Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 363 — page 2: what you’re looking at

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

2 | run in some parts of it almost too narrow for two people to walk abreast. stranzer would never be apt to find tho street without a guide, although it is in the very heart of the city, and to tho wayfarer wbo leaves the bustle nnd din of either Washington er Tremozé strect, itis like going from a bell- room into a graveyard, for all is quiet and still. Being so centrally situated, though, Mason street end Avery its neighbor, and from which it runs cre in high repute with men who desire accom- modation near to the city’s heart. And this largo garret to which wo introduce the reader was tho meeting room of three of the greatest friends and jolliest boys to be found in all of our Modern Athens. The Three Bloods they were termed and well Ot sustained the name, hey were all scions cf old Boston families, as the reader will sce who is familiar with the lead- ing lights of ancient Shawmut, sitting upon her three hills, as proudly as tue seven-hilled mis- tress of te world by the side of Tiber’s yellow flood. Ono was a tall, well-built fellow, with yellow locks and syes of blue, a spiritue! face, with a dreamy expression ever upon it. This was Howard Crowningshield, an orphan, without much property of his own, but the pre- sumptive heir to an uncle who was one of the richest men in the State. The young man had chosen tobe an artist, much to the disgust of his uncle who was of a very prac‘ical turh of mind, having amassed his money in the West India trade. He insisted that the boy ought to go into the busy marts of commerce, rather than waste his time fooli.z with a mess of psints and a lot of brushes. The boy obeyed; under the circumstances the wish of such an uncle was law. But the experiment was a failuro; the oldand conservative firm with whom the boy was placed informed Captain Crowningshield, as he was always termed, that the lad, although obedient, respectful, diligent and willing was not in tho least adapted for a merchant’s life, and that as he seemed to have a marvelous aptitude fcr drawing—he had adorned the books of which he had been put in charge with a multitude of figures, more or less ornamental—in their judg- -ment it would be best to let him have his own the annual exhibition, had been gn by a Then there were boxing-gloves, and pieces of armor, fencing-foils, swords and whips, and all sorts of comic articles such as young men in the | full flush and heyday of their youth love to col- lect around them. Upon the table around which the young men sat, a ‘‘ banquet” was spread. There were crackers and cheese, and the half of a boiled ham, a plate of pigs’ feet and a bottle of pickles, and for drinkable they had the gen- uine article, and no mistake, Three quart bottles of ge: fac and they were pledging each other in right royal fashion. It was a gala night, for that day the young artist had won his spurs. One of his pictures, which had been placed in gentleman reputed to be about t paintings in America for a thousand dollars and a commission had been given to paint a com- panion to it for another thousand. And when it became known that the great man had pronounced the young artist to be one of the rising painters of the day, there were a dozen anxious to possess Ge of his skill. ** Success to you, Howard, old boy!” exclaim- ed Endicott, as he poised his glass in the air. ‘¢ Here’s to the future great artist of America!” Crowningshield modestly attempted to remon- strate against the term, but his companions would not listen to him and the toast was drank with due honors. ‘“Well, Howard, you have been the first to clutch the ‘ bubble reputation,’ but I trust that Gordon and myself will have the luck to follow hard upon your heels. ‘*Tt’s deuced odd, boys, when you come to look at it to think how much alike all our situa- tions are. ‘‘We three bear as good names as all New England can boast, and yet none of us have the necessary wherewithal to support our names as they ought to be supported. : ** You, Crowningshield, are squinting toward your uncle’s wealth; 1 have an aunt—a maiden aunt—who aR that if Iam a good boy the family wealth shall be mine; while you, Endi- cott—” ‘* Have a cousin—an aged cousin!” interrupted the lawyer student, ‘‘ who rolls in wealth alae a confirmed old bach, an invalid too, who fancies that he has all the diseases under the sun, so it way, and their recommendation was that he | is not likély he will ever marry and I am to be a be sent to stuly for an artist. a) and liked to have his own way, satisfied that Howard would never make any- thing but a very poor merchant, while