- 
 cance to him. He di<3, not know that Miss Josie 
 had broken an engagement with Thaddeus to 
 accept him ; though he knew Thaddeus was not 
 then, as formerly, a frequent caller at Judge 
 Tracy's. He attributed that more to Thaddeus's 
 increasing independence of thought and action, 
 as manhood took on strength and wisdom. 
 What attracted his attention and awakened sur- 
 prise was mention of property interests. He 
 thought hard and fast, and, after a long time, 
 came back to the remembrance that his Aunt 
 Jessup had not quit-claimed her interest to his 
 father. That remembrance was an electric-shock. 
 
 "Jupiter Pluvius !" he said, excitedly. " I 
 will make father get that deed this very day." 
 
 With tr-at lie hurried out on the street, and
 
 SEARCHING THE RECORDS, 347 
 
 made a tour of the principal business places, 
 hunting for Major Morrison, that he might lay 
 the matter before him. He came back to his 
 office, a half-hour later, vexed because he had 
 not found his father, and was surprised to see 
 him sitting in Judge Tracy's big chair, awaiting 
 his son's return. Wendell lost no time in stat- 
 ing the case. His father heard him through, 
 and said : 
 
 "It surely is recorded, Wendell; for Judge 
 Tracy told me at the time that he would get it. 
 I supposed he had it Ask him about it, and 
 if he says he did n't, I will see to it at once." 
 
 Major Morrison's quiet and confident manner 
 had its effect on Wendell. He admitted he was 
 too hasty in his conclusions, and the two drifted 
 off into other subjects. When Major Morrison 
 had gone, Wendell went to a compartment in 
 the office-safe where he knew Judge Tracy kept 
 deeds and kindred papers, and examined the 
 vast collection carefully. He did not find, as he 
 hoped, the unrecorded quit-claim deed ; but he 
 did find, very unexpectedly, a document that re- 
 paid him for his trouble, he thought. It was an 
 old deed, conveying one hundred and sixty acres 
 of Missouri land to Richard Throckmorton "for 
 and in consideration of one dollar in hand paid, 
 and legal advice and services in the case of The 
 People vs. John Thompson." This yellow and
 
 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 soiled document colored from age, and sofled 
 by repeated handling in shuffling the pile of 
 papers of which it was one had no filing marks 
 on it, and Wendell rightly concluded that it had 
 never been recorded, either. 
 
 "I will make a memorandum of the land, 
 and look it up," he said, putting the papers back 
 in the safe. "If I find it is worth anything, I 
 will trade for it at least, buy Thad's equity. 
 I suppose he is in profound ignorance of this 
 property." 
 
 The mail that left Brambleville an hour later, 
 carried a letter to a prominent law firm in the 
 county in Missouri, where the land was located, 
 in which Wendell asked for information as to the 
 probable value of the land described. In a few 
 days the answer came, and it startled Morrison 
 by its statements. The land lay adjacent to 
 Kansas City, and, the letter said, was very valu- 
 able acre property that could be platted, and made 
 an addition to that booming city. 
 
 "Here's my chance!" Morrison said, striking 
 the desk a resounding blow. "I '11 buy up Mrs. 
 Throckmorton and Thad before they know what 
 they are selling, and will pocket the profits." 
 
 Nor did he lose any time in making his pro- 
 posal to Thaddeus. He appeared unconcerned, 
 and as having only a moderate desire for the 
 property when telling Thaddeus about it, and
 
 SEARCHING THE RECORDS. 349 
 
 said to conclude with, " Of course your equity is 
 all I buy. It would have to go through the 
 courts, and your father's death would need to be 
 proven some way. I may lose all I put in it, but 
 still if you would rather have a thousand dollars 
 than your right to this property, just say so, and 
 I will give. you a check, or at least father will." 
 
 Thaddeus was in his shirt-sleeves in the mid- 
 dle of the composing-room, where Wendell found 
 him helping the printers get out the Banner on 
 time. 
 
 After several seconds of silent consideration, 
 he began, " I will take it," but, turning abruptly, 
 gave some order to the foreman before complet- 
 ing the sentence, 
 
 " All right," promptly replied Wendell, "I will 
 bring father up right after dinner." 
 
 "Hold!" Thaddeus called. "You do not un- 
 derstand me. I will take it under advisement, and 
 will talk with mother about it." 
 
 "You will!" Wendell exclaimed, very visibly 
 nettled by this unlooked-for step. " Do so, if 
 you think best; but, mind you, I do not make 
 that proposition indefinitely. Perhaps by to-mor- 
 row I will have changed my mind. Indeed, I 
 am almost sorry now I offered it It was a fool- 
 ish thing to do without seeing the property; but 
 I did it, and will stand by it until morning." 
 
 "Very well," Thaddeus said, quietly, and
 
 35<> AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 turned to his work without so much as a word of 
 surprise at the discovery. 
 
 Wendell returned to his office in a rage. He 
 well knew that Thaddeus would not sell at any 
 price he could name, if he took time to investi- 
 gate the property. 
 
 Wendell was correct. Thaddeus investigated 
 and immediately declined even to name a price 
 he would sell for. 
 
 Wendell consoled himself by thinking the title 
 would probably be very much clouded by tax- 
 sales and delinquencies of various kinds, and in 
 the end Thaddeus would rue his refusal to sell. 
 
 It was about this time that Mr. Outwright 
 called upon Thaddeus to make inquiries about 
 the Tingleman children. 
 
 "Who helps you take care of them ?' he asked, 
 and then remarked, " Some money could be appro- 
 priated out of the Charity Fund on Thanksgiv- 
 ing-day, if you think it right to be done." 
 
 "Thank you," said Thaddeus, coloring 
 slightly. " Mother has learned to love the little 
 fellows very much ; and they love her, I am sure. 
 We do not think of them except as part of our 
 family. I would just as soon think of taking 
 charity money for myself, as for them. I do not 
 miss what they require, but I would miss them 
 if taken away." 
 
 Those were simple words, spoken in unaffected
 
 SEARCHING THE RECORDS. 35 ' 
 
 manner, as Thaddeus leaned upon the showcase 
 in which the fine cards and stationery were kept, 
 the minister just in front of him ; and yet there 
 was something in the words, or perhaps in the 
 manner of the young editor, that touched Mr. 
 Outwright's heart, and he said impulsively, lay- 
 ing his hand in a blessing upon Thaddeus's 
 shoulder : 
 
 "God bless you! You are an odd fellow; but 
 I am sure the Father will reward you for caring 
 for his orphans." 
 
 " He does," Thaddeus replied, earnestly. " He 
 does, Mr. Outwright. I get back in money all I 
 spend on them, and get back in love and friend- 
 ship all I give them, and more too." 
 
 " I believe you do ! Well, I will not trouble 
 myself any further about your wards, since you 
 and the Father have such a perfect understand- 
 ing of the case. I am willing to trust you both, 
 or either of you." 
 
 "Thank you!" 
 
