THE STORY-TELLER. To Rent—Furnished.

Evening Post, Volume LXVIII, Issue 50, 27 August 1904, Page 10

THE STORY-TELLER. To Rent— Furnished.

I. Mr. Horace Jernynghnm, strolling along fenobscot-avonuo, toyed with three 1 twenty-five cent, pieces in his trousers pocket — all his available capital— rand revolved in his mind a score of more or less shady schemer for adding to them. His clothes were well made and well put on, for Mr. Jernyngham, who' had lived by his wit* for tweuty year*, knew the vajue of a good "front" ; his grizzled moustache was waxod to a high &tato of polish, and: a gold-rimmed double eyeg.uss, budge of ichpectubiluy, aang.ed Irom a slender cord abouo his neck. Things wore lookmg Jblack. A skilful manipulator of cards, he hnd lately suffered lrora a pauoily of victims. AOmirable with the billiard cue, strangers had fought shy of engaging with him. Several racing speculations had gone wrong, and, worst of all, a little deal in which he had engaged had grazed the edge of the criminal code, and the police baa taken cognisance of him. Ho longed to shake tho dust of tho ' city from hia highly-polished boots. Winfter was drawing near, and the rigours of s\ northern climate always aggravated a long-standing lung eomptaint. South he must go by hook or by «rook— to New Orleans, his old home, ta one of the big hotels in Floridn, where, guileless young men, with plenty ol money and a taste lor games of chance night b« found. Given the price of a ticket aad a modest reserve fund for mitisl expenses, he. felt that he could xely on bun natural abilities, assiduously cultivated for many years, to improve bis fortunes. As h« strolled along and communed darkly with, hi.* soul, ho became aware of * driverless cab standing in front of one of the most substantial houses of that aristocratio thoroughfare The front door «vas open, and from the dark recess of the passage rolled forth a flood of profane objurgation, delivored in a rasping, high-pitched voice. Gladly welcoming this diversion from the stress of painful thought, Mr. Jcr■yngham halted, looked expectantly at the door, and wat rewarded by the appearance of a small, shrunken cabman, staggering nnder the weight of one end oi an enormous trunk. The other end was borne by a- large, ■tout man, with a- Tcry rec' face and am&ll, fiery eyes, who did not cease to execrate the other. "Why doa't sou look where you'ro tooing?" roared the stout man. "Do you think my nWefa are made of cast iron?" " 'Ow can Ijook whero I'm goin* when you keep a sfcbvin' me on so fast?" snarled the cabman. "I'vo told you 'nlf a dozen times as you'll ketch your train without 'urrying. You'll get to wher•ver you'ro goin." quite 6oon onougk to wit your fritnda," Tho stout man replied with another Volley of expletives, and, dropping his •nd of the trunk, rkmtned the front door shut, locked- it, and thrust the key into his pocket. Then he snatched the h&ndlo and^ raised hi? burden with such unexpected violence that the cabman lost his footing, released his grip, and passed down the «ong flight of steps to the sidewalk in, rotary, fashion, ejecting a , different expression every time he bumped. Thus left to bear the weight of thb box unaided, the stout man*, with a shout of diemay, braced himself up m -a dusperata effort to retard its descent. But alas", '[diligent scrubbing -had imparted to tho steps a surface like glass. His widoiy-plantcd heels slipped, his legs flew out from under him, and ho and the trunk tobogganed tandem fashion down the steep incline, and landed on the cabman before he had time .to roll out of tho way. Greatly entertained, and making a mental note of some of the remarks for future use, Mr. Jornyngham hurried to the rescue. His first core was for the cabman, who Was uncomfortably held fast oy one leg, and was making desperate efforts to extricate himself. Having effected this individual's r«k«*c, Mr. Jernyngham extended his hand to tho stout man, and, with a few polite expression' of sympathy, assisted him to his feet. To his great surprise the stout man retained his hand in his grasp, and after peering at him ii> a short-sighted fashion Jor a Tew seconds, nhook it warmly. "You (urned up in the nick of time," Miid the stout mnn. "I want you to do tue a little favour. You owe mo something for that tip on Consolidated Gas." Considerably taken aback, Mr. Jeriryngham was about to suggest that tho stput man had. mode a mistake, when the other interrupted