American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-11-02

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WHAT MADE HIM SHINEs
: We met him on the waverley road, two
miles out of town. trudging along witt
bent form, eagerly poking about in tho
dust with a long crooked stick. Well
that wSs no45ihk unusual. we had seer
him before with the same heavy stoop in
his shoulders, and carrying the eanse knot
. stan. which was too long for cane
: n! too slender for support. He seldom
looked ppssbut. when lie did. his eyes, sci
tar back in his head. were small and sharp
and gray and searching, and they fell
again almost instantly to the ground. We
bad seen him in town. wandering up and
down the streets. peering into every crack
and Granny of the stone pavement; we
had crossed him in the lobby Of the opera.
ever stirring about, bat wrapped wholly
within either himself or the pattern of the
carpet; we had noticed him in the court
room, moving restlessly around, always
sc44ntng the floor with the same intent
enI1ressOH; we had passed him on the
turnpike. still with his keen, sleepless eyes
bent rigidly upon the groundlwe had
met him in all these places, his anxious
yellow face taking no heed of us but that
day we met lima on the Waver!ey road
two miles out of town.
We had been on a ride-partly of pleas
ure. partly of business-and were driving
ing in June, the briiliance of the sun I'M
fiecked by . single cloud in the deep-blue
sky. There was no moisture in the air,
nor on the waving leaves; and in the dry
and pleasant fields the grassiIoppers were
holding jubilee. We put the top of the
buggy up to shield us from the heat, and
allowed the horse to choose his own pace,
which had slacasened to walk, while we
leaned comfortably back in our seats. en-
toying the situation. MY friend watched
s=i11l etdM1m GOOD while, and said:
& fff1rs4 Ing yaar creature! I have Of
--tens8Ondefed who he could be, ter 1 be-
n6unts every nook and corner OF
the town and country. How terribly
stooPef: he is! But he does not appear to
be feeble, because never saw him quiet :
AID, though he takes no notice of any
thing about him. he has a strange, eager
manner. as if he might be upon spme
business of pressing Importance
I replied that had often noticed it, and
xconid nesera understand either why he
carried that crooked stick. for certainly it
was Of no possible use. AS we passed
him. turned round, when George said,
Suddenly:
t'Why, Joe, see there? What's the mat
they were covered with spangles! Just
look az them! And what on eai 18th is he
Here, the old man, who had been for an
instant on one knee, jumped up and
shf1eled outs
'Twenty-three thousand five hundred
and ninety-seven
George and scarcely crediting our ears.
looked at each other in blank amazement.
we looked at each other, and looked at
him. What could it mean? We drew in
the reins, and called without receiving any
reply We called again, and louder; but
the old man, with his eyes fixed upon the
ground. persisted in utter silence, and
sent up such q thick cloud of dust by the
rapid movement of his stick that we could
hardly see him. When it cleared, he had
nAsly,rached the toll gate, and we were
'ooAeed 10 content ourselves simply with
astounding EXCAVATIONS.
ThAt night, about twelve o'clock, the
two OF us were returning on foot from the
tneater, when whom should we meet but
the strange old man who had so aroused
CUR curiosityin the morning?
He turned quickly around the corner,
and came upon lis SO suddenly that he
brushed against my left side in passing.
The night was dark, and he was out of
sight in moment. But what was the
singular noise that we heard for an in
stant, like the rasping wings of an insect
And, when held up my left arm, that
coatsleeve was torn in small three-cOr-
nered snags. Hooked at George i'm mute
inquiry, and we both gazed behind us into
the darkness; but there came no answer
from any place.
1t must have been more than a week
after this that, one bright afternoon, L
was taldng stroll by myself in the up
per part OF the town, when met the old
man again. This time he came upon me
50 Unexpectedly that did not see him
until ne was just opposite, when he sud-
denly bent one knee stopped to the ground
m instant. then jumped up, and shouted,
in metallic voice:
s.Twenty-fOur thousand two hundred
and scventy-eight!''
turned round to look at him, but at
the first glance l covered my eyes with
my hands, almost blinded, for he flashed
like quicksilver in the sun; and, before
recovered he turned down some alley or
street, and had disappeared, and / found
myself more completely bewildered than
eyer before. related the incident to
George. but he could come ne nearer solv-
ing the mystery for mystery it had GER
tainly now become. Neither of us could
even suggest q possible explanation. 1t
undoubtedly had not been an o. teal ilr-
Sion, for, when We met him i'm the coun-
try, George had witnessed the same lu-
minous phenomenon, though perhaps not
quite go yivf1ly.
But had made another discovery in
the glance that caught of him this time,
.or, quick as 1t was, 1 noticed peculiar
1ty about him that / had never seen be-
tore. His finger-nails were almost an
inch in length, and trimmed to point.
sharp as black talOns. l did not tell
George OF this-why, cannot say. unless
because the remembrance of their claw
like look invariably made me SILVER, and.
hardly knowing what to think of the old
man, did not mention ii; then. besides,
it was really but a trivial circumstance.
The following day business at the bank
proved Feuaflnbly heavy, at least my par
ticulzr share. It seemed to have taken a
sudden freak Of remorse for the easy time
IL had been allowing me, and Immediately
concluded to make full atOnement. /
!, worked steadily through all the morning
only a few moments for dinner. About
three O'Clock. tired and cramped in posi-
ton, leaneth back in my chair to take "A
good stretch,s and had just closed my
mouth after ipOst refreshing yawn, that
came near imperiling the desk, when |
heard the teller say to some one:
ale thinks when he gets twenty-five
thousand that something grand will hap
pen to him, and he'll be the highest in the
land. He works hard enough for it, poor
soul! and is as honest about it as if the
whole world was looking on. OF course.
the very fact Of his trying to get twenty
five thousand shows that he is badly
cracked, utterly crazy. 1t is queer idea
OF his, but nobody can reason with him
about the matter.''
i had not heard who he was talking
about, nor did inquire, but thought to
myself as l trimmed my pen: ..WeI.
twenty-five thousand is not much: Won
have ten times that amount, and did not
come by it very easily either, but nobody