 "Well, I hope the boys will grow up to be 
 industrious and bright, and will, by and by, take 
 the Banner off your hands, and keep you in old 
 age as you keep them now." 
 
 " I hope so," Thaddeus said, with a smile ; 
 and the pastor went out to look after needy or- 
 phans, who had no such protector as this "odd 
 fellow," as he so often called Thaddeus,
 
 352 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 An hour later Thaddeus was surprised by a 
 call that was unheralded, for Henry Tingleman 
 walked into the Banner office, and abruptly said : 
 
 "I have come for my children !" 
 
 For a moment Thaddeus was puzzled to make 
 out who the man was; for he was greatly im- 
 proved in appearance since they last met. He 
 was well-dressed, had a cleanly-shaven face, and 
 wore an air of self-respect and reliance. 
 
 "You have !" Thaddeus said, arising to greet 
 him. " Why, Tingleman, you have been made 
 over ! Where do you come from ?" 
 
 "That's right, Throckinorton, I have been 
 made over, and I come from Kansas City, praise 
 the Lord !" 
 
 "But you are not after the boys!" Thaddeus 
 said, with keen disappointment, remembering 
 how his mother would hate to let them go. 
 
 "Yes; I have come to take them off your 
 hands. I suppose you thought I had forgotten 
 them and you ; but 1 had n't. I am doing well 
 out West. I am joint car-inspector for all the 
 roads in the city, and have been converted to 
 Jesus Christ. Praise the Lord !" 
 
 " Tingleman," Thaddeus said, eying him 
 closely, and feeling a thrill of pleasure he could 
 not describe, as he looked upon the sober and 
 sincere man before him. " Tingleman, when I 
 last saw you, you were a swearer, and now I hear
 
 SEARCHING THE R&CORDS. 353 
 
 you blessing the Lord instead of cursing. You 
 used to drink, and now you are sober. You do 
 not know how happy it all makes me !" 
 
 "Nor you do not know how happy it makes 
 me. Praise the Lord!" Tingleman replied. "I 
 am not the same man. I have been born again, 
 and I have come to show the boys their father." 
 
 "To be sure ! And now let us hasten, for I 
 am keeping you from them. It is dinner-time 
 anyway. How glad mother will be, and yet how 
 sad, too, if you take her boys from her!" 
 
 It was very late in the afternoon when Thad- 
 deus returned to his office ; for he lingered long 
 after dinner at home with his mother, Tingle- 
 man, and the boys. His friend had much to tell 
 him about Kansas City. Thaddeus was delighted 
 to learn from this disinterested witness evidence 
 of the value of all real estate in that city at that 
 time. He returned to his work with a lighter 
 heart than when he went home ; for the boys 
 were to stay with them until Tingleman should 
 have a home of his own. 
 
 "That will be a long time," he said, softly. 
 "I can not forget my angel in heaven long enough 
 to think of another." 
 
 But Tingleman ha- 1 another object in return- 
 ing to Brambleville. He had met in the West a 
 man who said he was Richard Throckmorton, 
 and who had made special inquiry for Thaddeus, 
 
 23
 
 354 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 though he knew not his name, designating him 
 only as " my child," and Tingleman wanted to 
 satisfy himself of the stranger's identity before 
 he accepted his statements, or made known his 
 discovery.
 
 XXXIII. 
 
 AN UNEXPECTED RETURN. 
 
 "D ICHARD THROCKMORTON came home; 
 J-,X but he came as he had gone, silently in 
 the dead of night, unannounced and unexpected 
 unexpected by all except one, and that was Seth 
 RusselL From the day he heard that Throck- 
 morton was alive, and had been seen by Tingle~ 
 man, Seth met every east-bound train, whether 
 it came at noon or at midnight. He watched 
 with feverish anxiety for the stepping off of the 
 cars of one who would be so strange as to justify 
 his asking him if he were Throckmortoru He 
 came one midnight when Seth and the night 
 operator were the only persons at the depot 
 when the train rolled in. No need to ask if 
 that were Throckmorton ! Seth recognized him 
 at sight. Who wonld not recognize that tall 
 form, that massive head, that bearing of a king, 
 if he had ever seen it before ? And yet the form 
 was bent, the hair was long and white as the 
 snow, the large mouth was uncovered by mus- 
 tache, though a long beard exactly matched the 
 hair in color, and the eyes were almost hidden 
 in the mass of wrinkles that encircled them, ex- 
 
 3SS
 
 356 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 cept when opened in surprise. There was a 
 childlike simplicity and timidness in the move- 
 ments of this stalwart man that belied his ap- 
 pearance, and that touched all hearts. His man- 
 ner was that of one lost in deep study, and not 
 until he was engaged in conversation did the 
 awful truth flash upon the inquirer out of the 
 mass of bright and beautiful ideas expressed in 
 elegant language, with which he repaid such at- 
 tention given him. He was sadly bereft of rea- 
 son. He lived in the past, with just enough of 
 attention to the present to keep him from acci- 
 dent. His mind was strong and active, and he 
 would grasp and hold any form of information 
 while in actual use ; but then would follow lapses 
 of memory and failure of volition, that were dis- 
 tressing in the extreme. Such was the man that 
 Seth Russell met that midnight hour. He fol- 
 lowed him away from the light of the depot win- 
 dow, as he started aimlessly down the street, and, 
 when in the shadow of a building, he overtook 
 him, saying: 
 
 " Is n't this Richard Throckmorton 7* 
 "The same, at your service. And who are 
 you?" 
 
 The haughtiness with which the answer to 
 Seth's inquiry was spoken, was in painful con- 
 trast to the timid and wistful asking of the ques- 
 tion that followed.
 
 AN UNEXPECTED RETURN. 357 
 
 " I am Seth Russell. You know me P* 
 
 " Seth Russell !" Throckmorton exclaimed, in 
 tones of glad surprise. " Seth Russell, have n't 
 I been looking for you everywhere these years 
 and years?" and immediately the strong man was 
 overcome, and was a child again. He broke out 
 into tears, and sobbingly said : 
 
 "Why didn't you come, Seth? I couldn't 
 find my way back. I have tried to get here, but 
 always got lost somewhere." 
 
 This was said in weak and cooing tones, 
 Throckmorton, the meanwhile, hugging his 
 friend close to his breast. 
 
 " O my friend ! my friend!" Seth exclaimed, 
 as he hid his own tear-stained face in the bosom 
 of his friend. It was clear to Seth that Throck- 
 morton was unbalanced in mind. At once he 
 had the key to his long absence. Sound in 
 many respects, his mind was unreliable in many 
 others. 
 
 " Will you let me lead you home ?" Seth asked 
 finally, taking his hand, as one child walks with 
 another whom it loves. 
 
 " Yes, Seth, lead me home. The child, Seth? 
 Is the child here, and is it well ?" 
 
 "The child, Richard, the child!" said Seth, 
 with difficulty suppressing the sobs that were 
 breaking his heart. "The child will make you 
 glad. It is here, and is welL"
 
 358 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 "And Alice, Setli ? Is Alice well ? Does she 
 forgive me for not coming sooner?" 
 
