MR. CASEY BUYS A HOUSE
Aunt Susan at once began to make plans. In the meanwhile Mr. Casey asked
Mr. Hollister and his mother to give him a few moments conversation on
business.
"I understand that ye own this house, ma'am," he began. "What would ye
sell it for?"
Mrs. Hollister looked at her son.
"Why?" she asked.
"Because I'm about to buy a house for Nora and the Doctor, and I want to
buy one in this neighborhood. I also have a proposition to make to ye,
Mr. Hollister. Frankly, what might be yere salary?"
Mr. Hollister reddened.
"I mean no disrespect or pryin', sir. It is a business proposition I have
to make to ye, before I do to anyone else."
"My salary is three thousand a year, Mr. Casey," said Archibald
Hollister. "I'm with an old and respected firm and have been with them
for thirty years."
"Thin they don't value your services as they should,--pardon my sayin'.
This minnit they ought to give ye more. Now I need a man like yourself
to be me representative in New York. I give you the first option. Will
ye come and accept the position for six thousand a year?"
Mr. Hollister acted dazed. Grandmother spoke up:
"Answer, Archibald,"
But still Archibald kept quiet.
"Is it because ye think it not honorable to leave them? Thin tell thim
that I have offered ye more and see if they will do the same. I'll give
you a week to see."
"And now, ma'am, I have heard that ye wished to sell. Yere Granddaughter
will marry and this house will be too big for the three of yees. A pretty
apartment on the Park will be far better for ye. What is yere price for
the house?"
"We refused thirty thousand for it in 1900," replied Mrs. Hollister, "and
real estate has increased in value since that."
"Very well," said Mr. Casey, "I know what ye say is true, and I will pay
a fair price. I will give ye fifty thousand for this house, ma'am, and I
will have it remodeled for my girl."
"I will accept," said Mrs. Hollister, in a prompt businesslike way.
"There is no mortgage on the house," she added.
"Yere more of a business woman than yere son. Faith, he's worryin' over
hurtin' feelings of his employers I do be thinkin'," and Mr. Casey laid
back and laughed.
But Archibald felt as though the earth was slowly slipping from under his
feet. His luck was changing too rapidly. It was coming upon him too late
in life, and Mr. Casey! Well, he was indeed the fairy Godfather. He and
his wife had so longed for an apartment overlooking the Park, but
Grandmother would never hear of selling.
"When I die will be time enough," she would say, and now she had actually
seemed glad. And to think she would have fifty thousand dollars to live
on for the rest of her life. Then this new offer from Mr. Casey, double
the salary he was now receiving--it was like a dream. And his girl
engaged to one of the finest men in the West. God was too good to him--he
didn't deserve it.
His wife was overjoyed.
"Oh, Archie," she said "how wonderful it all is. It seems to have
happened since Ethel joined the Camp Fire girls. I'm sure they have
brought her luck. They have brought Nora to us and her dear father,
who has been so generous, and but for the Camp Fire she never would
have met Nora. Isn't it strange?"
Archibald Hollister laid the case before the Company by which he had been
employed for thirty years, not telling how much his new salary was to
be.
"Mr. Hollister," they said, "we can not afford to increase your salary.
To be sure you have served us faithfully, but you are no longer young,
and you know we need young blood in business. There are plenty waiting
for your place."
That was a terrible blow to Archibald. He had not expected to get
three thousand extra, but he had looked for an increase of a thousand
rather than they should let him go, and to hear them calmly sit and
tell him that they needed young blood was too much. He left the office,
and the next morning in place of Archibald Hollister there arrived his
resignation. So thirty years of faithfulness to their interests and
strict attention to business didn't count with them, and there he had
been so loyal to the concern!
"Ah!" said Mr. Casey, "what did I tell ye? Do ye think these corporations
care for the man? No. It's for what they can get out of him--for the
amount of work he can do, and for how small a salary. Let them hire their
young blood and you come along with me, and we'll see how much better off
they'll be!"