The family feud by Adam Hornbook Author:Thomas Cooper Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE FAMILY FEUD. 29 and at figures. The first favour he bestowed on myself was to give me a nickname, and that at my very entrance into the office. ' " Goo... more »d morning, young man," said the chief clerk to me; " your name is Colton—is it not ? As for the other name, Mr. Upham does not like it; and we are to change it for—for— what the deuce was it, Mr. Crookit ?" and he turned to the tall, sinister-eyed man. " Wooden spoons," was the dry answer. " Nonsense !" said the chief clerk, " we are to call you, not Cain, but kik—kik—Canute—that's it! There's your stool— next to Osberton—and he'll show you what"to copy. Take your place, and success to you!" and he turned away, and I was soon seated at my new employ. So now I had two new names ! I certainly liked one of them better than my own. Ihadread of the Danish king of England who rebuked his courtiers, and all that; and I was pleased to receive his name in lieu of that of the first murderer. Perhaps I should have felt hurt at the other name, if the clerks in the office had not echoed the words " Wooden spoons! " with such remarkable good-humour. Besides, I thought now I had done with the spoons the name could not hurt me ; and with that thought I put down the dislike which sometimes arose within me when I afterwards heard the nickname repeated. But I could not put down my dislike to Mr. Crookit, the second clerk. The man never spoke harshly to me: it was the extreme softness and covert sarcasm of his manner which gradually filled me with aversion for him. The chief clerk, Mr. Elder, was a brisk little man, who had served Mr. Timothy's father, and had been with the Upham family nearly all his life. He was at least fifty years old—perhaps nearer sixty—when I entered the office, but was as active and limber as the youngest ...« less