 " Yes, Alice is well, and is waiting for you. 
 She forgives you, and loves you dearly." 
 
 " Does she ?" Throckmorton said, and, softly 
 laughing, walked with Seth along the one-time 
 familiar streets, heeding nothing, and eagerly 
 stretching forward to get to Alice and the child, 
 clinging to Seth's hand with a clasp that clearly 
 showed how afraid he was that he would lose 
 him. 
 
 At that very hour Thaddeus was in Kansas 
 City with Tingleman, hunting for the man who 
 said he was his father. Tingleman had been 
 careful to learn the elder Throckmorton's resi- 
 dence, and all he could tell about himself; but 
 when he returned, and Thaddeus with him, the 
 old man had gone, no one knew where. So it 
 happened that Mrs. Throckmoton was alone when 
 Seth brought her husband to her. 
 
 " Here he is !" Seth said, as he led Throck- 
 morton in. Mrs. Throckmorton having hastily 
 dressed and come down in answer to Seth's assur- 
 ance that it was he who wanted to see her a 
 minute. 
 
 "Not Richard !" she said, standing for a mo- 
 ment like a statue, her hands clasped before her, 
 and her face darkening with grief, and almost in- 
 stantly lightening up with joy and love. That
 
 AN UNEXPECTED RETURN. 359 
 
 word "Richard" startled Throckmorton into 
 consciousness. With stately grace, he stepped 
 toward her with beaming countenance, and said, 
 in tones that belonged to the long, long ago: 
 
 "Alice, my darling!" 
 
 " Richard, my precious husband !" 
 
 She clung to his neck, and kissed his lips, his 
 face, his forehead repeatedly and passionately, 
 while he held her close in his love-strong arms, 
 and looked into her eyes with melting tenderness, 
 softly saying: 
 
 "Alice, Alice, my darling.*' 
 
 Presently he released her, and with an ex- 
 pression that sent a chill to her soul, he said, 
 moving toward the stairway : 
 
 "The child, Alice! I must see the child!" 
 
 "What child?" she asked wildly, guessing 
 the truth, and yet refusing to believe it. 
 
 "My child our baby! Where is it?" 
 
 " It is night," Seth said, gently. " I^et the 
 child sleep, Richard. In the morning will be 
 better." 
 
 u Well," he replied submissively, and taking 
 the chair offered him at once became silent, an- 
 swering all questions in monosyllables, and fail- 
 ing to recognize even his wife. She, poor soul, 
 sat sobbing her life away. Her Richard had in- 
 deed returned for one blissful moment, but was 
 now gone again. Would he ever know her again ?
 
 360 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 Like an infant they put him to bed, and then 
 sat down to watch by his side until day should 
 dawn. He slept peacefully while the wife and 
 friend comforted each other in that hour of sad- 
 ness, and dwelt lovingly upon the scenes and 
 happenings of the years long gone. 
 
 "He has not moved for an hour!" Seth said, 
 as Mrs. Throckmorton put out the lamp and 
 threw open the shutters. "I was afraid that 
 would awaken him," he added, and going softly 
 across the floor to the bed, he bent down to 
 catch the sound of his breathing. He heard 
 nothing. He put his hand on the forehead of 
 the returned wanderer, and it was cold! He 
 placed his finger on the pulse, and it was still ! 
 The sleep he slept was that which knows no 
 waking. For him the morning had dawned! 
 With a sigh of relief, Seth turned to Mrs. Throck- 
 morton, who had been watching his movements 
 with keenest interest, and said, very softly: 
 
 " It is better so. He is at rest!" 
 
 "Not not dead?" she gasped. 
 
 "Dead!" Seth replied, chokingly ; for though 
 it were better so, he felt the loss of one he had 
 counted as alive through so many years of un- 
 certainty. 
 
 Weeping silently, Mrs. Throckmorton kneeled 
 by the bed, took one cold hand in hers and 
 pressed her cheek to it, and thanked the Father
 
 AN UNEXPECTED RETURN. 361 
 
 for the privilege of knowing the day, the hour, 
 and the place of her beloved Richard's death. 
 
 " It is not so hard now," she said, arising and 
 turning to Seth a tear-stained but peaceful face ; 
 "for I know we shall meet soonT" 1 
 
 "Ah, so we shall!" Seth said; but there was 
 no smile upon his face. He brushed his hand 
 across his eyes, and said : " I can not see I" 
 
 "Are you ill?" Mrs. Throckmorton asked, 
 anxiously; for a death-like pallor had driven the 
 ruddy glow from his cheeks. 
 
 "I think not. I have lost much sleep lately. 
 I will go now and tell some friends, and then 
 try to sleep a little. I will be back after dinner, 
 if not before." 
 
 Within half an hour after Seth left, a score 
 of sympathizing and rejoicing friends had gath- 
 ered at Mrs. Throckmorton's. The news of 
 Throckniorton's return and death spread rapidly 
 through Brambleville; but a piece of news more 
 startling still followed close upon it When 
 Seth Russell reached his own door he sank upon 
 the porch exhausted, and died in the arms of his 
 wife as she attempted to lift him up! 
 
 When Thaddeus received the telegram con- 
 taining the startling news of his double loss, he 
 was astounded, and almost overwhelmed by its 
 suddenness! He had counted so much on see- 
 ing his father 1 He had so longed for one word
 
 362 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 of a father's blessing! Taking Tingleman with 
 him, he hastened home. 
 
 The two life-long friends Richard Throck- 
 morton and Seth Russell were buried at the 
 same hour, and very near each other. The vast 
 concourse of friends who witnessed the burial 
 returned to their homes to praise the two, and to 
 wonder what such deaths and such scenes por- 
 tended for the survivors. 
 
 Thaddeus, sorely stricken, would have fainted 
 by the way but for the upholding of a Divine 
 ami, and would have died of grief but for the 
 refreshing love of a heart that beat in sympathy 
 deep and true; for neither had she known a 
 father's love and protection.
 
 XXXIY. 
 
 THE DAY-DAWN. 
 
 TTTHERE is no antidote for grief equal to self- 
 -g- sacrificing labor for others. So Thaddeus 
 found. Brambleville had lost mnch of its bright- 
 ness for him, since Seth Russell fell asleep for 
 all time. Life itself took on a somber hue when 
 his father came home and died, leaving him 
 without even the consolation of a single word of 
 blessing. And yet the memory of Seth's un- 
 selfishness was a benediction, and the remem- 
 brance of his cheerfulness inspired to like 
 endeavor. Thaddeus lingered long over the 
 account his mother gave of the intense desire of 
 his father to see "the child our baby!" He 
 recalled again and again the noble form, the 
 massive head, the striking features of his sire as 
 he saw him clothed for burial, and the recollec- 
 tion made him proud and happy. Nevertheless 
 there came hours of intensest sorrow because he 
 had never known the love, the strength, the wis- 
 dom, the helpfulness of so noble a man. 
 
