When John went back to the office after the noonday intermission it was
manifest that something had happened to Mr. Timson, and that the
something was of a nature extremely gratifying to that worthy gentleman.
He was beaming with satisfaction and rustling with importance. Several
times during the afternoon he appeared to be on the point of confiding
his news, but in the face of the interruptions which occurred, or which
he feared might check the flow of his communication, he managed to
restrain himself till after the closing of the office. But scarcely were
the shutters up (at the willing hands of Peleg Hopkins) when he turned
to John and, looking at him sharply, said, "Has Dave said anythin' 'bout
my leavin'?"
"He told me he expected you would stay as long as might be necessary to
get me well started," said John non-committally, mindful of Mr. Harum's
injunction.
"Jest like him," declared Chet. "Jest like him for all the world; but
the fact o' the matter is 't I'm goin' to-morro'. I s'pose he thought,"
reflected Mr. Timson, "thet he'd ruther you'd find it out yourself than
to have to break it to ye, 'cause then, don't ye see, after I was gone
he c'd lay the hull thing at my door."
"Really," said John, "I should have said that he ought to have told me."
"Wa'al," said Chet encouragingly, "mebbe you'll git along somehow,
though I'm 'fraid you'll have more or less trouble; but I told Dave that
as fur 's I c'd see, mebbe you'd do 's well 's most anybody he c'd git
that didn't know any o' the customers, an' hadn't never done any o' this
kind o' work before."
"Thank you very much," said John. "And so you are off to-morrow, are
you?"
"Got to be," declared Mr. Timson. "I'd 'a' liked to stay with you a
spell longer, but the's a big concern f'm out of town that as soon as
they heard I was at libe'ty wrote for me to come right along up, an' I
s'pose I hadn't ought to keep 'em waitin'."
"No, I should think not," said John, "and I congratulate you upon having
located yourself so quickly."
"Oh!" said Mr. Timson, with ineffable complacency, "I hain't give myself
no worry; I hain't lost no sleep. I've allowed all along that Dave
Harum'd find out that he wa'n't the unly man that needed my kind o'
work, an' I ain't meanin' any disrispect to you when I say 't--"
"Just so," said John. "I quite understand. Nobody could expect to take
just the place with him that you have filled. And, by the way," he
added, "as you are going in the morning, and I may not see you again,
would you kindly give me the last balance sheets of the two ledgers and
the bill-book. I suppose, of course, that they are brought down to the
first of the month, and I shall want to have them."
"Oh, yes, cert'nly, of course--wa'al I guess Dave's got 'em," replied
Chet, looking considerably disconcerted, "but I'll look 'em up in the
mornin'. My train don't go till ten o'clock, an' I'll see you 'bout any
little last thing in the mornin'--but I guess I've got to go now on
account of a lot of things. You c'n shut up, can't ye?"
Whereupon Mr. Timson made his exit, and not long afterward David came
in. By that time everything had been put away, the safe and vault
closed, and Peleg had departed with the mail and his freedom for the
rest of the day.
"Wa'al," said Mr. Harum, lifting himself to a seat on the counter,
"how've you made out? All O.K.?"
"Yes," replied John, "I think so."
"Where's Chet?"
"He went away some few minutes ago. He said he had a good many things to
attend to as he was leaving in the morning."
"E-um'm!" said David incredulously. "I guess 't won't take him long to
close up his matters. Did he leave ev'rything in good shape? Cash all
right, an' so on?"
"I think so," said John. "The cash is right I am sure."
"How 'bout the books?"
"I asked him to let me have the balance sheets, and he said that you
must have them, but that he would come in in the morning and--well, what
he said was that he would see me in the morning, and, as he put it, look
after any little last thing."
"E-um'm!" David grunted. "He won't do no such a thing. We've seen the
last of him, you bet, an' a good riddance. He'll take the nine o'clock
to-night, that's what he'll do. Drawed his pay, I guess, didn't he?"
"He said he was to be paid for this month," answered John, "and took
sixty dollars. Was that right?"
"Yes," said David, nodding his head absently. "What was it he said about
them statements?" he inquired after a moment.
"He said he guessed you must have them."
"E-um'm!" was David's comment. "What'd he say about leavin'?"
John laughed and related the conversation as exactly as he could.
"What'd I tell ye," said Mr. Harum, with a short laugh. "Mebbe he won't
go till to-morro', after all," he remarked. "He'll want to put in a
leetle more time tellin' how he was sent for in a hurry by that big
concern f'm out of town 't he's goin' to."
"Upon my word, I can't understand it," said John, "knowing that you can
contradict him."
"Wa'al," said David, "he'll allow that if he gits in the fust word,
he'll take the pole. It don't matter anyway, long 's he's gone. I guess
you an' me c'n pull the load, can't we?" and he dropped down off the
counter and started to go out. "By the way," he said, halting a moment,
"can't you come in to tea at six o'clock? I want to make ye acquainted
with Polly, an' she's itchin' to see ye."
"I shall be delighted," said John.
* * * * *
"Polly," said David, "I've ast the young feller to come to tea, but
don't you say the word 'Eagle,' to him. You c'n show your ign'rance
'bout all the other kinds of birds an' animals you ain't familiar
with," said the unfeeling brother, "but leave eagles alone."
"What you up to now?" she asked, but she got no answer but a laugh.
From a social point of view the entertainment could not be described as
a very brilliant success. Our friend was tired and hungry. Mr. Harum was
unusually taciturn, and Mrs. Bixbee, being under her brother's interdict
as regarded the subject which, had it been allowed discussion, might
have opened the way, was at a loss for generalities. But John afterward
got upon terms of the friendliest nature with that kindly soul.