Beadle's Dime Library No. 236 — page 25: what you’re looking at

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

< —_ om — ——oe “Don’t take on so, Hoopler—don’t. She's better off. Sbe was a good, good soul! Pil never furget poor Faith. We none of us won’b, Champion ham. — 25 May listened to the reading stoically; and | ‘‘ True, true, true—very true! It ain’t, is it? watched Hoopler curiously. The bereaved widower kept his face buried in the black bor- Some of the boys raised a purse for a big monu- | dered kercbief, and sighed at intervals. ment, but I knowed you wouldn’t like strangers to take sich a dooty. Don’t!” Don’t take on so. | quiet, and they saw him wince at theitem « As the reaaing progressed he became the monument, but be remained still till Meri- And then he began to snivel, and strode off to | den read out the total and the fact of the re- the window to bide it, while the poor bereaved widower kept on: “On, I'll never get over it, never, never. Abrams! Abrams!” The good-hearted ex-four-horse-rider came pack instantly, saying sadly: ‘* What is it, Hoopler! Poor feller! I feel for re,” ‘‘Thanks, thanks!” muttered Hoopler, reaching out one hand blindly to feel for Abrams, while he hid his face with the other. ‘*Heaven bless | | you, Abrams, for your—your—kind—kind— | sym—sym—sympathy!” (this with a chokin sob.) IT’ll never—never forget it. How muc did the boys raise, Abrams?” May put his hand over his mouth, and sat still; Newgate stopped the piano-playing on bis hat; Meriden held bis bandkerchief at his nose to listen; but honest Abrams answered, as in- nocently as a child: ‘‘*Twarn’t much, Hoopler; not as much as I'd like to have seen it. Wechipped in a hundred apiece, and all the bands put in suthin’, however small, There’s near five thousand in the bank. What shall we do with it?’ The disconsolate showman sobbed bitterly, as he ejaculated: ‘‘ What do I care about money now? Oh, I'll never, never, never get over it! Put it—put it in a statue—of me, Abrams—mourning over ber ashes. T[’ll give you—give—give you the design. It’sall drawn out, Oh, Abrams, I'll never, never get over it!” Abrams blew his nose violently and looked savagely at cot who colored slightly and turned away his face; Newgate looked solemnly at bis hat; Meriden put away his handkerchief and coughed slightly, and the old four-horse- man said firmly: **Tt shall be done, Mr. Hoopler. Me and you knowed ber, when we was both poor, and sich @ woman ought to be honored. It’s a honor to any man to have been her busband.” “ Yowre right,” suddenly interposed May, in his deep, quiet tones. ‘Sbe was a good wo- man, Abrams, and I honor her memory.” Old Hoopler sobbed again, and cast a sly glance between his fingers at May; but the ad- vance-manager bad turned his back. Mr. Newgate bod resumed his piano-playing, and Mr. Meriden had drawn out a pocketbook, in which he was examining some bills. The old manager mopped his eyes with a very large cambric handkerchief, baving a two-inch black border, and went on, after a pause, interlarded with sigis and shakes of the bead: ‘“*Ah, boys, you don’t know what it is—no, you don’t, no youdon’t, I shall never, never get over it. Oh, dear; oh, dear!— Wash?” The watchful Meriden looked up from his bills. and answered in deep, solemn tones: ‘* Yes, Mr. Hoopler.” ‘How much—how—how much did the em- ning cost, Wash?” moaned the widower to aandkerchief. ‘Seven hundred dollars, Mr. Hoopler,” was the solemnreply. ‘‘ You said not to spare ex- nse, and it was done in the best style, by a octor from the city.” The widower burst into a fresh passion of erief, ejaculating: Poor, poor Faith! Quite right, quite right! Mh, I shall never, never get over it! And I ».ppose—I suppose—the — the — fu —funeral — cost—cost as much more—as much more,” ‘‘ Pifteen hundred dollars, Mr. Hoopler,” the factotum solemnly replied. ** Here’s the bill.” Hoopler shook bis head and waved him away. «¢ No—no—no—I couldn’t—couldn’t bear it. Ts —is the—stone up, Wash?” ‘*Yes, Mr. Hoopler,” eet Meriden, with still more solemnity. ‘‘ Here is the bill. Do you wish to see it?” ** No, no, no,” murmured Hoopler. n't bear it. How much is it, Wash?” Mr. Meriden spread out the bill and read it aloud, as if it were a funeral service. Hon. Hliphalet 8. Hoopler To PHINEAS BRIGGS, Daler in Monumental Mortles, Brasses, Scutcheons and Sercophagic Statuary, _ . B.—Country orders promptly attended to,) Dr. in 4.8 sont hpi th eee are Bb -or lining same with marble, toon’ natent process) ‘ o;(Briges paten 250 00 Fer foundation db ie **T could- (brick piers). gel! nn ne hig ie Sin 44 00 ¥ -rrailing-posts (granite) 8 at $13 75... ....