he might . turn out to be a geniusin the artistic line, con- sented to let him have his own way. The second one of the three was as greata contrast to the first as can wejl be imagined, being short and stout, with dark hair and eyes and a round, rosy face. He was known as Gordon Endicott and was in training for the law. The third was tall and thin, a lath-like young fellow, with reddish hair and a_hatchet-like face which always wore an extremely solemn air. Ho was called Washi n Winslow and was a medical student. The room wherein the three sat was plainly furnished as far as the furniture went, but it was filled with a strange jumble of all sorts of things. Each of the three friends was represented by articles appertaining to their chosen profession. There were the easel and some pictures, more or less unfinished, of the artist. A dummy figure, life-size, with a collection of wardrobes scattered around it, showing that, like what the Great Bard says of man, the dummy in his time * i many parts.” A king, a clown, a Roman gladiator, a shephe , Venus, goddess of love, and prince of darkness, Just now the dummy was fantastically attired in a royal robe, with one hand folded to his breast and the other extended ina commanding way, but upon his brow, a ioe es oa silk hat had n ced, and in the orifice intended to represent Fis mouth an extremely long cigar was stuck. Right opposite to him, on the other side of the old table, at which the boon companions sat, was the medical student’s representative, a mounted skeleton, Drang aod dressed in tho white clown dress of the French Pierrot, with - its arms raised above its head, which was sur- mounted by the usual conical hat, and one foot advanced as if it was about to glide off into the dizzy mazes of the galop. Between the teeth of the skeleton was placed a short pipe, the dudeen, dear to the heart of the son of the Emerald Isle. The lawyer was rig eo many se Ly a pile of old law books, and on a large canvas ras_a rudo sketch done in charcoal representing Endicott attired in the robes of a judge engaged in the task of sr. a donkey by means of a rope over the limb of a tree. But as the beast was standing on its hind legs, pulling back with all its might, the chances aned favorable that the donkey would succeed in running the man up to the tree, rather than suffer by the rope himself. ntle tan, | his heir if nag bie was an extremely stubborn man | bar.” ut he was not | idiotic in his stubbornness and when he becaro | name—exclaimed Winslow. succeed in making a name at the ‘“ Aha! Alcibiades!” this was Endicott’s nick- 1e best judge of | Crowningshield, the Sleuth, | | | ‘When I get my | sheepskin introduce me to your ailing relative | ‘ll give you a commission on what I make out of him.” ‘What? Do youthink I’d speculate on my own flesh and blood? Do you take me fora modern Shylock?” ** Peace, gentle friends,” interposed the artist. *¢ Listen tome. To my lot has fallen the first prize in the lottery of life, and beit my task then to recall to your memories the compact we made when we first took ion of these halls of dazzling light some three years ago. ‘Three friends like the world-famous guards- men of Dumas, we took a similar oath to that they swore. ‘“ We pledged ourselves to a common future.” ‘¢ One for all and all for one,” exclaimed the law student. ‘‘ Drink to our brotherhood,” cried young Saw- bones, ain the glasses were drained. ‘‘ The first chance is thine,” theatrically con- tinued Winslow. ‘‘ Your uncle’s favor is secur- ed, and I suppose the next thing will be a match between you and the wealthy Hancock girl, the pride of on street.” -_—_——_ — CHAPTER II. A CONFESSION. “On, no, no,” replied the artist in consider- able confusion. ‘‘Oh, yes, yes!” cried the other two. ‘‘ Come, old fellow, own up; there’s no use of attempting to deceive such sharp fellows as we are,” the lawyer asserted. : “Doesn't everybody that knows anything about the matter at all know that you and Miss Letitia Hancock, only daughter of the late Judge John Hancock, whose signature stands out above all the rest in the laration of Inde- ndence, and the heiress of a million or two in er own right, have been on the most intimate terms ever since you were children? ‘¢ Doesn't the lady think that there never was such an artist since the days of the old masters, asa certain young gentleman whom I will at present refrain from naming? ‘‘ Doesn’t she show that, b7 long odds, you are the favorite in the race for her affection, and between you and the rest of your would-be rivals it is as the English sport said when he de- clared he could place every horse in the race, Eclipse first and the rest nowhere?” ‘Oh, thero isn’t the least