Show TWO violets V bym by M H JUSTICE it was the day after the panic the turmoil and bluster of the street which had swept before it in havoc the fortunes of many bial firms had also taken down with it that of john hambleton co but the street itself which the day before had been one mad pandemonium had again quieted down to its usual seren ity except the crowds around the curbs who still talked over the finan cial excitement but so it always is I 1 in this district of new york men may go down at one fell stroke gators may lo 10 e all they have in the world but the markets go on the same the persistent ticker marks off more encouraging quotations and the financier forgetting the ruin of those around him strives to recoup his own john hambleton sat in his private office on the morrow the firm would go through the preliminaries of assign ment he could pay oft off a part of the indebtedness dollar for dollar b it after this his slate would be wiped clean of a cent at 60 50 he was worse than when hj hi had begun a pauper though an honest and discouraged man he ile touched an electric button A slight dark haired grayeyes gray eyed girl girt cara came in with pencil and pad she was more than beautiful tor for there was sympathy and intelligence in the young face she rad iad been with the firm but three weeks but she had given satisfaction from the start her dignity and gentleness had bad given a soothing fleet to the strenuous brok office without john hambleton knowing why no miss jarrett you need take no more notes he told her when she had sat down I 1 regret to say I 1 am discharging you he ile held up his hand when she started to speak don it make it worse he went on I 1 am ruined and done but mr hambleton he ile raised a silencing hand band here is two weeks salary in advance till you can secure another place and I 1 wish it could be more you will find a couple of firms on this slip to whom I 1 have recommended you I 1 am going out on a business errand tor for an hour you may leave now she wondered at his words but some silent warning in his handsome face forbade her answer she softly closed the door and went out As she gathered up a few belongings she sha heard the senior partner go on his er rand and when she left she passed through his private office again with eyes filled with tears and laid a little note upon his desk an hour later john hambleton came in though he had sacrificed the last cent of his private fortune of over a million dollars there were still some whoop a who called him a thief and a man with out a friend left A man without a friend worse than a man without a country he ile opened a small drawer of his desk and took out something the polished steel glistened against the rich mahogany of his desk as his hand closed over it perhaps coward ly but he was tired alone and des once he looked out the window below rising from the street he could heat hear the shouts of the curb brokers i 4 and further away the indistinct mum ble coming from the stock exchange he ile smiled he ile would never hear that the steel thing i 4 again and he gripped closely at that moment almost brushed aside his eyes tell fell on alice jarrett a note slowly he opened it there were just a few words but out tell fell to vio lets the kind that grew in his mother mothe r 8 das on the farm with the delicate odor of spring A flood of emotion overcame him his eyes tell fell to the note I 1 am leaving but here is my ad dress my heart is with you in your trouble it if you need me only send A J friend for me your his friend ot of all the friends he knew this gentle girl alone had left the gentler message just in time violets pressed to his with the two lips john hambleton s head went over on his desk and he wept for the first time in many years slowly the little steel article was put back in its drawer |