LITERATURE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 3436, 16 April 1879, Page 3

LITERATURE.

A BANKING MISADVENTURE.

Herr Zebedeo Hanser, the great banker of Cologne, was a very sharp man, and " bad to beat," as tho Americans aay. Ho belonged to a family who had multiplied and spread over the earth, founding counting-houses in all tho capital cities of tho world, and sucking up gold from their adoptivo counfcrieß as though thoir fingers wero fashioned liko tho tentacles of tho octopus. Aa nothing urges a man to despise his fellows so much as making money out of them, Herr Zebedee, who was in a way tho head of all tho Hanser firms, had collected a number of aphorisms as to human imbecility, which ho was fond of repeating with a broad Prussian grin. Ho was an ugly old man with hard features and vory shiny goldrimmed Bpoclaclos, through which his eyea gloamod with a sagacious lper of constant, incredulity.

Ono day Hon* Zebedee, so '< bad to heat," received the following lamentable lefctor from his (irst cousin onoe removed, Herr Zaohary HiiTisor, banker and cigar morchanfc, of Bishopgate street, London •—" My dear Zebedee, — Praise be to Heaven that the quotations of our last loan aro looking up ; but I am sorry to say my that cldcsfc aon, Esau, is giving me a deal of grief. He has absconded from London, carrying with him a largo sum in securities belonging to our customers, which it is hia intontion to negotiate on tho Continent. I trusted him with tho post of cashier for a week, and fchia is the never-to-bo-suffi.ienfcly-dcplorod result. If thia affair transpire, and Esau bo caught, he will bo prosecuted and our credit will bo damaged, nofc to mention the novor-to-be-underrated grief whioh a father must feel ; but my dear Zebedee, I have reason to believo that our Esau will have made for Cologne, there to hide for a whilo and negotiate his paper, so I pray you try to find out the youth and recover the securilir-s from hiu> even with threats of imprisonment if ho resist. When Esau has restored tho paper, then I pray you givo fco him four thousand pounds, and atart him for tho United Statea by the firsfc Bremen packet, tilling him that his sorrowing father wiU never see him again unless he mdkoa his fortune in America and roturns like a truo Hanser to invost it in tho family buainoas. Esau shall havo nothing boyond thoso four thousand pounds, and his brothers Carl, Otto, and Jeremiah shall inherit the portion destined for them, so that, praise be fco Heaven, I shall bo rather a gainer than a loser by his diahoneaty. The lasfc consignment of cigars from Hamburg was nofc up fco the samples, aud I could only get rid of them by raising the price and selling them under a brand not their own— which is nover a cpnvonient thing to do, bufc better than losing money.— J ojtq yours truly afflicted, and pot to be easily consoled, %c'4aby H->*seb.— Post Scnptuvi.—Oav reason for believing that EBau hns gono for Oqlagne is that he ig fcravolling with v maiden who is said fco have friends in your city whoro she onco performed as an actresV. Esau asked our leave to many her } and when

we refused, then it was that ho absconded. I pray you deal gently with the maiden, lest any scandal being raised, the business of our bank should suffer at this not favourable moment, when we want to raise public confidence in our last loan. I enclose Esau's photograph, — Z. H." — When Zebedee Hanser had read through this epistle of liis cousin Zachary, he took a pinch oF s'i'.iiT, aud a malicious twinkle shot through hi» t;, es. *•' Oh, n.y God, lam not surprised ut this," said he ; '• this Esau is tho little coxcomb whom I havo never seen, the only one among Zachary's brood who would not come over to Cologne to scr re his apprenticeship us a clerk in our house. They said he wa* receiving an aristocratic education in England. Ah, well, we see what has become of it. He is dressed in this portrait like an unthrifty libertine."

Zebedee Hanser was, it will be seen, one'of thoso excellent men who always contrive to draw some consolation from the misfortunes of others. He read hia cousin Zachary's letter again, and then put on his hat and gloves to go and look for the reprobate Esau through the different hotels of . ologne. The clues he had to work upon were very slender ; but, fortunately, tho photograph would enable him to trace the fugitive, supposing the latter were truly in the town. Zebedee Hunser f<'lfc pretty anxious to lay hold of Esau, for, in the first place, he did not wish tho name of Hanser to be dragged through the mire of a criminal prosecution ; and in the next, he honestly desired to serve his <?ousiu Zachary, who had been doing well in buainesa of late, aud had actually taken that Gerohtein loan out of the hands of the Mchwartzchilds. These sorts of triumphs bind the hearts of banking cousins in a tight bond.