him. "Thank you," he said ', "I know you would. It won't take you fifteen minutes. I intended to drive round that w»y, but this— this— corpse here" — ha pointed to the cabman, who, with ono trousers log rolled: up, was examining iUs injuries— "has kept mo longer than 1 expected, and Ma aud Martha are waiting for me at the depot." "I assure, you, my dear sir " Mr. Jernyngham began. "Never mind the assurances," the other interrupted impatiently, ''I haven't time to listen to them. Here, tnke this." He drew the door key from his pocket, and prossod it into Mr. Jernyngham's hand. * "Take ib to the police station— you «|tnow whew it is — two blocks west and ono north. Give It to whoever is in charge. Tell him that Mr. Merridow— , Mr. Albert Merridow— ba« gone to Eu- j rope for two months With his fnmily, and ask him to let his men keep an eyo on tho house, and got one of tlicm to takef a lodk through it now nnd agnin. I will make it all right with him when I get back. . "We've 'left pretty much everything intide, except tbe solid silver and somo jewellery. That's nt the deposit vaults. And now lend us a hand with the trunk, like a good fellow, or I'R mi«s my train. Leave that bag nlono," he added, nddressihg tbe cabman in a roar, "or I wtni't pay you a cent, and bring nn action againrt you." j Somewhat cowed by this throat, tho cabman desisted fiom his investigations, mid under tho combined efforts of the threo men the trunk was hoisted on to the box. - Th<4 cebman, < retiring nn exaggerated explosion of strffarjhg, clambered heavily to his seat; Mr. Merridew, with a brief adieu, rprang into the cab and slnmmed the door ; and Mr. 1 Jernynghnm wns loft ■tanding by the curb, gating blankly after the departing , vehicle. "Now 1 wonder " ho soliloquised, "whom that o}A scoundrel mistook mo for. Have I gob p. double in this, city? I must find out. There might .be- some* thing in it for me.' 1 Ho glanced from Hie door key in his hand to tho empty house. "A pretty sttug-Jooking nest," he 'mus«d. "A man might find, comfortable quarters there for" a.' night or two If the fiotfls kicked him out. Bhfrll I take this to bh» police »l«tion? Well, I guess not 1" , Mr. Jernynghnm, who wns a goodnaturtd mnn in the main, would in all probability have oairied out the commission entrusted to him, and thought no more obout it, but he had hnd tho misfortune to spend the bert part of a night in the cells of that identical stationbouse, und he naturally shrank from reviving painful recollections and renewing an acquaintance which had been anything but agreeable.

He slipped tho key into his pocket), and, bciug rominded by tho striking of a neighbouring clock that the lunch hour was drawing near, betook himseli to the third-rate hotel where, owing to lack of fuuds, he had temporarily established his headquarters. "Anybody in this dirty littlo town look like me, Bill?" he enquired of tho bartender, tut ho swallowed a glass of cheap whisky, und ordered it to be charged to his account. "Only one as I know of," responded the other, eyeing his interrogator with somo disfavour, "and he's doing his best not to" worry over it." "Who's the mnn, Bill?" Mr. Jemyngham ptrsifrtcd, shutting his eyes to tho insinuation. "What d'yo want to know for?" the bar-tender asked. "Somebody else been pinched by mistake?" Mr. Jernynghnm restrained his temper with some difficulty. "Natural curiosity," ho said. "A man mot me on the street just now, stopped to speak, apologised, and passed on. "must 'a mistook you for Major Worthington," replied! the othor, "You'ro the dead spit of him in tho face." Ho laid considerable stress on tho last word. "Kind of gratifyiug to be mistook for a gentleman, ain't it?" ho added, as he turned away to serve another customor. Mr. Jernyngham in threo monosyllables consigned the bar-keeper's soul to overlasting torment, and, lounging into the ill-furnished smoking-room, picked up tho morning paper. Thu news of the day proving barren of interest, he turned to tho want advertisements, and, read diligently through threo columns of "Situations Vacant," in the vain hope that come money-making scheme might suggest itself. At the bottom of the last column was a solitary insertion under the caption "Furnished Houses Wanted" and ho read that also. It ran as follows: — "Wanted, for six months, by young Married Couplo, strangers in city, welifnroished Bouse in desirable locality. Rent nob to exceed sixty dollars a month. No children ; careful tenants. Apply H. Wonderman, 163 Matsey-terrace. ' Hopeless of finding anything to interest him, Mr. Jernynghnm threw who paper aside, and, assuming a pose suitable to meditation,, stretched out his long legs, and thrust' his hands into his trousers pockets. One of his fingers coming in contact with some foreign substance, he drew it out nnd found it to bo the key he hnd been commissioned to deliver to the police. "Queer old geezer," he, commented. "Stacks of money, £11 ,bot. I've., half a mind to take a look through the houso.Think of it standing empty for two months. Why didn't ho let it? Why—?" He stopped abruptly, and, picking up tho paper, ho re-read Mr. Wonderman's advertisement .with ajßakoned interest. "Well-furnished, house in. desirable locality," he muttered. "No fanlt to bs found with it on that score. Six months at sixty dollars. Three hundred and sixty dollars. No kick coming there. Why not? Yes, ding it, why not?" For fifteen minutes Mr. Jernyngham remained in a condition of apparent coma, at the end of which period he rose with the air of a general wno has formulated a promising plan of campaign, aud left the hotel. . n. Mr. and Mrs., .Wonderman^ seated in the lavishly-iurnishec l -front parlour of a fashionable boar Sing-house, "distusstt'd tho probable result of their advertisement. Mr. Wonderman, light-hearted, youthful, and trustful, read the advertisement aloud to his wife for tho, twentieth time. He had -never -seer -any ol' his- work -in print before; and was experiencing the glow of iucctis&ful authorship. "Rather neatly expressed, don't you think so, Jane?" was his comment as ha concluded. "Says everything we wanted to say, and no woids wasted." Mrs. Wonderman, also young and guileless, atMentedi . - ■ "All but those ..words 'Strangers in city,'" she htuurded. "You might have saved six cents." "I told you why I put that in before," Mr. Wondennan replied in a hurt voice. "We don t know anyone in town, and no one knows anything about us. ,We onn.'t give references, and now people won't ask for them. We can pay in advance. Thank goodness, we've got plenty, of money, and don't need to think about ! saving six cents." "It wasn't tho six cents," Mrs. Wonderman retortod with wome heat. "Only y&w were boosting, about not having used too many words. "Boasting?" ri'piJated Mr. Wonderman, in nn aggrieved bone. "Woll, bragging then," returned' his wife ; "and renlly, Harold, it is not much übo my being ordered up here for m,y health if you aro going to start my nerves up by quarrelling wit' me.", i Mr. Wonderman, warned b> previous experiences, htmtoned b.~ disclaim, any such intention. "I'm to sick of this boarding-house life/ Mrs. Wonderman continued. "No friends, and no place to entertain thorn if we hnd them. If wo hnd a house of our ovrfi, people would call upon mB, and wo could give dinner parties and enjoy ourselves like Christians, but as it is—" l • foreseeing the approaching tempest, Mr. Wonderman assured hts wife that she should have a house if he hnd to buy and f\irni»h one, ana' <vaa engaged in tlie p'.enmng task of administering comfort when a smartly-dressed maid tapped at tho door, nnd announced that a gentlenmn wished to see him. * "It's about a house 1 Oh, Harold, I know it is I" creid Mrs. Wondmnnn, I recovering her composure with surprising ease. "Show him in, Mary." Both husband and wife were greatly im pressed by the majestic nppenrancs ana demeanour of the gentleinnn who was ushered in. In ono hand he bore a glousy silk hat, and in the other a Bpotlexo newspaper. "Mr. Wonderman?" queried the stranger, looking piercingly at the young mnn through a pair of gold-rimmed eycglas/KS. "That is my name," wa* tho reply ' "This is Mr» "Wonderman." The 'stranger bowed slightly. Ho glanced from one sitnolo face to tho other, and hii soul was filled with ioy. "My timo is limited," he began. "I como on btwiiess, nnd ns I hnve several important engagements to -fill, 3 will come to tho point nt once- You advertised for a furnUhed house?" Husband and wife jrlanped . at ench other. The ovs of • the former »nid : ''What n pronheb you n-ra 1 ' ; those of the latter, "I told you so." "I rend it in this paper," continued the otrnnaer, tapping tho folded sheet with a.woll-crloved fore-finger, "«nd I snid at once, • 'Those are tho people I want. No children— • consul tennnts'— ndmirnblv expmstd." Mr. Wonderman looked at hid Wife with nn air of trumph. "To state the ense in a fow words, the other went on. "my, name in Morridew, Albert Merridew." l' owtf & house on Penobceot-avenuo. My wife, !• 'at present Sn Italy, and I proposo »to toko clx m'onthß* rest from the enreaof business' hni join her.- J leave to-morrow. My intention wns to close up the hoiwe, nnd leave it empty until my return. But for svour advertisement I should certainly have done so. But when I rend it I said to myself, ' Why not let these young people have the use of the place at a reasonable rental?' Kb?" "They nro very expensive houses on Penobscot-avenue," said Mr. Wonderman dnbioufelyi *'A little beyond our moans, I am afraid " "My house," replied Mr. Jernvngbaui,