 He mourned over the sudden departure of 
 his old friend Seth. He wished that he might 
 have been there so that he could have told 
 
 363
 
 364 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 that indeed "the night was passing, and the 
 morning was near," as he had predicted ; for the 
 discovered possession in Kansas City had been 
 sold for a sum that was beyond his fondest hope. 
 
 So, despite the rays of light that penetrated 
 the gloom that enveloped him despite the sweet 
 recollections that relieved the sorrowfulness of 
 his meditations, he walked wearily, and was al- 
 most ready to sink under his unexpected bur- 
 dens. In his pastor he found a sympathizer and 
 a helper. 
 
 " It is true, my friend and brother," Mr. Out- 
 wright said, as he sat by the editor's table one 
 noon hour "it is true that life is essentially a 
 tragedy. However bright and joyful its begin- 
 ning, death is its end. However sweet human 
 companionship may be, heart-breaking separa- 
 tion is the result. But be not discouraged ! 
 Life is before you ! Up, and prove yourself a 
 hero ! Your opportunity has come ! Your tri- 
 umph is at hand! Rise to meet your new re- 
 sponsibilities, and you shall be strengthened as 
 your day demands ! But I need not thus en- 
 treat you, for I know you will." 
 
 "By the help of the Master, I willP' 
 
 Thaddeus arose, and leaning over his desk, 
 gave his hand to the minister in token of the 
 sincerity of his pledge. 
 
 "Amen!" Mr. Outwright responded, feel-
 
 THE DA Y-DA WN. 365 
 
 ingly, and both sat down, too much affected to 
 say more for a few minutes. Presently Thad- 
 deus spoke : 
 
 "Then you quite approve of the proposed 
 temperance meeting at the Church, with Tingle- 
 man as the chief speaker ?" 
 
 " Most heartily ! It can not fail to do good. 
 He can speak from experience, both as to the 
 curse and the cure. We have had quite enough 
 of the curse. Now let us learn something of the 
 cure from one of the victims." 
 
 "What he can do on the platform is a ques- 
 tion. He is wholly without practice. He tells 
 me he never undertook to speak longer than 
 three minutes in his life. But he says he knows 
 his experience by heart, and is quite sure he can 
 not tell it all in even an hour. He has no fear, 
 and I do not know that 7 should have any; but 
 I am a little afraid he will break down." 
 
 " Pray for him, my friend ; pray for htm, and 
 God will do the rest." 
 
 " I do pray for him, and he prays for himself, 
 too, every night at our family worship. He 
 makes a good prayer." 
 
 " But how long will he remain here ?" 
 
 "I do not know. He has a leave of absence 
 for two weeks, but he says the time of his return 
 will depend on the outcome of this meeting. I 
 have an idea that if he succeeds here he wil
 
 366 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 want to go on a lecture tour ; at least wfll want 
 to visit all adjacent towns, and relate his experi- 
 ence. He is intensely in earnest, and says he 
 can not do enongh to make good the ruin his 
 past life has wrought." 
 
 But little did Thaddeus know what Henry 
 Tingleman meant when he said the time of his 
 return to Kansas City would depend on the out- 
 come of this proposed meeting in the cause of 
 temperance reform. Nobody knew except Tin- 
 gleman and his God! 
 
 " Have plenty of good music, and keep it be- 
 fore the people in the Banner, and we will have 
 a crowded house and a rousing time. Good-bye ! 
 God bless you I w 
 
 Mr. Outwright went out, and Thaddeus turned 
 to his work, hurrying through it that he might 
 have time to devote to the details of the new 
 temperance movement. The announcement that 
 Henry Tingleman, a converted gambler and 
 drunkard, would tell his experience, brought an 
 audience that filled every available space in the 
 largest church in Brambleville. To be sure, a 
 hundred more could have been seated in the 
 Music Hall, and another hundred could have 
 found standing-room there ; but Tiugleman said : 
 " I must be in the house of God if I tell my ex- 
 perience. I was born there, this last time, and 
 I can talk better in my Father's house than else-
 
 THE DA Y-DA WN. 367 
 
 where. God is my Father, and the Church is 
 iny mother ; so let me stand between them and 
 speak!" 
 
 Who could deny him his request? The music 
 was good, even excellent ; but the people assem- 
 bled had no ear for the music, though it was re- 
 ceived with manifest approval. The prayer by 
 the pastor was touching and full of power ; but 
 the people were waiting for Tingleman, and had 
 no thought for the prayer. Up to the offering of 
 the prayer, Tingleman sat on the platform, pale, 
 silent, and greatly agitated. He was dismayed 
 by the sea of faces before him. He thought only 
 of the people, and his thoughts fled affrighted 
 from him. His breath came hard and sonorously, 
 and he was on the eve of fleeing when Mr. Out- 
 wright kneeled in prayer. Tingleman kneeled 
 too. The vast audience gave but little heed to 
 that prayer. But it was otherwise with Tingle- 
 man. He followed every word, and clung to 
 every petition, saying "Amen!" in his heart to 
 every sentence. There were three in that assem- 
 bly, at least the praying pastor, the frightened 
 servant, and the Blessed Master! The three 
 were enough! 
 
 "Now, Lord," the pastor said, "give thy serv- 
 ant, who is to speak to-night, thought and utter- 
 ance. Give him power, and may he magnify 
 thy saving love 1"
 
 368 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 They arose from their knees, and the congre- 
 gation sang a moving song. 
 
 Tingleman leaned over, and whispered to Mr. 
 Outwright: 
 
 "You have saved me! That prayer saved 
 ine! The Master is with me. I know he will 
 help me I" 
 
 And it was so! 
 
 "My friends," Tinglemen commenced, in a 
 clear, strong voice, his perfect self-possession 
 and evident earnestness reassuring his friends 
 and confounding his enemies, scores of whom 
 were present in the gallery, and standing in the 
 back part of the Church, " I am to tell you to- 
 night of a cure for drunkenness. That I have 
 been a drunkard, all of you know ; and a score 
 or more of my former companions in sin, who 
 are here to-night I see them standing there and 
 sitting up yonder in the gallery could, if they 
 would, testify to the awful truth that I was no 
 common drunkard, but an uncommon one ; for 
 I descended to the lowest depths. To my shame 
 I say this. To my shame, and to the praise of 
 my dear Master who is also here to-night I 
 will tell you the story of my cursed life in the 
 service of sin, and my happy life since I have 
 been cured by the touch of Divine love." 
 