So Herr Zebedee set out on his tour of the Cologne hotels, and wherever he went he was obsequiously received by laudlorda aud waiters, who gave him every information in their power, being delighted to oblige a financier of In. importance. Unfortunately, they could not put him in the way of discovering Eaau. That youth's photograph was respectfully scrutinised, and in half-a-dozen places it was iillirmed that gentlemen like him had been there, bufc on closer iuquiry this turned out to bo incorrect. Weary and somewhat impatient, lor he did not like to be thwarted, Herr Zebedee was at laat fain to tako a cab and explore a new series of inns of a lower order. Ho had been driving about for an hour, and had visited several very queer hostelries without improving his luck, when, at last, closu to the railway station, he camo upon a now-opened hotel, wliich had a ro.xpectablc appearance, though it was small. Hero Herr Hanser was not known, but the moment he had exhibited Esau's photograph the landlord's wife exclaimed, "Ach Gott, Ja; this is the portrait of the young man who is travelling with his wellbeloved bride or mistress, I know not which. Meiuhorr, this so tendi-rly -attached couple are dining now off veal cutlets and Ri.enish wine. > hall I take ia your card ?" " JS'o, I will go into the dining-room and there sit down,- perchanco eat," eaid Herr Hanser.

" Pray do so, gracious sii — a dish of sausages stewed with prunes has just come in," answered the landlady, "hi Fritz, a customer."

Fritz was fcho landlord, a thick follow with a moustache, and with a napkin over his arm, wlio came forward bowing, and ushered Hon* Hanser info the dining-room. Now tho banker, having had amplo leisure to study the photograph, had decided that Esau possessed very few of the Hanser lineaments, and this struck him tho more when he beheld Esau in the flesh. Tho youth he saw was a rather overdressed lad with a doublo eyeglass, who was making spooney lovo to a fleshy, goldenhaired i wench who was sharing with him a dish of veal cutlets ; and it seemed to Herr Zebedee that aristocratic English education had wrought a physical as well as moral deterioration iv this degenerate scion of the Hanser brood. Pleased with himself for having run the peccant Esau to earth alone, without police aid, Herr /.ebeAeo was almost good humoured as ho advancod to tho fcablo, liafc in hand, and said with a mocking air " Good day, my nephew Esau !" " What !" exclaimed tho youth thus addressed, and ho started to his feet with disturbance depicted on his p?iysiognomy. " Sit down, nephew, sit down," said 'Herr Zebedee, forcing the reprobate into his seat with gentle violenco ; "we aro going to have some talk, und (here ho lowered his" voice) if you try to escape I shall hand you ovor to tho police."

" Oh, Lord, what's going to happen now ! " ejaculated the fleshy wonch, and forthwith began fco weep over hor cutlets.

" Kellnor," said Horr Zobodoe, " bring me a dish of sausages and prunes, with a halfbottle of Rudesheim."

He divested himself of hia hafc, hia overcoat, and stick, and rubbed his hands with sarcastic gleefulness as ho looked afc his nephew and whispored, — " Esau, thou art a knave ; thou shalt restore mo the securities thou hast stolen, and thia very night thou ahalfc start for Bremen, on thy way to America."

" Mercy !" prayed Esau, who saw that concealment was useless, and so clasped hia handa.

"Mercy!" whimpered the damsel, who was his beloved ; I beseech you, too-mueh-in j uredand-nevor-to-be - sufficiently - implored sir, do not separate my Esauchen from me." " Ye shall have four thousand pounds to start with, and yo may both go together to the devil," said Herr Zebedee, helping himself to a cutlet ponding the arrival of tho sausages. " What, only four thousand pounds ?" exclaimed Esau, in seeming constornation. " Only four thousand !" echoed the maiden, who always repeated what Esau said.

"Four thousand pounds is enough lo mako millions with, as thou would'st know if thou wort a truo Hanser!" exclaimed HerrZobedeo, as soon aa ho could speak, for the wrath and tho veal that wero choking him ; " all, out upon thee! I'll givo thee a bill at ninoty days for tho money, and if thou wantesfc cash, I'll discount ifc for fcheo afc tho curront rates," "No, that won't do," said Esau; "I'll tako it to bo disoountod elsewhere ; and I'll spread it about that thou art badly off in thy business since thou canst uot avoid sharp practice."

" Ah, woll, thou hast aomo of fclie Hansor blood in fchco after all." conceded Horr Zobodeo, with involuntary admiration ; " but I will not hob-nob with thee, for thou art a clumsy knave."

That night the ten o'clock train from Cologne to Bromen carried with it tho reprobate Esau and his plump partner. Thoy had four thousand pounds in notea and gold with thorn ; and in oxchango for this trifle, as thoy were pleased to regard it, delivered up, not without difficulty, all the securitioa atolon in London. Thoy formed a bundle big enough to fill a carpet hag, which Hon* Zebodcc, with considerable complucency, at once forwardod to London by a safo messenger. Three days later ho received this telegram : — " Zachary to Zebedoo. — You have been hoaxed. Our Esau is tho prido of our bank and our home. Tlio youth who personated him must bo a clork lately discharged from our houso. He has duped you all through. Tho aecuritica returned arc forgeries. It, was cleverly done, and wo oannot let ourselves bo debited willi the four thousand pounds you havo disbursed." The foregoing little story is a truo one, and Herr Zebedee Hanser has, up to tho date of present writing, folt bad. He haa roeeivod no intelligence of the aham Esau, and hia fellow bankers of Cologne havo taken to jibing at him in tho delicate fashion of Germans when fchey joke.— Abridged from Truth.