" would probably rent for a hundred and twenty dollars a month." Husband aud wife uttered ejaculations of dismay. "But," continued Mi. Jernynjjham Jmprcfcsively, " rather than leave it vacant I am prepared to let you have it nt the price mentioned in your advertisement— V hixty dollars a month." "Oh, Harold 1" cried Mrs. \\ ondorman. " Such lovelj houses they are, too !" " With regnrd to references — " Mr. Wondeiman uns beginning, when tho other stayed him with uplifted hand. " Quite unnecessary," ho suid. " I should not have time to verify them, and, besides, 1 flatter myself that 1 nm a good judge of human nature." lie bowed to each separately, and thoy murmured their appreciation. " What I would propose," continued Mr. Jernynghnm slowly, and holding Mr. Wondennnn with hia glittering eyo, like the Anoicnt Mariner, "is tnnt you should pay the six months' rent in advance. It will envo a lot o* trouble on both sides. I will give you a receipt, which will savo the formality of drawing up a lease, and I shall be spared tho annoyance- of collection through nn agent. Money," he added pleasantly, "is the best reference in the world." Mr. Wondertnnn assented to this aphorism, and said it seemed to be the best way if they decided to tako the house. " I can sparo you an hour and a half," said Mr. Jornyngham ; "nt-tho end of that time I am due at a board meeting. A quarter of an hour to drive- to the house, three-quarters of an hour to inspect it, nnd a quarter of an hour to complete the transaction in my study if it mtots with your approval. That will leave me fifteen minutes to get down to town." He took the door-key from his pocket, and olinked it on tho table. "1 trust," he added, "that 1 may iaro the pleasure of confiding this' little trinket to your care for the next six months. Hie sight of the key, a tangible connection with n house of her own, added fuel to Mrs. Wonderman's eagerness. "Telephone for a carriage / nt onco, Harold, she cried, " and bo sure and take your cheque-book." With corrugated brow, and chln^ grnsped in one hand, Mr. Jernyngham mused for a few minutes, and then broke silence. "A cheque," he said, "would, I am afraid, bo inconvenient. By the time you have seen tho house the banks will be closed, and I shall be well on my way tt-morrow before they open. I had not foreseen that difficulty I .'' " But w6 can drivo round ' by your bank, Harold, 'oh our way, nnd you can cosh a cheque," suggested^ Mrs. 'Won.derman. "And if we should not liko tho house, you can put it back." " Madnm," said Mrs. Jornyngham, with a low bow, " I hnve always said, nnd shall always maintain, that in an emergency a woman's wit is worth' that of any two men." » Highly elated, the young couple hurried away to attire thomselves, and were soon driving to Penobscot-avenue with their benefactor, who beguiled the way with an outline of his projected European tour and a description of somo of the cities of the Continent, which did more credit to his imagination than to his erudition. A brief halt wns made at Mr. Wonderman's bank, and Mr. Jernyngham's eyes glistened aa he watched his prospective tenant tuck away a number of crisp notes in his pocket-book. Tho liouso through which Mr,' Jeynyn^ham ushered the young couplo filled their simple souls with delight, and they were loud in their expressions of admiration. Even the arch-deceiver himself wns I amazed at the splendour of the furnishings, nnd bitterly^ regretted that he bad not raised hta price. At times he was somewhat nt a loss to answer the, questions propounded, but acquitted himself,' on' tho whole, with great aclf-poscossion, nnd played tho role of proprietor with ease and dignity. Only onco did ho betray himself. Ho was carelessly stirring up an ornamental clock on the upper landing to show liis familiarity with tho surroundings, when a vociferous cuckoo appeared within a few inches ol his nose with auch startling suddenness thnt he sprang back and uttered an exclamation, for which he was obligedtto apologise. Ho explained that Uio clock wns a recont acquisition, and that ho bad not yet been able to familiarise himself with it. His nerves, he added, were in a disorganised condition from unremitting attention to business, but he trusted that his vacation would entirely restore them. A locked door presented a slight obstacle, but Mr. Jornyngham, in reply to a question by ■ Mrs.