- 110 00 For foundation to monument ............-- 175 2% For monument (pol. granite).. ........... 1,750 37 For cutting inscription ti t 10 ng 60 For cold leaf in i (786 letters at 10 cts) : a For labor in gilding (786 letters at 234)... woes. 19°65 OGG Foci ocak y oa See .. «82,447 62 Received payment, Painkas BRices (per) JOHNSON, quite thing left in him? about | out. | Never had such a house as this, did ye, Levi? Well, what are you all going to do next year? Want to go on with the old man? Hey? Any- Hey, May? Come, speak D'ye want to go on, or don’t ye?” May took up his hat from the table, and lay- ing his kand on Newgate’s shoulder, said in his ceipt of the money, when he said, in a stifled | grim way: way: ‘‘ Abrams! Abrams!” ‘*Sir,” echoed Abrams, coming to him in- stantly. The old showman struggled with bis feelings, and mopped his eyes with the black bordered handkerchief, as he asked in a low tone: ‘* How much did you say the boys had raised, Abrams—five thousand?” Abrams took out bis pocket-book and read: ‘‘Four thousand nine hundred and eighty- | seven dollars and forty-thre> cents, exactly, rr ee — Hoopler. It'll make an elegant image for the top of the monument. It’s made flat, a-purpose fur it.” Hoopler uttered a deep sigh. ‘You're very kind, Abrams, very, very kind! I'll never forget the unselfish generosity of these poor fellows, It goes to my heart. It touches me. I’ddotbesame for them. But I’ve been thinking it would disappoint them—hurt their feelings—if the money were not devoted to the purpose for which they intended it. Eh! what d’ye say? Don’t yethink so?” ‘““ Why, bless you, no,” cried Abrams earnest- ly. “The boys wouldn’t think nothin’ of it. They only meant it fur you, because they’re sroud of yeand like ye. Put it into the image, loopler, put itin the image. I[t’ll makea bully image. Hoopler sighed deeply again. “ How good you all are to me! Too good, I don’t deserve it. I shall not be long with you. I know this will kill me. I shall follow poor Faith. But, Abrams—” ‘* Yes, Mr. Hoopler. Speak out. It’s jest as yousay. It'll please the boys, anyway.” ** Well, Abrams, 1 was thinking that there’s enough money there to do both things. I don’t need a marble statue. Make it of plaster and paint it up good. I'll seeit’s taken care of. And this bill—it’s a perfect outrage, Abrams—it’s scandalous; but, as it’s paid, it can’t be helped. Let it come out of the fund. Give Wash acheck to recoup me, and put the rest into a good hard plaster image. It'll last as long as Madison, anvway.” May quietly opened his pocket-book, and wrote down something, with his usual inscruta- ble look. Newgate stopped his piano-playing, and stared at the ceiling; Meriden, blew bis nose delicately and without obtrusiveness, and Abrams allowed his face to lengthen, as he said slowly: ** Certain-ly—Mr. Hoopler. If you—think it best. I'll write the check at once.” Hoopler got up, as if overcome by his emo- tions, and walked to the window, while deep silence reigaed in the room, save for the scratching of Abrams’s pen as he wrote the check. The old man glanced at him from under his bandkerchief, till he saw the check passed to Meriden, when he came back to the table, put- ting away his handkerchief, and faced his portrers with a look of sad business gravity, saying: *‘ That's settled, gentlemen. I ask pardon for indulgence in unmanly sorrow, but the blow has been a severe one. Now I will try to attend to business as well as Ican in my feeble state. Mr. Meriden, have you examined the show ac- counts?’ ‘© Yes, Mr. Hoopler,” was the solemn reply. ‘Were all the vouchers correct?” “ Byery one, Mr. Hoopler.” ‘And what is the balance of profit at the end of the season?” asked Hoopler, a little uneasily, looking at Newgate. ‘‘Four hundred and twenty thousand dol- lars,” that gentleman replied quietly. ‘‘ Your share—one seventii—is sixty thousand, and was paid into bank for you last week.” It was impossible to tell whether the old man was pleased or not at the report, for his cunning old face remained its usual mass of corrugated wrinkles; but his eyes twinkled maliciously, as he said: ‘* And you refuse to take Bingo at the figure I paid, do you?” Newgate nodded, and answered quietly: ‘* We thought he wouldn’t pay at the price.” Hoopler turned to Arams;: ‘“And you, Levi? What do you think?” * Think? I wouldn’t pay no sich price for any blamed elephant ever stepped,” said