I know you did not like his marriage, and were inclined to believe he was the victim of a rather unscrupulous father and a foolish, unequal girl; but are you satisfied that he would have been the happier without it, or lived his perfect life under other and what you may think wiser conditions?
If he WROTE the poetry that he LIVES everybody would think him wonderful; for being what he is we never give him sufficient credit." Stacy smiled grimly, and penciled on his memorandum, "He wants it to the amount of ten thousand dollars." "Anyhow," continued the writer, "look after him, Jim, for his sake, your sake, and the sake of--PHIL DEMOREST." Stacy put the letter back in its envelope, and tossing it grimly aside went on with his calculations.

Presently he stopped, restored the letter to his cabinet, and rang a bell on his table.

"Send Mr.North here," he said to the negro messenger.

In a few moments his chief book-keeper appeared in the doorway.
"Turn to the Branch ledger and bring me a statement of Mr.George Barker's account." "He was here a moment ago," said North, essaying a confidential look towards his chief.
"I know it," said Stacy coolly, without looking up.
"He's been running a good deal on wildcat lately," suggested North.
"I asked for his account, and not your opinion of it," said Stacy shortly.
The subordinate withdrew somewhat abashed but still curious, and returned presently with a ledger which he laid before his chief.

Stacy ran his eyes over the list of Barker's securities; it seemed to him that all the wildest schemes of the past year stared him in the face.