Activate Javascript or update your browser for the full Digital Library experience.
Previous Page
–
Next Page
OCR
Seem!
Sa Nha lack malas ag pe
I
b
#
ee
ey wren, (2
"y-. muistmiles from here.
at €
fe BF a ee
shoukl veut,
questioned
_ +
Y
Pyna?
correct his 7 :
‘his af'on ided to take matters into my own
ha LowrWhen you receive this, I shall be
. of Four being compelled to pay the fifteen
. hundred dollars for which you stand pledged
', for me, but I promise that it shall be repaid
to the Jast penny with interest from date.
Thanking you for the kindly interest that you
~ have taken in me, and trusting that you will
forgive me. for this step that is the only one
left me, Iam .
. : Very truly yours,
‘* LEONIE CUYLER.”
‘ “: Not. once, but many times she read the
note, taking it in her hands to destroy it; then
resolutely she placed it in an envelope, sealed,
’ addressed and stamped it.
_.? It sounds ungrateful, harsh, unfeeling,
but it is better so, much better,” she mutter-
ed, her lips drawn together coldly. ‘‘ What
difference can my love make to him? It
could only bring disgrace and contamination,
It could only fill him with loathing if he
knew. He will learn to despise me when he
reads what I have written, and it is better
that he should.”.
She hesitated no longer, but pinning on her
hat, she went to the bureau, and taking from
it an old pocketbook, counted the few dollars
that remained in it; then she picked up her
letter, and with it clasped firmly in her hand,
went into the street. :
An hour later she returned. She went to
the glass and removed her hat. ‘
: The beautiful hair that had been one of her
crowning glories was gone, and a little boyish
head that she could scarcely recognize as her
own was reflected there.
There was no satisfaction, only bitterness
in the face that looked back at her, and she
turned without a murmur.
.. She had begun her battle with life indeed!
She took up a bundlethat she had thrown
from it a full suit of boy’s clothes.
>. Throwing off her own, she clothed herself
‘in the others, an again looked calmly into the
mirror when the task was completed.
The alteration was complete, absolute.
With the same mechanical movements she
opened the drawer to the old sécretary, and
took from it the picture that Godfrey Cuyler
had told her was the face of Lena Mauprat,
but she thrust it into the pocket of her coat
without a glance at it.
y There were one or two souvenirs of ‘‘ Dad”
>that she put into her pocket, then turned to
- take a last view of the room in which she had
been comparatively happy.
,,Asob arose in her throat as'she pictured
the face of her grandfather—that dear old
. face that she was never again to see until she
met him in the presence of God!
-With an unvoiced prayer in her heart, she
‘kneeled and kissed the chair in which he hai
died, then slowly she arose and approached
“+ the door.
“- Qne last glance, a bursting sob, and Leonie
_, Cuyler passed from the room forever!
we
: CHAPTER XI.
“ Nem?” :
** Yes, sir.”
Andrew Pryor rushed into his library with
every appearance of haste and excitement
upon his kindly face, his breathing short, his
hair seeming to have taken an upward turn.
- “IT want you to go down on ’Change for
me.” Hurry, boy! There is not a single mo-
ment to lose. I want you to get there before
the market closes, and tell Caswell for me, to
buy two thousand Western Union, Buyer 30,
and sell five thousand Northwest preferred,
Seller 60. I hate just had a ‘pointer’ by
which I shall make a pile if the market
goes as I have been informed, You have
just three-quarters to make it. If you get
-there—— Ah, that is right. That boy is in-
“valuable.”
_. The sentence was finished to himself, the
‘break being caused by the exit of the boy to
~ whom he had been speaking,
The white-haired old gentleman stood for
" some time with a smile upon his lips, rubbing
his hands together with an expression of pro-
',found satisfaction.
* But gradually it faded.
-First came a look of deep thought, then one
;.4 _ of fear, followed by an expressionso full of
LEONIE, THE TYPE
I understand the fact} —
upon the floor upon her, entrance, and took fi
it would ha¥é been laughable. .
“By Jove: he. exclaimed.:aloud, “I am
positive that I told'that boy to buy Western
Union and sell Northwest preferred! If'he
gives that order as I gave it to him, it will
ruin me!" Whatin Heaven’s name could ever
have made me such a colossal fool! It is im-
possible to do anything now! He has been
gone fully fifteen minutes, and—what in the
name of conimon sense am I todo? Nothing, I
suppose, Five thousand Chicage and North-
western preferred short! Caswell will think
Ihave gone mad! Here! Sarah! Sarah! Tell
William to briag the cart to the door, quick!
= eee ~ vie) Tr ,
consternation, that to a disinterested observer
we
There is not a moment to lose! Don't stand |
staring at me in that insane way, but hurry!
There is not a confounded one of them on this
place that is worth the salt in their bread but
that boy whom I never saw until a week ago.
Where the devil is my coat? I never can find
it without that boy. Lord! if Caswell has
bought that~— Oh, here it is at last;
William, what in the name of Heaven are you
doing here? Didn’t Sarah tell you to bring
the cart to the door ?” .
“© JT thought——”
“‘Never mind what you thought, :you in-
fernal fool! What business had you to
think? Itis too late now, I shall take the
elevated.”
He banged the door after him as he spoke,
and hurried down the street to the nearest
elevated station, rushed up the steps, and was
forced to wait something over five minutes
for the train, during which time he looked at
his watch about twenty times.
The day was decidedly -cool, but in spite
of that fact, the perspiration rolled down his
face like rain. :
“J won't get there until the Exchange
closes,” he muttered; ‘(and with my affairs
in the state they are—— Well, I can’t un-
derstand what ever made me such an in-
ernal-——”
The sentence was interrupted by the arrival
of the train. :
Andrew Pryor rushed in pell-mell, took his
seat, and imagined that the train had never
run with such exasperating slowness as upon
that occasion. . ,
It came to an end at last, however, and col-
liding with everything and everybody where
collision was possible, he rushed on.