 There was a pause, during which the silence 
 was so perfect that the ticking of the clock
 
 THE DAY-DAWN, 369 
 
 against the gallery front sounded like the strokes 
 of a hammer on a distant anvil. Tingleman 
 stood with bowed head, and his body trembled 
 with strong emotion. lifting his eyes, and 
 steadying his voice, he went on : 
 
 " But first let me tell you of an angel I once 
 knew. She was an angel on earth as truly as 
 she is now an angel in heaven. Will you pardon 
 me for this personal allusion? And yet I need 
 not ask that, for all I say to-night must be 
 purely personal. Need I tell you I mean my 
 wife? Should I speak of my love for her, you 
 might well hiss me down ; for, though I wor- 
 shiped the ground on which she walked ; though 
 her words were honey, and sweeter than the 
 honeycomb to me; though her caress was balm 
 for every wound, when I was sober, when I was 
 myself I gave her a hovel to live in ; I stopped 
 her sweet mouth with gravestones ; I put her 
 warm heart under the heel of my devilish appe- 
 tite, and left her pure soul to the care of 
 strangers when I was drunk, when I was driven 
 by devils with whips of scorpions! Her love 
 could not save me. It was like a child couch- 
 ing in the path of a hungry lion ! Let me now 
 go back and tell you how I was debased, and 
 how I have been saved." 
 
 For an hour he talked, and for an hour that 
 audience was submissive to the power that was 
 
 24
 
 370 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 in the man; but not of him. They laughed and 
 they cried, they cheered and they sat silent, as 
 he told his story of ruin and redemption. No 
 pen can adequately describe his conversion as 
 he told it that night Indeed, as he depicted 
 the scene, Mr. Outwright exclaimed, under his 
 breath : 
 
 "Inspired! Inspired!" 
 
 And so, indeed, it appeared to all when he 
 exclaimed, in exultant voice and with beam- 
 ing face : 
 
 "The Great Physician cures drunkenness! 
 The love of Jesus alone can save a polluted soul ! 
 I am saved, praise the Lord !" 
 
 When he shouted these words and stood si- 
 lent, a heavenly light falling over him, the con- 
 gregation, under the leading of Thaddeus, arose 
 and sang: 
 
 "Jesus saves ! Jesus saves P* 
 
 But no one was prepared for what followed ; 
 for Tingleman had taken counsel of no person 
 as to the step he was about to take. In the si- 
 lence which followed the singing of the verse 
 just mentioned, in the hush of expectancy, Tin- 
 gleman, who had remained standing, said, in sad 
 tones, in a voice husky with emotion, and with a 
 pallid face that told plainly how deep was his 
 feeling : 
 
 " My friends, one word more. I can not per-
 
 THE DA Y-DA WN, 37 1 
 
 nrit this opportunity to pass without saying 
 something that will distress you, I fear, and yet 
 I must say it First, though, let me publicly 
 declare my debt of gratitude to Thaddeus Throck- 
 morton for his persistent interest in me. God 
 bless him ! Let me publicly declare my obliga- 
 tion to Mrs. Throckinorton for the care she has 
 given my children, I want her to keep them a 
 while longer; for I suppose their father must 
 leave them, though he longs to take them to his 
 heart. But I have a duty to perform. Let me 
 do that duty. Though redeemed from sin, though 
 cleansed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ 
 though my pardon has been signed, sealed, and 
 delivered by the King, yet yet Dare I say 
 it? Dare I, with prison-gates opening before 
 me, with a felon's fate awaiting me, dare I say 
 what is now trembling on my lips to be said? 
 Yes ; in the name of my Blessed Master, and by 
 his help, I can and do say it, let the consequences 
 be what they may ! Before the law of my State 
 I am a guilty wretch, worthy of punishment. I 
 will take my punishment. I am a burglar ! 
 Judge Tracy's house, and several others in this 
 place, were burglarized by me / I await the ac- . 
 tion of the law." 
 
 He turned and walked off the platform, and 
 left the church by the rear exit. The great con- 
 gregation sat stupefied. The pastor beckoned
 
 372 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 them to their feet, and in words spoken but little 
 above a whisper, he dismissed the people, and 
 they went out, wondering what would come of 
 it alL 
 
 Tingleman went straight to Thaddeus's home. 
 The next day, as he expected, he was arrested ; 
 and refusing bail, though urged upon him by 
 Thaddeus and others, went to jail to await his 
 trial at the next term of court. 
 
 A large reward had been offered for the de- 
 tection and conviction of the burglar who had 
 been such a terror to Brambleville in the past. 
 It was too good a chance for the chief of police 
 to miss, and heuce the prompt arrest of Tin- 
 gleman.
 
 XXXY. 
 
 MISHAPS AND HAPS. 
 
 ANY who doubted the genuineness of Tin- 
 gleinan's conversion, and who listened to 
 his recital of his personal experiences with but 
 little real interest, were convinced by his confes- 
 sion and his willingness, almost eagerness, to 
 suffer punishment at the hands of the courts. 
 They said he proved his faith by his works. 
 
 Not one in the audience that night gave closer 
 attention to what Tingleman said than did Miss 
 Josie Tracy. She was, in the depths of her soul, 
 a believer in abstinence from the use of intox- 
 icants, and she detested the traffic in liquors 
 with intensest feeling. As Tingleman talked, 
 she forgot who he had been, and looked upon 
 him as only an ardent advocate of the principles 
 she loved so dearly. She was charmed with his 
 frankness, delighted with his burning love for 
 the Master, irresistibly attracted by his manner 
 of delivery, though at times uncouth and a little 
 boisterous. 
 
 She fell to planning how she could enlist 
 him in a temperance campaign forgetting, for 
 a moment, her relations to Wendell and had a 
 
 373
 
 374 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 series of meetings arranged in her mind, when 
 his confession came like a stroke of lightning, 
 and demolished her fine castles in the air. She 
 had thought how, at the close of the meeting, 
 she would go to him, congratulate him on his 
 success, assure him of her sympathy, and was 
 going to say, "I am proud to be called your 
 cousin" a relationship the judge had never 
 acknowledged between himself and Mrs. Tingle- 
 man ; but, alas ! for such a fair speech and such 
 a late rendering of justice. The confession 
 spoiled that! 
 
 And yet she could not get rid of the confes- 
 sion, nor could she banish from her thoughts his 
 touching allusions to his wife, and the utter fail- 
 ure of her pure and unfaltering love to save him 
 from drink, and that, too, when he loved her so 
 passionately. 
 
 Slowly and painfully she reached the conclu- 
 sion that it was folly for her to hope to save 
 Wendell in that way. She shrank from a life 
 that should take on a tithe of the misery which 
 Tingleman had said his habits had brought to 
 his home. The more she thought upon it, the 
 stronger became her desire to escape such a fate. 
 But how? What excuse had she? Not decep- 
 tion. That would have done once, but not now; 
 for she had condoned Wendell's relapses, and 
 after them had replighted herself to him not
 
 MISHAPS AND HAPS. 375 
 
 formally, of course; but by consent, at least. 
 And thus the days went by, with ever-increas- 
 ing agony of soul. Was there no deliverance ? 
 In sheer desperation, and with but little concern 
 as to what would come of it, yet with a feeling 
 that she owed something to Tingleman, and 
 with a belief that she could, by ministering to 
 him, forget her own misery, she determined to 
 visit him in jail. It was easy to induce Jennie 
 Jessup to accompany her ; for had not Thaddeus 
 been to the jail every day ? and where he went 
 she loved to go. Together they called, and 
 found Tingleman in the debtors' room, and not 
 confined in the cell where other criminals were 
 locked up. 
 
