The Argosy, Vol. XXIV, No. 1 — page 165: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

LIVING IT DOWN. The deed that cost John Jeffreys months of misery—From pillar to post in quest of daily bread— ‘The remorseless fate that pursued a tarnished name. SYNOPSIS OF CHAPTERS PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED. WHILE away at boarding school, John Jeffreys, during a game of football accidentally in- jures a boy so badly that his life is despaired of. Jeffreys thereupon runs away from Bolsover and returns to his guardian in York, whoturns him adrift with only a sovereign, after informing him that the money left for him by his father has been lost through an unfortunate speculation. After tramping the streets for some time and receiving several rebuffs, Jeffreys finally finds a position as under teacher at Galloway House, a school for little boys, conducted by Mrs. Trimble. The boys take to him, which is sufficient to arouse the ire of Mrs. Trimble’s surly first assistant, her son Jonah, who tracks Jeffreys on one of his evening rambles and afterwards abstracts from his pocket a letter speaking of young Forrester, the boy injured at school. Jeffreys is once more cast on the cold charities of the world, which throws him only one sop, in the shape of Julius, his guardian’s dog, who: has been abandoned when Mr. Halgrove moves away leaving not a trace behind. Jeffreys tramps his way to,Grangerham, where he can find out but little about For- rester, and then, seeking refuge for the night in a tumble down shed, overhears a plot to abduct Percy Rimbolt, the fourteen year old son of a wealthy family in the neighborhood. With the assistance of the dog, Julius, he frustrates this and restores Percy to his home. Mr. Rimbolt takes a fancy to Jeffreys and appoints him to the post of private librarian ata salary of a hundred pounds a year. He gets on famously with Percy, and is treated with marked favor by Raby Atherton, Percy’s cousin, who is staying at Wildtree during her father’s absence in Afghanistan with his regiment. But Mrs. Rimbolt dislikes the newcomer and neg- lects no opportunity to humiliate him. During the holidays Mrs. Scarfe and her son arrive on a visit, and in the young man Jeffreys recognizes a schoolmate at Bolsover, one fully cognizant of the Forrester affair. They merely exchange civilities, however, and in one way or another grate harshly on each other throughout the term of Scarfe’s stay. Scarfe tries to prejudice Raby against Jeffreys, but sie refuses to listen to tales of the librarian behind his back. Some time later, after the household has moved to London, Scarfe writes to Mrs Rimbolt, telling in ex- aggerated fashion, way Jeffreys left Bolsover. Mr. Rimbolt, who has been made acquainted with the whole history and elected to take Jeffreys for what he is and not for what he was, is away, and as Mrs. Rimbolt requests the librarian to leave the house within half an hour, he has no choice but to obey, Once more adrift, he wanders about London, and is soon on the verge of starvation. One night he saves a man who has tried to drown himself and who proves to be Jonah Trimble. Jeffreys cares for him as well as he can, and then coming back one day to their poor shelter finds Jonah dead and a note from the “angel” he has talked of as visiting him, saying that he passed away peacefully, and the writing is that of Raby Atherton. CHAPTER XXXV.—THREE ADVERTISEMENTS. ee familiar writing caused Jeffreys to stare in a dazed fashion for a moment, then quitting the garret hurriedly he entered the room of a family of five who lived below him. ‘‘Mrs. Pratt,’’ said he, to the ragged woman who sat nursing her baby in the corner, ‘‘ did you see who Trimble had with him when he died ?”’ ‘“He’s dead, then, sir’’—these fellow lodgers of Jeffreys called him sir’? in spite of his misery. ‘‘I knew that cough couldn’t last. My 6 *Thts story began in the October. 1896, issue of THE ARGOSY. The stx back numbers will be matled to any address on recetpt of 60 cents. ONniclooolks