At the very entrance of the Stock Exchange
he ran directly into the boy whom he had sent
upon the errand.
“What in thunder did you tell Caswell?”
cried the old man, excitedly. ‘ Quick!”
The expression of the boy’s face was laugh-
able, but partaking of his excitement, he an-
swered, breathlessly:
“‘I hope I have not done wrong, sir; but
going down in the train I remembered that
Northwest preferred had. been jumping at an
astonishing rate the last few days, and I
thought you must have gotten the order
mixed.” .
‘“‘And you reversed it ?”
“T did. Selling Western Union, Seller 60,
and——” .
Andrew Pryor’s mouth opened s if t say
something, but it closed with < hd yan.
and his hand came dows; on th :
er with positive affe
“My boy,” he ev.
emphasis, ‘you hay
you can imagine. Ti:
would have had me ac jr \
out atrial if you had cot Llat order as
I directed you. Such byaiss as yours shall
not go unrecognized. The fellows have been
laughing at me because of your youth and
girlishness, but they can laugh and be hang-
ed! You are my private secretary from this
day at a salary of one hundred and twenty-
five dollars per month. You are thesmartest
boy of your age in New York to-day.”
“‘T amafraid you overestimate what I have
done, sir. You see, I knew the market fluc-
tuations and——”.
“Will pou let me be the judge of that? J
tell you there is not another boy*in the city
that would have done it. Well,it is some-
thing in your pocket. You have madea
friend, and Iam glad of it. You deserve it!”
The handsome eyes of the youth were
downcast. He did not reply, but somehow
Andrew Pryor seemed to understand that the
silence was not the result of ingratitude.
ey
Tun: with
q
WRITER: ©
_ di
He preferred it, upon the whole, to a flow
of words, and attributed it to feeling upon the
part of the boy. : :
Together they went
inside the hall Andrew Pryor. paused again,
laying his hand upon the shoulder of the |
young man. vN
“T shallexpect you to dine with the family
to-night.” he said. ‘It is the respect your
new position demands!” .
A brilliant, embarrassed red overspread the
handsome face, which the patron was not
slow to observe.
‘« What is it?’ he demanded. ‘Remember
perfect frankness is always best.” :
The boy smiled.
“Tt seems such an absurd thing, sir,” he
answered, ‘‘and yet I must ask you to excuse
me, because I do not possess a dress suit!”
“Then you will come without one until it
is purchased, A dress suit does not make the
gentleman. If you have not the money that
is required, do not hesitate to call upon me.
There must be none of that false pride about
you that is so despicable in most young men.
have taken a great liking to you, andIam
determined to see you succeed in the world.
There are very few of us who would have oc-
cupied our present positions had there not
been a helping hand extended to us. Mine
will be the hand to assist you up the ladder to
social prominence and wealth. We dine at
30. I shall expect you.”
Neil Lowell bowed respectfully, but quietly,
and passing up the stairs, went to his own
room. :
Andrew Pryor looked after him.
‘That is the most extraordinary boy thatI
ever knew!” he muttered. ‘Someday I must
get him to tell me the story of his life. I
would be willing to stake my head that his
parents were somebody!” .
And in his own room, a comfortable nest,
not elegant, but cozy and homelike, Neil
Lowell threw aside his hat and coat, and seat-
ing himself in front of the fire, bowed his
chin upon his breast and was lost in reflec-
oo
ion. ,
‘What a strange world it is!” he muttered,
“Only a little while ago, and as a girl, as
poor, unfortunate Leonie Cuyler, my heart
seemed breaking. I was friendless, and help-
less, made desperate by my struggle with life.
Driven to bay, I gave myself the appearance
ofa boy. Fora time I feared the tracing of
detectives, I lived in constant terror, hiding
by day, living in dread at night, subsisting
upon the few crumbs that came in my way,
or starving, as occasion demanded, until 1
could bear it no longer! I threw aside fear,
and determined that whatever the conse-
quences might be, I would ‘brave it out. I
obtained some light work; I went from that
to my old work of typewriting, but the girls
monopolized that, and I was a—boy. How-
ever, I got enough money together to buy a.
decent suit of clothes, accidently performed a
slight.service for Andrew Pryor, was taken
into his employ to do anything that came my
ry that. was not menial, though I don’t
xt I should have refused that had it
“way, and now I am his private
It isa curious world! I wonder
what in feaven’s name is in store for me?
They rust sll discover sooner or later that I
tun nos whv L appear, but how can I help it?
It is useless to repinenow! There is no going
vack. It is forward or die, and I am not
ready for that yet. Thank God for one
thing.
that I owe.to Lynde Pynet Suppose that he
knew the truth? Suppose that he knew that
but yesterday he had stood beside me, Leonie
Cuyler? Suppose—— But the time for sup-
posing anything is over. I am Neil Lowell
now, and Neil Lowell I shall remain to the
end of the chapter. I even intend to try to
forget that Iam not the boy that I appear.
There is no reason why I should not remain
Neil Lowell. I have as much right to that
namie as any other. <As a boy, life promises
something to me, as a girl, it holds nothin
but disgrace and shame. Let me see! If
am to appear at that dinner-table I must be
presentable. I shall have just time to go
down-town and make some necessary pur-
chases before the dinner hour, Haf hat It
does seen too absurd to think of Leonie Cuy-
ler in the bosom of the family of Andrew
Pryor as a fine young man, and his private
It will enable me to repay the debt ¢
home, and at the door /