 While they were visiting the prisoner, a most 
 extraordinary occurrence was taking place in the 
 registrar's office. There was not a more pru- 
 dent business man in Brambleville than Judge 
 Tracy; but he had suffered himself to become 
 connected with a prosperous farmer in cattle 
 speculation, and after a little went into specula- 
 tions on the Chicago Board of Trade, and finally 
 was involved in a wild scheme to force a corner 
 on lard. Draft after draft was sent forward to 
 cover margins until his available resources were 
 exhausted. At the last, his partner gave a check 
 for a large amount, signed by the firm name, 
 and it came back to the home bank for collec-
 
 376 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 tion. Judge Tracy was director in that bank. 
 The check was honored, but the president re- 
 quired a mortgage to secure the bank. This 
 was promptly given, and it was quietly put on 
 record. But Wendell Morrison saw it, and he 
 knew that should the Chicago transaction fail, 
 Judge Tracy would be bankrupt; for the mort- 
 gage included even the home-place. That after- 
 noon the news was published all over the coun- 
 try that the lard corner had failed, and its backers 
 were ruined. 
 
 Without the appearance of undue haste, and 
 yet so soon after this startling news reached 
 Brambleville that one might suppose he had not 
 heard of it at all, Wendell was sauntering up 
 the broad pavement leading to Judge Tracy's 
 door, deliberately scheming to provoke a mis- 
 understanding, and make that an excuse for 
 breaking the engagement. 
 
 He found Miss Josie in the parlor with his 
 cousin Jennie Jessup, having just returned from 
 the jail. They were enthusiastically planning 
 a campaign, when Tingleman should be par- 
 doned; forThaddeus had said, though convicted, 
 as he probably would be, the governor would 
 pardon him on the petition that would go up 
 from Brambleville. 
 
 Wendell listened to their conversation, and 
 found in it his wished-for pretext. He pre-
 
 MISHAPS AND HAPS, 377 
 
 tended to be incensed at such scheming, with 
 such a man as Tingleman for the leading part. 
 
 "Cousin Jennie," he said, with ill-concealed 
 scoin, "you do discredit to your family!" 
 
 " Pardon me, Cousin Wendell," she said, rising, 
 her face flushing deep red as she spoke ; "but I 
 think not. But I will bid you good-bye, dear," 
 she added, addressing Miss Tracy. "Cousin 
 Wendell called to see you, and I must go home 
 anyway." 
 
 Kissing Miss Tracy, she went out, leaving 
 the two alone in the parlor. 
 
 "Miss Josie," Wendell said, when his cousin 
 was gone, "I hope you will not do anything of 
 the kind. You quite forget your position. Tin- 
 gleman is a self-confessed burglar, and, until 
 very lately, a notorious bum, drinking and gam- 
 bling and " 
 
 "Excuse me, Mr. Morrison! Consider what 
 he w, not what he was. He is a self-confessed 
 burglar; but he is also a self-confessed Christian, 
 and is willing to suffer for his sins, in order that 
 his Christian character may the more clearly be 
 seen." 
 
 "Quite true, my Miss Josie; but let senti- 
 ment and gush control you, and where will you 
 end? Though it pains me to do so, I must be 
 firm, and must insist not to command you 
 that you have nothing to do with this business."
 
 378 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 * c You forget, Mr. Morrison, that we have not 
 reached the place where you may command me," 
 Miss Josie replied, with flaming cheeks. 
 
 " Then you insist on having your way in this 
 matter?" 
 
 " I most assuredly do !" she said firmly, her 
 face burning as fire in her hot indignation at his 
 cool dictation. 
 
 "I must warn you of the consequences," he 
 said, with exasperating coolness. 
 
 "What are they?" she asked. 
 
 "A broken engagement." 
 
 " I accept them !" 
 
 "Do I understand you?" he asked in sur- 
 prise, a little taken aback by her prompt reply. 
 
 "I hope you do," she said, facing him un- 
 flinchingly. "The consequences are a broken 
 engagement I accept it." 
 
 "Do I understand you to mean that you de- 
 sire to be free?" 
 
 "That is my desire," Miss Josie said, with 
 intense earnestness. Continuing, she said: "And 
 I understand you to mean that you desire to be 
 free. I am not surprised, except that it has 
 come sooner than I expected. I grant you your 
 request. You are free!" 
 
 "But we part as friends?" he said, seeing 
 that he was dismissed, when he had come to dis- 
 miss her.
 
 MISHAPS AND HAPS. 379 
 
 "As friends," she replied. "You asked for 
 release. I granted it. And now I take mine, 
 and give you back this ring." 
 
 He took it mechanically, looked at it a mo- 
 ment, slipped it into his vest-pocket, mentally 
 calculating its worth when returned to the jew- 
 eler, and said, rather stiffly: 
 
 "I bid you good-afternoon P* 
 
 " Good-afternoon !" 
 
 Miss Josie sought her own room. 
 
 "What a happy escape!" she said aloud, as 
 she rocked restlessly in the little chair she had 
 had since a girL "What a happy escape!" 
 
 Then, bathing her flushed face, and changing 
 her street attire for something more comfortable, 
 she threw herself upon the sofa, little knowing 
 that she had indeed escaped a cruel fate. But, 
 poor heart, another bitter experience was await- 
 ing her the crushing sorrow attending the 
 wrecking of a fortune in an hour. She knew 
 not that at that moment the roof above her head 
 belonged to another. 
 
 Wendell did not stop at half-steps. Before 
 another week had passed, he had dissolved part- 
 nership with Judge Tracy. He looked upon the 
 judge as a crushed man. He did not expect 
 him ever to rally from the blow. He could do 
 better alone in the law-business, and he was soon 
 established in another office.
 
 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 It was well. Thaddeus had been admitted 
 to practice long before this ; but as he could not 
 dispose of the Banner office, he kept right on edit- 
 ing the paper, though his heart was in the law. 
 
 The dissolution notice of Tracy & Morrison 
 was scarcely in type before Thaddeus was in 
 Judge Tracy's office, seeking an interview. 
 
 "Judge," Thaddeus said, holding his friend's 
 hand in a tight grasp, " I can not forget that you 
 were my father's friend ; nor can I ever forget 
 your kindness to me when starting in the news- 
 paper business. I hope you believe me, Judge, 
 when I say I despaired of ever making you un- 
 derstand how deeply grateful I have been." 
 
 Thaddeus paused a moment, for his voice was 
 heavy with emotion. 
 
 "Sit down! Sit down!" the judge said, with 
 unsteady voice, pointing to a chair, as Thaddeus 
 released his hand. 
 
 " Let me beg of you to command what service 
 you will of me, and I will gladly respond. You 
 know what fortune has befallen me. I am free 
 now to leave the Banner office. I want to enter 
 the law, regularly and permanently." 
 
