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Slowly he walked to the hearthstone, eyeing her askance, then he swept his brow where the cold perspiration lay in beads; then turned to her again with a world of love for her in his eyes and a great crushing self-pity; and the menials looked away from the abject misery they beheld in their lord's face; Tompkins fumbled nervously with his burden, daring not to look up; Janet leant forward, intent, pained, sorrowing, scanning the two countenances she loved best on earth.
"I won't put up with such treatment from you, Mr. Tompkins," said the good lady, passionately, and walked from the room with a stately step and an effort at dignity. The husband retreated precipitately, and sought his place of business. He sighed as he took his seat upon a counting-house stool at the desk, and commenced turning over the pages of various large account-books.
It was, as Tompkins had said, a dismal quest. Those who have ever made this cheerless tour will not desire to be reminded of the experience, and those who have not would derive more pain than pleasure from a recital of it.
"Do I? Well, if you'd ever seen me bossin' the fireworks at Tompkins Square, in little old N. Y., I guess you wouldn't ask that!" Just then Jack came blundering along through the brush and half fell into the boat. "You'd make a fine scout!" Jimmie said. "You move through the thickets with the stealth and grace of an elephant!"
"What madness, with the means I have had in my hands, ever to have fed your avaricious maw!" Although Mr. Tompkins could see the sky by looking upward, he was still in the forest, and had a hard journey before him, ere he gained the pleasant champaign he was seeking so eagerly. The cash he received on selling his house was barely sufficient to clear it of all encumbrance.
He's a a gentleman, I daresay in some respects not all, of course, my dear, but " "Gentleman? Ridiculous!" scoffed his wife. "I yes, quite right a ridiculous gentleman, of course. Ha, ha! Isn't he, Barminster? But with all that, you know, I couldn't have Tompkins shoot him. He asked me the other day if he should take a shot at Shaw's legs, and I told him not to do anything so absurd."
I sed if Bill Tompkins, who was onct my partner in the show biznis, was sober, I should like to convarse with him a few periods. "Is the Sperret of William Tompkins present?" sed 1 of the long hared chaps, and there was three knox on the table. Sez I, "William, how goze it, Old Sweetness?" "Pretty ruff, old hoss," he replide.
He returned the merchant's salutation with formality, seated himself deliberately, and, resting his hands upon the head of his cane, looked up with a sinister expression on his face. "A fine day this, Mr. Wolford," said Tompkins. "Yes, very fine. How is business?" "Dull terribly dull. I have never known such a business season. There is absolutely nothing doing." Wolford made no reply.
There were a couple of kegs in the wagon and several tin cans. Perched on the roof of the cabin was a boy, whom he recognized as Sam Tompkins, who had, apparently, climbed there to escape the dog, which was jumping up, trying to get at him.
Upon the inside of each of these I had to scrawl a few lines on any subject which occurred to me as sufficiently mysterious signing all the epistles Tom Dobson, or Bobby Tompkins, or anything in that way.
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