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.