Abrams, bluntly. ‘‘Let them Paris fellers have him, ‘Li’e. They go in fur that sort of thing.” The old manager screwed up his face into a curious expression. “Hem! Yes, yes, yes! Let ’em have him. Well, boys—well, what’s the next thing?” Abrams laughed rather awkwardly. “Blamed if I know. If it was my house, I'd know what to do; but it ain’t.” : Hoopler turned quickly on him, and grinned maliciously, as he retorted: ' ‘Do you remember an offer I made you last year, Hoopler?” ‘“* Offer—offer?” cackled the old man, ‘‘ No— no; you never made me an offer, You couldn’s make me an offer, John. You don’t carry encuzh weight to male me an offer.” May smiled as be retorted: ‘Possibly you've forgotten it, this room. Newgate heard me. it, before Abrams?” ‘‘No, no—it's needless,” Pe Hoopler, with his most cunning cackle, ‘* You couldn’t make an offer I’d listen to, You haven’b mney enough, Jobn.” ‘* Well,” returned May, coolly, ‘“T'll raise it, I'll give you half a million in bonds for the ar- ticle I named, and pay it now, on condition the receipt be published, conditions and ail. Come now, Hoopler; put up, or shut.up. That’s a fair business offer. Shall I tell them what I want to buy?” - For the second time in his life Hoopler wilted under the intense scorn of May’s look. He knew what was meant well enough, and was afraid the iron-willed May might speak out, so he bastily muttered: ‘* No, no, no. All a joke, all a joke. Pretty grim joke, too, May, Papas’ grim. Shouldn't be too bard onthe old man, Then you don’t want to go on, do ye?” Abrams stared at his partners stupidly, for he was used to le‘ting them do the business talk, but he blurted out: ‘‘“Why of course we—” ‘*Chut, chut!” interrupted May, with perfect discourtesy. ‘‘Let us manage this business, Levi. You don’t know what we know, Mr, Hoopler, you’ve heard my offer. Newgate and I make it jointly. Five hundred thousand dol- lars in stock for the article we named, to be de- livered at your death, the agreement to be pub- lished at once, and recorded, Here are the bonds, with the coupons attached. Twenty years torun, at six per cent, Do you take the offer or not?” Hoopler sunk back in his chair and glared at May with undisguised hatred, growling men- acingly: ‘* You’re too funny altogether, May. Do you want to insult me in my own house, or have you been drinking?” May laughed, and waved the bundle of papers he held as he retorted, calmly: ‘‘Neither. It’s a fair business offer, and all we have to make. Do you suppose we don’t know that you signed the contract with the Paris Show last July? They’ve lost two bun- dred thousand this year, and their stock is ad for a hundred thousand more. You'll have to go down into the stocking next year, Hoopler, and don’t you forpet it. [Pm going to take arest in Europe. You can raise capital for your show on what the boys call Hell’s Half Acre, It’s all paying property. oP T want you to understand one thing, Hoop- er— Here his face lost its cold gravity, and be- came suffused with honest anger, as he said: ‘You can fool all the rest of the world, but you've got to take another reef in your main- sail before you beat John May. J know you, Good day.” He walked out of the room, and Newgate put on bis bat and said, coldly: ‘‘Good-day, Hoopler. Sorry you didn’t act nare with us ” I made it in Shall I repeat Ha also left the room, and Levi Abrams, after a bewildered stare, burst out: ‘Life Hoopler, have you signed a contract with them Paris fellers, and throwed us over, arter all we’ve done?” Hoopler looked haggardly at him, but nodded, without speaking. Abrams drew himself up and pulled out his cket hook, from which he drew a check. “Look a-hbere,” he said, slowly; ‘this here’s the rest of that money the bovs raised, I drawed it to my own order, sol could turn it over to any one you said, Here it is. I don’t Who shall I in- dorse it to?” ‘To me, of course, The boys meant it for me, didn’t they?” said Hoopler, dryly, his face hardening into a look of contempt at the evi- dent emotion of his old friend. Abrams nodded and sat down at the table, where be wrote on the back of the check a frw words, and tossed it over to Hoopler, whe scanned it eagerly. “There,” said theold horseman, rising. ‘‘ It’s done, thank God. Now I’m a-going. I don’t say good-day, "Life Hoopler, but I do say, God urgive you.” Then he put on bis hat and stalked out of the room with his head up, like the honest cld farmer he was. : Only Meriden remained to watch his em- want no more to do with it. EGomicboo (C SS) Cc (0)