 Judge Tracy's sore and hungry heart divined 
 his meaning at once, and he cast a quick and in- 
 quiring glance at Thaddeus, and said : 
 
 "Would you come in with me now^ when I 
 am a ruined man ?"
 
 MISHAPS AND HAPS. 381 
 
 "If you would let me," Thaddeus said, 
 humbly. 
 
 "Let you! Thad, I want you! I am broken 
 in heart, in fortune, and almost in mind, and yet 
 I have business here for others that needs atten- 
 tion that I can not give it. It would be worth 
 ten years of my life to have some one I can trust 
 to take it Will you help me, Thad?" 
 
 " Say no more, Judge ! To-morrow, if you 
 say so, to-morrow I will move in. I have already 
 engaged Ralph Reynolds to take the Banner." 
 
 "Come right along! Come to-day, if you 
 will! Stay while you are here!" 
 
 When Thaddeus left, the judge strode home- 
 ward with such haste, and at such an unusual 
 hour, that his wife went half way down to the 
 gate to meet him, supposing he was ill or out of 
 his mind. 
 
 "What, dear! What now?" she eagerly and 
 anxiously asked. 
 
 "Good news! I have a new partner, and 
 business will go right along. Thaddeus Throck- 
 morton is going in with me ! He is not brilliant, 
 as I have always said, but he is honest and true, 
 I would trust all I have in his hands!" 
 
 The judge faltered, for his voice was getting 
 more tears in it than he could manage. Adver- 
 sity had crushed his heart and had opened up a 
 fountain long sealed. Passing into his study, he
 
 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 closed the door, and, burying his face in his 
 hands, let the tears flow and trickle through his 
 fingers to the floor. He was glad and thankful 
 for this young and wise and vigorous friend ! 
 
 Thaddeus gave himself to the judge's busi- 
 ness, and, after weeks of weary work, it was 
 settled in such a way that, though every foot of 
 land Judge Tracy had possessed, including his 
 home, was mortgaged, he was permitted to re- 
 tain his residence property; and after another 
 long delay it was .deeded back to him. Just 
 how it was done no one knew, except Thaddeus, 
 and he never told. 
 
 Tingleman was convicted and sentenced, as 
 was expected; but he did not see inside the 
 prison-walls, for he was promptly pardoned by 
 the governor on the petition of all Brambleville, 
 except the saloon-keepers. He did not return to 
 Kansas City, but spent his time in going from 
 town to town in that vicinity "lecturing," he 
 said, but knowing ones called it " preaching." 
 Whatever it was, it was wonderfully effective. 
 Miss Josie called him "Cousin Henry," and with 
 her mother, went with him to many of his ap- 
 pointments. She was a great help to him. She 
 freely, but judiciously and very kindly, criticised 
 his speeches ; pointed out errors, and suggested 
 improvements, until he came to be reckoned one 
 of the most eloquent advocates the temperance
 
 MISHAPS AND HATS. 383 
 
 cause had. She was very proud of his native abil- 
 ity, and justly so ; and she took great delight in 
 his manifest improvement under her tutorage. 
 His large-heartedness, his entire consecration, and 
 his success won her heart to warmest praise. 
 He came to look upon her as his chief support. 
 Her advice was always the best. Her choice 
 was always his. She had no occasion to worry 
 over the problem of saving him as she had done 
 in Wendell's case. He was saved! saved by 
 love divine and grace omnipotent! 
 
 The next year witnessed a campaign that in- 
 cluded the whole State every city, and all the 
 larger towns sharing in the grand work. But 
 before it was commenced, there was a quiet gath- 
 ering of a few friends at Judge Tracy's, when 
 Mr. Outwright pronounced the words that made 
 Henry Tingleman and Miss Josie Tracy husband 
 and wife. The announcement of the marriage 
 came as a great surprise to many people; but 
 they were thinking of Miss Tracy, the proud 
 heiress, and Henry Tingleman, the burglar and 
 drunkard. Thai would have been a shocking 
 union, indeed! But the two thus united were 
 Miss Tracy, a young lady of poor but respectable 
 parents, and Henry Tingleman, the Christian 
 gentleman and eloquent temperance worker. 
 Such a marriage as that was not only not aston- 
 ishing, but was most eminently a happy con-
 
 384 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 summation, since it was productive of untold 
 good to multitudes, who listened and rejoiced as 
 they sang and spoke, night after night, for a 
 whole year. 
 
 As for Thaddeus, he was wedded to his 
 mother's happiness. The years slipped by. He 
 grew in experience, and increased in wealth, and 
 became a leader in all great reforms, filling Judge 
 Tracy's place in public affairs, as well as man- 
 aging his law business. 
 
 As for Miss Jennie Jessup, she, too, was de- 
 voted to her mother. True, through Thad- 
 deus's efforts they came into possession of a 
 very profitable piece of real estate, which, but 
 for his investigation, would have remained in 
 the undisputed estate of the Morrisons. The 
 proceeds from this property enabled them to 
 live entirely at ease. Both Thaddeus and Miss 
 Jennie were happy and contented. They watched 
 with tenderest care over the mothers as they 
 descended to the river's brink. They were 
 nrncli together; for their homes came to be side 
 by side new and handsome residences on the 
 principal, indeed the only, avenue of Bramble- 
 ville. They had promised " to wait," and they 
 v;cre waiting, very patiently and very lovingly, 
 until the time should come when one home 
 should do for both, and when neither heart 
 would fc 2! that it had lost a treasure.
 
 XXXYI. 
 
 A DOUBLE ACCIDENT. 
 
 "["RESPITE his drunkenness, Wendell Mor- 
 g ' rison had phenomenal success as a lawyer, 
 and never lost his prominence in political circles. 
 He turned his attention to criminal practice, 
 from which he received large fees, and was 
 called to defend cases in all courts of the State. 
 He ceased to be the genteel and always polite 
 lawyer, and grew into a heavy, brutish, and boor- 
 ish politician, whose claim to respect rested Qnly 
 upon his unaccountable success at the bar and 
 the political arena. He was despotic and selfish, 
 and yet men fawned upon him and shouted his 
 praises on every occasion. Among his relatives 
 none were more attached to him than his Aunt 
 Jessup, and he reciprocated her affection as far 
 as it was possible for one of his nature to return 
 affection in any degree. In her old age she 
 trusted implicitly to his advice and his control. 
 
 One beautiful autumn day, when Jennie was 
 in Mrs. Throckmorton's home, Wendell drove 
 up in a handsome new phaeton, and asked his 
 aunt to take a turn about town, saying : 
 
 M You are the first to ride in it. I would not 
 25 385
 
 386 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 let my own mother ride iii it until I had taken 
 'Aunt Jessup' out for an airing." 
 
 " Is the horse quite safe, Wendell ?" she 
 asked, when about to step in the phaeton. 
 
 " Safe as myself," Wendell said, as he 
 stepped in after his aunt was seated. 
 
