Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1871-11-18
TOu's I.tCk.

was looking straight on, or down
wards like one who did not want
Ia he recognized. Ills dress might
account for that long boots coming
above tho knee, Pea'laekel, ana "a
forage cap, dp not form the ordlna'
ry London costume, ia spite OF the
Volunteer movement and its hybrid
fashions; aud yet Tom was not one
Ia bs hashihl ON account OF his
clothes. | hurried after him, and
put my hand on his shoulder, he
started ~ il | had touched the
nerve ola tooth; aud without CLAN
cling round, darted into the road, rs
though bent an raising the average
of street accidents, A Hanson cab
man rcincd his horse up ON his hann'
chcs, and cursed him. an omnibus
driver aid ditto; II butcher dittoi u
news agent, II fish m niger, and u
private groom, dittoi and then he
landed on the opposite pavement
If he had been in Rome, and oppos'
ed to the Pope's iniallibility, he
could not have been assallcd with
worse language. When fairly thro'
IL all, ho looked back, saw me, and
came across again, this time less
recklcssly.
q" Why, Tom, so you have come
homem cried |, grnsping his hand,
ayes" said he; II landed at Lon
don Bridge this morning. ! have
just left your staircase, finding your
outer door boltcd."
Come back, then
"Why did you bolt from me in
that way?" ! asked, when we
were comfortably seated in my
room.
Because thought you were
some one to whom | owed money,
replied Tom. "IIeigh.ho! / have
been free from that feeling for four
months, but the moment | set foot
on the quay it all came back"
"Aro your debts so very heavy'
thcn?"
No; fortunately, ! could never
get credit enough for that
| / suppose that fifty pounds would
clear me, with the exception of my
tailor, ofcoursc, but can pay him
with fresh orders always. But fif'
ty pounds which you cannot pay
arc worse than five thousand which
you can"
"Pooh You will soon clear that
off when you get into practice =.
Il don't know" said Tom, with
dcspondcnt sigh; =" the moment |
get any money, it mclts, cannot
tell how. Then | do not see my
way clearly. should like to go
into the service us an assistant'snr.
geon; but there is the outfit, and |
do not want to be any further cX-
pcnse to my mother, if | can posi-
bly, help it Jones wrote to say
that he would take me on again as
his assistant while | looked about
me; but to go there would be run,
ming into the very jaws of old klr-
by, my principal creditor"
I" And who is old kirby?'
" An inn keeper and livcry-sta.
bic keeper, to escape from whom |
got attached to the ambulance, and
went out. had been shirking him
for months, till at last | got tired
of it, and determined to leave the
neiphborhood. And | had not been
in England four hours before | ran
plump up against him lie came
hurrying after me: | pretended not
to see him, divcd down by-street,
doubled, came to your chambers,
and had Just left the court, when
you saw me, as | told you"
g Is this Kirby such severe
creditor, then?'
mo; | do not know that he is:
ho is good-naturcd sort Of fellow
enough, and rather liked me, but
he likes his money better. The
last time | saw him-to speak to,
meant cost me sovereign to
disguise how hard up | was
- How was that"
"Well, it was about three weeks
before joining the ambulance that i
went one evening" into the billiard
room at Kirby's place, thinking be
was away at some race-meetlng IN
the north, when he came in, full OF
n Derby sweep he was getting up
The room was crowded with men
playing at pool and looking on, and
almost all of them put in. Now
YOU know that / bave no taste for
any kind OF gambling. You lose a
couple of pounds at cards or bet
Ting, and might have had a days
hunting for the money. There arc
so very many pleasures to be had
for the buying, that never have a
shilling TO throw away upon what
gives me no agreeable sensation
whatever. This sweep was partlc
ularly devoid of temptation to me
for there were To be one hundred
and fifty members. and the chances
against each were therefore tremen.
dous. However, / feared that if
dcmurred, old Kirby would suspect
that a sovereign was an object to
me, and Immediately think of the
thirty or forty / owed him for din
ners and horse-hire; so l told him
to put my name down with as care
less an air as possible, and handed
him a third of my whole property
No. not quite a third, for possess
ed three pounds twelve shilling.
and six pense, and | only parted
with a sovereign"
"And what horse did you draw
HSome colt or another forget
the name. 1t was sent to Jones,
who forwarded it to me. ! was very
busy at Derby time, and never saw
any English papers; but ! heard tho
names of the three first bOrses, and
mine was not one Of them; L know
that"
How could ron have been -