Fair play., 1873-08-14

come home without q waistc0at. And
hI.iy expect 70 see the day when he will
have to lie in bed to have his only shirt
washed, his opu,eut be2gars having
Pawned all the rest
Blythe still lived with his mother. be.
cause h" felt that no other woman would
be happy with the perplexities which his
constant experiments in sociology enrailed
| on his household. and because he had
| never found woman whom he could ask
to share that poverty which might 50
easily have been wealth had he chosen to
conduct his moral bookkeeping accord
ing to received usage. In this new rOy lie
he had taken much stock. as he said. The
man was not only certain to reform. but
TO save hundreds of men like himself.
whom he would know how to reach. But
after one brief, ill-spelled, and dirty note
TO say that he had found work. and a
friend in his employer. he made no sign.
And when year or two of silence had
convinced even Blythe that the taint of
ten years could not be cured by an hours
Kindness. he only said. "Well, poor fel-
low. ought to have kept him under my
own eye. There was good in him. But
suppose life was too dark
So eight years went by. Blythe going
his daily round of transformations duty.
never dreaming that he was saint i'm
shabby vestments. and only seeing that
each day he let slip some chance Of help
fulness which he might have seized. His
business had not thriven as he had hoped.
Men were a little shy of such a QuixOt'.
genius though he was; and he was so Ger
tain to refuse cases where the right was
not clearly on his side that his fees grew
fewer year BY year. 1t was hard. because
he saw such good that might be done with
money. But he only pinched himself the
more
There came in time cholera summer.
People fled the city in herds. Almost no
body was left. save the wretches who
rance, and dirt predetermined them vie
tins. By day and bv night. in the stews
and slums of the town. horrible in the
August heat and stenches, John Blythe
watched and worked. His perfect health,
which seemed to place him beyond peril
Of infection. his skill in nursing, his ten
derness. and the quiet courage which
reused an answering courage in the at
frighted victims. made him invaluable to
the doctors. He cften met another vol
unteer nurse. not less invaluable than
himself the ply icians said. But beyond
civil greetings they had neither time nor
thought to bestOw on each other.
But one morning as Blythe left the hos
pitai. after Il hard and weary nights work.
he overlook his silent fellow-wOrker. The
latter lifted his hat, and as the clear early
light fell on his face it looked so familiar
and so friendly that Blythe stopped, say
ing. :" Surely | must know you, my good
EYES," said the stranger, heartily.
" you are perhaps the only person who
ever did know me. Our acquaintance be-
gan in breach of good manners on nv
part, for l asked an important personal
favor before being introduced. You may
remember being solicited to kick me and
let me go on morning much like this ~
John Blythe, the first of the name,
dragged his namesake into a friendly
doorway. within whose shelter he first
sat down on the very dirty stairs and
cried. John Blythe. the scOnd of the
name. leaning on the balustrade, also
cried.
The sponsor was the first to recover his
speech. History repeats ITSELF" he
said. "Twice found in the street, and
second time to be invested in my clothes
for We can't take breakfast in these
and again to break the bread that pre-
cetaes new career tOgether-fOr never
will let you out Of my sight again, you
rascal and once more to set you up in
other business-for now you are to be
your own biOgrapher. and tell me tales Of
yourself for thousand and one nights.
But he pleased to hold your tongue till
we have both bathed and eaten. or we shall
both be down with the cholera. and the
two best nurses too engaged to attend
u.s."
But when they had refreshed themselves
with wafer and fresh linen. and had eaten
their breakfast together in the cellar res
taurant where they had first adopted each
other, the elder entreated the younger to
speak. "My boy" he said. "we shall
have observed the dramatic unities in a
way to satisfy DIR. johnson himself, when
in that very chair You tell me yonr story
Come. now-Enter John Blythe, second, So
lus. loguitur."
"rm almost deaf and dumb with jOy.
Sir" answered his namesake, "and I'm
afraid that Pm not a much better fist at
talking about myself than was when
you first invited me to do it: and made
man of me. Ihave oft n thought of late
that had done wrong not to write But
the truth was that after I had written you
tlihb SVttVh HoNt VII dSsttts IL
seemed little contemplate to be hanging
on to you. even with letters. when could
stand alone. And was afraid YOU might
think wanted money. or notice. or the
help of your name. if I kept reminding
you of me. think now it was pri 'e. but
then thought it was humility. And I
set upa certain stint to myself to do be-
fore I would write again. l told you was
an extra good workman. WELL said.
8 I'll get extra good pay. and then I'll
write and say that deeds are better coin
than words to paw ones debts in, and that
I've got some of this good tender to show
how grateful am OF course I had to
begin low. and work up. And fit nv
ignorance. and got books. and studied
every night and Sundays. That was much
the toughest job Of the two. the book
learning. But Mr.. Bradbury watched me
for your sake. and when Mr.. John was at
home in vacations he used to come down
and talk to me. and when he found that I
was trying to improve myself he offered
to help me. and afer that I got on IA
mously. Presently l saw that it all de-
pended on me how soon should be made
foreman. and worked like all possessed.
meaning to write to you as soon as got
the place. Having no expenses to speak
Of. | began to lay up money from the
first. and perfect greed Of getting and
saving took hold of me. for I wanted
to astonish my astonishing godfather
with the amount Of it. But Mr.. Brad
bury was buying land here and there in
the suburbs where he knew the horse
railroads were going to put it up. and he
said to me. John. if you choose to risk
your money in land. I'll buy for you as I
buy for myself. and I think we shall
make good thing
"Well. of course I did choose. And.
what isn't of course. we did make money
hand over hand. And it seemed as if I
was Fireman in M time And then /