Mr Bank's Matrimonial Yenture.

Bay of Plenty Times, Issue XX, 10 June 1892, Page 4

Mr Bank's Matrimonial Venture.

' Glad to set yoa, Mr Banks. How a» you ?• 4a4 tbe senior partner in the firm oC3ohannot, Johnson and Co., leaned tack in his office chair, and seised Joshua Bank's hand ia a cordial

Jfiiw'i trade?' continued Mr Jc&aimot, as his visitor seated himfslfptaad removing his straw hat, wiped off his heady forehead. The day bad been warm, and Mr Beaks was very corpulent •Looking up,' replied the latter, M he restored his handkerchief to to hii pocket, and began to fan him, •elf with his hat. 'I have booked tongs unusually good orders this Mr Joftbua Banks wai the repre■eutstim dha large wholesale house Mi Melbourne Though too valuable m member of tbe corps of employes to $9 often sent ' on tbe road/ be was occasionally intrusted with important eoenaitaiont to country customers. Hft had met Mr Johannot when on previous visits to Deepdale, and as genial men, each anxious on business principles to conciliate the other, they- got along excellently. 4 Come home with me to supper/ fOfEgested the Deepdale merchant, as he proceeded to stow away his papers aiKMock Bit desk. ' Oh, you loo* all rigs/ J* said reassuringly, as Mr Ba4*9.dko€ed in a dubious fashion fit fijf Tmtinesa suit, decidedly tbe wor#s«r tbe dusty day's wear, ' bo ontffNbft Emily and me. Bather londyferyoaatthe hotel, isn't it ?' If we* rather lonely, Mr Banks conceded, but, being a bachelor, he had grown used to that. Nevertheless, the prospect of a cheerful •venißg at the Johannots* was alluring. Anrffcewent. He regretted his acceptance the moment be entered the parlor, for then, m addition and in striking eeatrast to demute little Mrs JohanBet, he found a very large and very inposing lady of fifty, or thereabouts, tickly Uttiied in a heavy brocaded •Uk, and brilliant with conspicuous diamonds. Mr Banks was a diffident man. How he survived tbe ordeal of that Introduction be never knew. He ftwofefito consciousness to find himself seated on a sofa beside the'gorgeous Mrs Blossom, who had graciously made room for him, and bis first sensation was of mortification, as he ftotiesd that his garments looked dustier than ever in juxta-position to tfetbofc brocade. Bo he lived in Melbourne. Mrs Blossom wondered if he knew ber friends tbe Jacksons. She had fortotten exactly where they lived ; on the Bast side, she believed. Mr Banks gravely explained that there was no East Side to that unsyßmetrical metropolis. No, he was not acquainted with the Jacksofts.

'I have never visited your city/ pursued the buxom dame. ' Montgomery and I were always meaning to, but somehow we never got started, and since h« died ' — hie bereaved conSort paid the tribute of a sigh to Mr Blossom* memory—' I seldom go anywhere.' Thereupon Mr Banks surprised himself by making an exceedingly pliant rejoinder, and before he knew it he was launched on a sea of feminine small talk, and somewhat be-! wildered, to tell the truth, as to his bearings. Mis Blossom, it appeared, lived directly across the way, and had only • dropped in * to spend the afternoon, but upon Mrs Jonannot's invitation she consented to remain to tea. At the table tbe conversation became general, but the sprightly widow found eecaswn „to direct toward* her vls-a-rt> a number of coquettish glances, which a double chin, if not improving, did not materially mar. Mr Banks' bachelor heart, unless rendered proof by the armor of forty -five years of celibacy, was evidently in serious danger. When the gentlemen withdrew to the libbrj for a post-prandial smoke, Mr Jofcatwot rallied his guest on Mrs Blossom's evident favour. 9 Ton have made a decided impression/ daiks,* he declared. * Only ijuihissjbv im your fortune ii made. Widow Blossom is worth a cool hundred thousand if she is worth a penny, exclusive of her personal property, and those diamonds are a fortune in

themselves. She has no children, nor any relatives that I ever heard oh I know you are not a marrying man, but ♦ yon should not refuse ' the gifts the gods provide you. Such golden opportunities are few.' Jehannot remined bit cigar with * little chuckle fll his closing joke. It wae trae that Joshua Banks was net * marrying man. He had long ago resigned all thoights of becoming •benedict. For yean bis sister Eliza bad kept boose for him, and they lived most contentedly together. But the Stithies* Ulißa, at the solicitation of one Frederick Hawkins, had simultaneousfr abjured single blessedness and her bachelor brother, and removed to ElkinsviHe, whence she sent frequent letters to the lonely Joshua, depicting the happiness of married life, digmjr&tibacy/ and exhorting him fctlkV to himself a wife. AH these appeajs ftcurred to her brother's mind as he listened to Mr Johannot's suggestions. n^fcy topsoe never re-married 1 ?* bo inquired, awaking from his reverie, • 8h» mart have bad chances.'

