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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 21, 1889)
WEST SHORE. you had anythin' to do with her goin' away, though I never buw any person show Buch a dislike to another at Bho did to you. You plagued her, and I warned you not to, but I don't think you drove her away." Hawkes wai blowing huge clouds of smoke toward the ceiling. " Do you know much about Alice Goldthuret?" he asked. " No." in mild surprise. " I'd rather see a Bister of mine dead, if I had a sister, than an intimate friend of hers," said Hawkes, sneaking sharply and rising bo suddenly rb to make Mr. (irillis start. For tho first time he noticed the pallor on the young man's fuce. " IKik here! I'll pay the next Goldthurst note if you'll tell me where Marie is in a week's time." " Utt?" with a nuzzled look. " How can I tell?" " If you will find her! If you will help me find her! " hurriedly. " Nothing will ever convince me that she followed that Goldthurst girl, willingly and know ingly." Ho was so unlike Hawkes in his excitement that Mr. (irillis stared, amazed. " I'll never believe it till I see it. Come, will you helpine?" ' You know I will, Hawkes. I don't want any prico for it, either, and you ought to know it. We'vo been together too long to talk of payin' for friendship." " I'll put my hand down into my pocket and pay that five thousand gladly, if you will show her to me iu a work. No matter where sho is. If she has had freedom in her actions, I know where I will not find her. You ask me if I remember her. I remember her bo well, ami she came to me so often, although there wero three thousand miles between us, that I have como home to marry her." Those were long, weary days for Little John Pattern after Mario's departure. Disconsolately he wandered over his great estate. The summer house, where ho had so often listened to the low voico which had tho Kiwer to dissipate his jetty vexations, had come to to distasteful to hint. Ha nntuui1 iwv littln ;n his home. Wh en away from tho dingy otlice on Water street, however, his favorite- haunt was tho foot path on the cliir, where ho placed back and forth, leaning heavily on his staff, his face more pinched and the bluo suit hanging loosely on his shrinking frame. He was obstinate and quarrelsome, and a source of no lit tle trouble to his bettor and larger half. Mrs. Pattern was likewise undergoing change. Not that she was less hustling, or a more careless manager than in tho ml, but she accompanied her duties with unintelligi lo inuinblinirs and shnkimr of Imr lw,l Tim ..... of her unsettled state lay in tho fact that Charles, though a barrister, had received so little encourage ment from tho law reouiring public that he had grown rusty. In other words, he was far from thorough in his work, and for want of his father's signature in cer tain places on a certain legal document, it was a ques tion that would roouire judge and jury to decide just who would bo the owner or owners of the Pattern estate on Summit avenue, St. Timothy's Hill, in the case of Little John's decease. Kvery other plan U-ing frustrated, it had come to be the alnorbing desire of the mother to own tho prop- erty jointly with her son during her life. A will to that effect (secured during an illness of the old man) had lately been discovered to bo defective, and the ambitious lady realized the fact that unleBs another will was made in her favor, and she had little hope of it, the law would allow her but a third interest m the estate. A conversation which occurred between herself and son about this time increased her anxiety and her mumbling. Little John had for two consecutive even ings delayed tea for an hour. When he did return, he was morose and refused to explain his tardiness. On the third evening Mrs. Pattern, waiting in the draw ing room, lost every particle of patience. " I suppose we've gut to git that Maria back," she Baid, crossly. " There's no puttin up with his freaks. If she was here he'd be round to his meals. I guess we'd better advertise for her; 'twon't cost much." " If she returns," said Charles, " I shall ask her to marry me." " Well, I vum, Charl' Pattern!" with startling dis tinctneBB. " I lev you lost what little sense you hed? Marry her? Marry yer mother's maid?" " There is better blood in her than in us," Charles replied, and left the room. " Well, I vum! " the woman declared. " We're i goin' to the dogs, the whole on us. So Maria'll boss it over me in this house, will she?" angrily. "I'll make thet drivlin' idjit sign thet will out to-night I" The "drivlin' idjit" was at that minute stump ing into tho side door. The minute was marked, for the tiny French clock in the drawing room struck nine. Mrs. Pattern stood in the side hall, her hands on her hips, a serious impediment to her husband's progress. " Well, how long are you a goin' to keen this up?" she asked, looking very ugly. She would doubtless have followed the question with comments on his con duct, had not a wonderful thing occurred. Little John had stopped at the first word, waited till she had had her say, then, without warning, raised his Btick and dealt her a sounding whack on the fat head. Mrs. Pattern uttered an astonished yell nnd fled, but Little John seemed hardly satisfied. He brought his stick crushing throuph the hall chandelier and perforated the pictures with cane holes, all the time keeping up labored hopping, laughing and crying. When he was disarmed by Charles it was discovered that the head of tho house was in an advanced state of intoxication. With the Bocial downfall of the houso staring her in tho face, Mrs. Pattern pooled private issues. A council was held by the sober members of the family, which lasted till late into tho night. As a result of this meeting, Charles left for the city in advance of hii usual timo on the following day. and repaired to the office on Water street Coming into tho dingy room unannounced, he found an uncouth individual work ing at the bench, who treated Little John with such familiarity that the son was forced into the astonished expression, "Well!" Little John absolutely refused to go home, and Charles retired. When tho husband and father did euo mo St. Timothy hill mansion, he was in a con- ition bordorini? nn inonnlti. rwl mr. it nnntinlll'd OAT after day. The affairs of the house of Pattern were growing into a very bad state, indeed.