THE, CUR'XlN.



  It may well be believed I hat I had gripped his
hand when he first held it out, and the grip was
one of a friendship that has lasted.
  I had expected to hear fronm Peck, but no word
came from him, and the la4t I ever heard of him
was that he and MeSheen hlad had a quarrel, in
which MeSbeen had kicked him out of his office.
A suit appeared on the docket against AMeSheen,
in which Peck was the plain;;iff, but no declaration
was ever filed, and the case was finally dropped
fronm the docket.
  Jeanms failed to hold long the position of butler
in our modest household, lor though my wife put
up---on my account; as I believe--with Jeams's
occasionally marked unstead(liness of grait or mushi-
ness of utterance, she finally broke with him on
discovering that Dix showoed unmistakable signs
of a recent conflict, in which the fact that he had
been worsted had possibly something to do with
Jeamlss dlischarge, for Di. was the idol of her
heart, and it came to her ears that Jeamrs had
taken Dix out one night and m.atched him against
the chamnpion of the town.. But though Jeamns
lost the post of butler, he simply reverte(l to his
old position of factotumn and general utility man
about my premises. Ilis marriage to a very
decent woman, though, according to rumor, with
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