The Brick Moon, and Other StoriesHale, Edward Everett
Science
The Brick Moon, and Other Stories
Hale, Edward Everett
Short stories; United States -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction
And now everybody was at ease. How well Mrs.
Molyneux recalled to herself what she would not
speak of that Christmas Day of which Mr. Kuypers told his
story! It was in their young married life. She had her
father and mother to dine with her, and the event was
really a trial in her young experience. And then, just
as the old folks were expected, her husband came dashing
in and had asked her to put dinner a little later because
he had had this good news for the poor Widow Chappell,
and she had to tell her father and mother, when they
came, that they must all wait for his return.
The Widow Chappell was one of those waifs who seem
attracted to Washington by some fatal law. It had been
two or three months before that Mr. Molyneux had been
asked to hunt her up and help her. A letter had come,
asking him to do this, from Mrs. Fales, in Roxbury, and
Mrs. Fales had sent money for the Chappells. But the
money had gone in back rent, and shoes, and the rest, and
the wolf was very near the Chappells' door, when the
telegraph announced the "Macedonian." Mr. Molyneux had
telegraphed instanter to this Dr. Wilder. Dr. Wilder had
some sense of Christmas promptness. He remembered poor
Chappell perfectly, and mailed that night a thorough
certificate. This certificate it was which Mr. Molyneux
had carried to the poor old tenement of Massachusetts
Avenue, and this had made happy that Christmas Day--and
this.
"Why," said Mr. Bruce Kuypers, almost as if he were
speaking aloud, "it seems so queer that Christmas
comes and goes with you, and you have forgotten all about
that stormy day, and your ride to Mrs. Chappell's!
"Why, at our place, we drink Mr. Molyneux's health
every Christmas Day, and I am afraid the little ones used
to think that you had a red nose, a gray beard, and came
down the chimney!"
"As, at another place," said Matty, "they thought of
Mr. Bruce--of Noah's Ark memory."
"Anyway," said Mr. Molyneux, "any crumbs of comfort
we scattered that day were BREAD UPON THE WATERS."
Of Mr. Kuypers's quick journey the main points have
been told. Six days before, by some good luck, which
could hardly have been expected, the "Gem City Medium's"
despatch from Washington was full enough to be
intelligible. It was headed, "ANOTHER SWINDLER NAILED."
It said that Mr. Molyneux, of the Internal Improvement
office, had feathered his nest with $500,000 during
the war, in a pretended expedition to the Rio Grande. It
had now been discovered that there never was any such
expedition, and the correspondent of the Associated Press
hoped that justice would be done.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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