 The horse was a fine specimen, high-spirited 
 and powerful, strong enough to draw a dozen 
 light phaetons like the one to which he was at- 
 tached. He was kind, though so high-spirited, 
 but very full of play as well. Had Wendell only 
 been sober ! But he was not. 
 
 A piece of paper blew down the street. The 
 horse, more in play than in fright, turned sharply 
 about, overturned the phaeton, and then, in fright 
 sure enough, ran down the street, dragging Wen- 
 dell under the overturned vehicle for some dis- 
 tance, having left Mrs. Jessup in front of hei 
 own house, unconscious and dying. Before the 
 sun went down her spirit took its flight. Wen- 
 dell was carried home, cursing the horse and the 
 cause of its fright. He lingered several days in 
 misery from internal injuries, and died at the 
 very height of his fame and his power died, 
 when he might have lived for years had he left 
 strong drink alone. The injuries received were 
 not sufficient causes of his death. He might 
 have recovered from them very speedily, if his 
 physical condition had not proved specious, and
 
 A DOUBLE ACCIDENT. 387 
 
 his recuperative powers had not been under- 
 mined by the use of intoxicants. 
 
 * ***** 
 
 "Which shall it be?" said Thaddeus, as he 
 stopped on the walk, half way between the two 
 houses, one evening, as he and Miss Jessup re- 
 turned from a moonlight stroll ; for Henry Tin- 
 gleman had coine down for a little chat with 
 Mrs. Throckinorton, and they could be out with- 
 out leaving her alone with the servants some- 
 thing Thaddeus never did, except at urgent calls 
 to business. 
 
 " Which shall it be?" Jennie said, repeating his 
 words with a different inflection. " I say neither /" 
 
 "But were we not to decide when we came 
 back whether we would take your house or 
 mine ?" 
 
 "And I have decided!" she said, turning 
 away, and walking off a little alone. "I say 
 neither I" 
 
 "Pray, then what?" he asked. 
 
 "A new one! Let it be ''our house P One 
 we both shall plan, and both help to build. One 
 which we shall occupy first of all," she said, 
 blushingly, as she came back to him extending 
 both hands, which he clasped in his. 
 
 "As you say, my queen. But, dear, that is 
 so long to wait ! A year at least ! Even by this 
 pale moonlight you can see what 'waiting' has
 
 3&3 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 done for me," lie said, turning the side of his 
 head toward her, that she might see the gray 
 hairs which whitened the lock he brushed back 
 over his ear. 
 
 " But what is a year to the twenty I have 
 waited ?" she replied. 
 
 "Please do not be so exact, dear!" he replied, 
 deprecatingly. "It is time you and I begin to 
 forget dates. As dear old Seth used to say, we 
 must count how young we are, not how old" 
 
 " Be it so. Let me ask : Is it not the custom 
 for the groom to take his bride to his home? 
 Shall not that decide ?" 
 
 He put his arm through hers, and, gently 
 turning her about, started to walk toward his own 
 home, when there emerged from the shadow of 
 the great trees, Mr. and Mrs. Christie. 
 
 " Hello, Thad ! Ha ! ha ! We thought we 
 would ah ! take a little walk ha! ha! down 
 your way, a kind of a ha! ha! anniversary 
 parade, as it were O ! ha ! or a promenade, I 
 should have said." 
 
 " That is so /" Jennie replied, enthusiastically. 
 "This is your anniversary 1 Five years is it?" 
 
 "Ten!" said Mrs. Christie, with a kind of 
 triumphant air. 
 
 "One! Ha! ha!" Mr. Christie said. "Only 
 one, Thad ha ! ha ! if it is a day." 
 
 "Ten to Mrs, Christie, and one to you, Mr.
 
 A DOUBLE ACCIDENT. 389 
 
 Christie. Where 's the compliment?" Thaddeus 
 asked, laughingly. 
 
 "It is really only five," Mrs. Christie said; 
 " but I have had happiness enough for ten years; 
 so I call it ten." 
 
 "It is really ha! ha! only five; but ah! 
 O! I have lost my reckoning ha ! ha! and 
 always say one, to be sure !" 
 
 "We have your cards, my dear," Mrs. Christie 
 said, speaking to Miss Jessup, while the gentle- 
 men discussed some other topic. " I am so glad 
 for you. You will have a jewel of a husband. 
 It is so nice you can go to your Aunt Morrison's. 
 And then, will you come right home to Mrs. 
 Throckmorton's ?" 
 
 "Not for a year. We shall go to Europe. 
 Thad's mother is going to Judge Tracy's until 
 we come back." 
 
 "That will be nice!" 
 
 "And then we shall go right into our new 
 home. We expect it will be done and furnished 
 by that time. All the plans are made, and the 
 furniture selected." 
 
 " How lovely !" 
 
 "Mr. and Mrs. Tingleman will occupy our 
 house my house, I mean and when we come 
 back we are going to give them a deed for it. 
 But that is to be a secret, mind you. Do n't tell." 
 
 " Excuse me, but ah ! ha ! ha! Miss Jessup,
 
 390 AN ODD FELLOW. 
 
 I may never have the opportunity again of walk- 
 ing with you ha! ha! not as Miss Jessup. Ha ! 
 ha ! Do me the honor !" 
 
 Mr. Christie bowed profoundly, and offered 
 his arm to Miss Jennie, who accepted it with a 
 gentle bow, and they moved down the aveiiue, 
 leaving Thaddeus and Mrs. Christie to follow, 
 strolling around the square in the bright moon- 
 light, and returning to Thaddeus's home just as 
 Mr. Tingleman came down the steps, saying : 
 
 " I 'd better be going, for here come Josie and 
 the boys after me!" 
 
 And so they were coming. An animated trio, 
 indeed they were ! The two boys had Mrs. Tiu- 
 gleman by her arms, and were hurrying along, 
 talking rapidly, and all as happy as birds. 
 
 " The happiest family on earth !" Tingleman 
 said, proudly, pointing toward the three, and 
 striking his breast softly. 
 
 Mr. Christie and Thaddeus smiled incredu- 
 lously, and looked down into the faces of the 
 ladies at their sides, and both said in the same 
 instant : 
 
 " Except ours !" 
 
 " That is odd !" Tingleman exclaimed, wav- 
 ing his hand in greeting to his wife and the boys, 
 and continuing ; " we are each contending for 
 first place in real enjoyment at home. My home 
 is heaven 1"
 
 A DOUBLE ACCIDENT. 391 
 
 "It is odd," Thaddeus said, laughingly; "but 
 then we are all odd fellows !" 
 
 "So you are," Mrs. Tingleman said, coming 
 up just then, " or rather were, before the boys 
 and I arrived. But see, we make you even ; for 
 there are just eight of us." 
 
 Without suggestion from any one, but by mu- 
 tual impulse, each locked arms with those on 
 either side, and thus made a complete circle, 
 while Thaddeus said : 
 
 " Odd fellows indeed ! But, linked by Truth, 
 we make a perfect chain of Friendship and Love!" 
 
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