bit of use of your at- tempting to deny it,” the medical student as- serted. ‘Tn this case it is tho story of the Sultan in tho Eastern tale over again. All you have to {1 — ~ do is to throw your handkerchicf and the lady is yours. I tnow that your uncle cpproves of the match, for he as good as told me so last week. ‘That was before your picture took the town by storm, too. ‘** Toward is a very good artist, I suppose,’ your worthy unclo said. ‘At all events his pictures please me, but then I don’t pretend to set myself up asa judge of that sort of thing, but they don’t seem to sell. I suppose that is becauso he hasn't been lucky enough to make what they calla hit, but I think I know where ke could secure a prize with very little trouble if ke would only try for it.’ ***T suppese you refer to scme young lady,’ I ventured to remark. ‘** Exactly; and if he kad any eyes in his head he could have seen how the wind stocd two cr three years ago. ‘“¢ hey were brought up togcther, have al- ways been playmates, and 1 am sure that if he took the trouble to open his mouth the girl could be had for the asking; and she’s worth a couple of million, too. Wouldn’t it be better to try for such a wife as that than to be wasting his time daubing old canvases that no one seems to want to buy?” ‘* He’s changed his mind in regard to that since I got the thousand for the single picture,” responded Crowningshield, gayly. ‘* But, gentlemen, to tell you tke honest truth, my uncle and everybody else who thinks as he does, are wrong about the matter,” he con- tinued. Miss Hancock is a charming girl; not xo beau- tiful, possibly, as to set the whole world raving about her, but still a fine-looking gir’, and a perfect lady in every respect. ‘A girl that would make any man a good wife, if she didn’t have two dollars to Ler name instead of two million; but, boys, sho is not for me,” A chorus of dissent arose from the othcrs, but the artist implored silence with a wave of his hand. ‘* Patience, and hear me to a close,” he said. ‘* Letitia and I are like brother and sistcr, and I do not believe that she ever looked upon. me in any other light.” gain there was a chorus of disscrt, and again Crowningshield imposed silence. ** Never mind whether my idea is correct cr not; let it pass, for it does not matter. ‘*Gentlemen, I am about to confide a secret to you; a secret which this evening, just before coming here, I revealed to my uncle.” The others stared in amazement. **T can’t very well marry Miss Hancock or Miss anybody else, without running the risk cf being prosecuted for bigamy, for I am already married.” ‘* Married!” exclaimed the two young men. ‘* Yes, gentlemen, married, and have been for nearly fifteen months,” Crowningshield replied with a beaming smile. ‘‘ And what is more, I am the father of as pretty a boy baby as moves on the surface of the wide earth this day.” “Oh, this is high treason!” cried the medical student, helping himself to another glass of pe pee “Howard, you have grossly abused the con- fidence we placed in you!” declared the other with a solemn shake of the head, following Winslow’s example and attacking the wine. ‘** Boys, it was just like a romance; give me your attention and I'll tell you all about it,” Crowningshield said with the happy face of an innocent child, ‘* Proceed!” exclaimed Winslow. ‘* Prisoner, your defense; and remember you are to tell the truth, the whole and nothing but the truth—” _ “Oh, give us a rest!” cried young Sawbones irreverently. ‘*’You shall have the tale complete,” the other assured them. ‘‘‘I will nothing extenuate, nor set down aught in malice’; that’s it, isn’t it, or something pretty near?” he said, appealing to the lawyer, who was the best posted man of the ee. ‘Oh, hang your quotation! go on and give us your original matter; that isthe meal for which we hunger,” Endicott answered. ‘** One oe just about eighteen months ago, I went to smbrieee to make a call. *‘ About ten o’clock I started to return home and as it was an extremely pleasant night I de- termined to walk. “Nothing occurred on the way worthy o mention untft I came to the bridge, and then I noticed a slight, girlish figure ahead of me and the queer movements of the woman, or girl, whichever she was, attracted my atten tion. “She would stop every now and then, over the railing at the eats apparently talk to herself for a few moments, and sometimes put her foot upon the lower rail as if she had an idea of climbing up on it. ‘““When | noticed her acting in this peculiar | way, I loitered behind purposely for I was afraid that she intended to commit suicide ana made up my mind to prevent her. “‘There wasn’t a soul on the bridge, either 300 com (E S) (0) La)