- Wondormnn, announced that it led from' his wife's boudoir, and firmly negatived the lady's suggestion that they should try and open it with ono of the othor keys. Time wns pressing, ho said, Hnd thoy ware quito welcome to open it, or break it open, after they had token possession. ' " Who is that?" asked Mrs. Wonderman. , They wero standing in the dining-room, and Mr. Jernyngham, having first opened the sideboard drawers to ascertain what thoy contained', was delivering nn eulogy on the quantity and quality of the silverware and cutlery. , Ho followed the direction of the lady'B index finger, and saw, hanging in an alcove, nn almost life-size portrait of the .ightful owner of the premises. So naturally had the artist portrayed the broad red fnce, with its' little fringo of grey whiskers, and so fiercely did tho small eyes glare from the canvas, that Mr. Jernyngnam experienced almost ns sevcro a shock as if the original hod appeurcd before him. His embarrassment, however, wno ehort-livcd. ■ "That," he said, "is Unole Merridew. Poor old boy !" " Dead I" queried Mr. and Mrs. Wonderman in chastened tones. " No," replied Mr. Jernyngham. " Not dead." He sighed heavily. "I don't know why I should make a secret of "it," he added, after a few minutes of reflection. "Tho fact of the matter is, he is in the asylum*." "How sadl" murmured Mrs. Wonderman. Mr. Jtrnyngham aighed again. "Yes," he said, "it is a most unfortunate case. We did our best to keep him with us, bub it was impossible. He had a most extraordinary mania. Fnnoied he owned this .house and everything in it. lie,, ordered me out of it onco." "Ordered ' you'- 'put?" ejaculated the young couple in astonishment. " Fa'ot, I assure ' you," insisted tho other. "I haven't the slightest doubt"— a faint smilo played about his thin lips— "that if he wero to como,in at this present moment he would order mo out of it again." ' , "I suppose," suggested Mr. "Wonderman dubiously, " there is no danger of his tfetting out and. coming here to make trouble?" „ , , "Not the slightest," replied- Mr. Jernynjiham reassuringly.- "He 'is well looked nftcr. Of courso, I rely on you not to mention this. Tho dear old fellow is supposed to' bo travelling in Europe." Mr. nnd Mrs. Worfdernian' pledged themsolvcs to observe the atrickst secrecy, and followed conductor to the collar, thft, bnly "part of the promises' not yet iufcitectdd. ■.; This portion proved to be fully up to tbe standard of the rest of the house, and Mr. Jernyngham improve his opportunity by disposing of somo twenty tons of coal at rather less tU»n half its market value. In Mr. Merridew's study, 6r whnfc Mr. Jernyngham supposed to be Mr. Mcrridew's study, the transaction was comElcted, the lessor keeping up tho illusion y protending to hunt for his favourite Sen with which to si&n the recetftt

"I trust," romnrked Mr. Jcrnynghain, n.s ho n&si.sted Mrs. Woiulemmn into tho carriage and shook hiuuls win inly with her hii.sbnnd, "1 sincerely trust that this acquaint mice, no Auspiciously bngun, may ho renewed on my return. Mrs. Mcrridew will, I nm sure, be charmed to meet you. And if," ho added in a burst of generosity, " you should find nny litllo repairs needed, or any littlo indispensable liouflt'hould furnibhings lacking, sec to it at once, my dear sir, and have tho cost charged to my account." Charmed with his usability, and expressing their appreciation of his kindness with so much earnestness that their landlord was quite oveicomc, tho young couple drove awoji Mr. Jernynghnm waving his hand in a benedictory manner until they were out of Bight. An hour later, a tall, distinguishedlooking gentleman, with a now valise in his hand and a receipted hotel bill in his pocket, stepped into tho parlour-car of a south-bound train, and wns whirled swiftly out of tho city. — R. Langton Clarke, in tlie Argosy. (To be concluded next week.)