1 She would not look at anyone in JQsejHiale/ replied Jbift host, * That is where you have such an advantage, Banks. The mere fact that you can register from Melbourne is an item in your favor. Go in and win, old fellow, 1 he concluded jocosely. ' Accept* my blessing and be happy.' * Your congratulations are a little premature,' remonstrated poor Mr Banks, in confusion. ; Nevertheless, he promised to 'think ofit.' He evidently kept his word, for several times during the evening Mr. Johannot noticed that he glanced acrosß the whist table at his portly partner with a meditative and abstracted gaze. The next day, when Mr, Banks called for the umbrella which he always carried, and which in his absent-minded mood the night before he had forgotten, he found the same ladies conversing in the parlor. The embarrassed pause that sue* ceeded his entrance convinced him that he bad been the subject of discussion, but the sauve manner with which both greeted him lead him to believe their remarks had not been unkind. During the half hour he remained he made himself as agreeable as only a designing old bachelor with an eye to diamonds and ducats knows how. Mr. and Mrs. Johannot, were naturally interested in the success of their match-making, bad abundant opportunity to watch its progress during the next two weeks. On some pretext Mr. Banks obtained leave of absence for that period, and every day he paid a call at the house over the way. On the last afternoon of his stay, little Mrs Johannot, from behind the lace curtain in the bay window, saw him appear in a dashing equipage and take his amiable Dulcinea to ride. When she reported this incident to her Ezra at the supper table, he gave it as his opinion that Mr. Banks had undoubtedly pro* pounded the momentous question that day. And Emily, like a docile little wire, agreed with him. But they gave Mr. Banks credit for greater, courage than that worthy possessed. He bad, it is true, by various tendernesses of look aud manner endeavoured to express his state of heart, but to consult his fate by word of mouth was more than his timorous soul would venture. So he left Deepdale that night with his future still undecided. The next evening, when comfortably ensconsed in dressing-gown, and easy chair, in his second floor front, he spent an bour and consumed a cigar in profound meditation. Then he drew up his desk, selected the least businens like note paper in his possession, and prepared to write. At the end of half an hour he had completed the following letter : — ' Mes Montgomery Blossom :— ' Dear Madam: — I trust you will pardon the liberty I take in thus addressing you. I can no longer defer saying what has been on my lips for days. Two weeks ago I had the I happiness of meeting one who will ever hold tbe first place in my thoughts. This meeting will, I hope \ mark aa epoch in my life. I have felt, since knowing you, dear madam, that : a return to my previous lonely life , would be intolerable. I have at last found one who could be a congenial | companion through life, if she can but i reciprocate the feelings I offer. j 1 Hoping for a favorable answer, I am, my dear madam, ! * Yours very truly, Joshua Banks.' The production, through the result of prolonged and patent thought, did not satisfy the critical taste of our ardent suitor in the least. But after several futile attempts to better it, be turned with a sigh to scratch off a hasty note to his sister, Mrs Frederick Hawkins :— * Dear Eliza, 1 it ran, ' I have at last done the irrevocable deed. I have just written a declaration of love — well, hardly that — but a proposal of marriage to Mrs Blossom, relict of the late Montgomery Blossom, of Deepdale. She is fair, fat, and something over fifty. Has no encumbrances, and is exceedingly well provided with thi* world's goods. She will hardly be your ideal sister-in-law, but 'be to her faults a little blind,' and prepare yourself to assist at the coming nuptials.

* Your most affectionate brother, * Joshua Banks.' Three days later, as the prospective benedict was seated in his office, two letters were handed him. Both were addressed in feminine handwriting. One bore the Deepdale postmark. He eagerly tore it open, and drew forth — what ! Ilia ieyes started from bis head, and great drops of perspiration bedewed his forehead. Could it be ? His letter to Eliza On the fourth page was wiitten : 'Mb Banks.— You have apparently made a alight mistake in sending me the enclosed, so I return it to you with thanks for its interesting contents. Considering the source, I can afford to treat the insults it contains with silent contempt. Mrs Montgomery Blossom." The other letter ran : — 4 Beab Jobhua :— Are you crazy ? If not, what do you mean by sending me a proposal addressed to another woman ? Is it one of your peculiar practical jokes, or a genuine blunder ? Do write soon, and relieve my anxious mind. * Your affectionate sister, * T Eliza.' Mr Banks is still a bachelor. He has acquired an antipathy for widows, and never visits Deepdale even on business.