THE STEADFAST HEART
age—in the sense of operating the largest bit of financial machinery. When we consider Angus’s age this state of affairs may be regarded as extraordinary. There are few cashiers who have only passed their majority, but Angus was many years older than the tale of his birthdays—and many years younger.
Henry G. Woodhouse had reached that time of life when it was inevitable he should look forward to a day when Rainbow would know him no more. His years were beginning to weigh upon him. No longer could he bring to his endeavors the enthusiasm and acumen which had once been his; he discovered that fatigue stalked his path and that constant attendance at the office irked him. He longed for rest and knew a craving for leisure. All these things contributed to Angus Burke’s advancement. Daily the old gentleman shifted more from his shoulders to the younger man’s, and his confidence in his youthful assistant was remarkable, yet not so remarkable when one perceives how natural it is for age to lean upon the sturdiness of youth. Had Angus been unscrupulous, self-seeking, he might have obtained a sinister influence over the old gentleman—the sort of influence Judge Crane and his family accused him of exercising.
Judge Crane had approached Mr. Woodhouse upon the subject of taking his son into the bank
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