Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-11-11

ihen ne look up the note, written In the
same hand:
At home to you. dear Harry, tonight at
seven: With love, ALICE.
Then that is where he has gone. Oh,
Harryi Harry God help your
Joe sat down on the side of the bed,
and, brushing the falling hair back with
his big, awkward hand, set himself steadi-
ly TO work to find out where his duty lay.
"All of us!-Harry, Mabel and me.
BAIL think the fiends exhausted their in
geniity when they invented the torment
called loving. Poor boy! poor Harry.
How can l tell himg how make the
wretched story sound less horriblesn Joe
looked at his watch. Harry could not rea-
sonably be expected to return for two
hours. He would probably remain as
long as Miss Remson would permit him.
thought Joe, bitterly; until the fascinating
young lady wearied OF bis ardent devo-
ton and dismissed him with yawn.
For the next hour Joe paced steadily up
and down Harry's room, his heavy foot
fall sounding through the house with a
dull, monotonous regularity, and the
longer he thought of the task before him
the greater became the dread of il. He
dreaded to see the change come over Harry's
his happy eyes, and the rigid lines of suf-
fering replace the laughing curves about
his mouth. Poor joel his trouble was
always about somebody else. He thought
his own powerful limbs and clumsy feat
ures were adapted TO labor and sorrow,
but he would have liked to claim immuni-
ty from suffering for those he loved
and Harry held very warm place in
his heart, perhaps because he was Mabel's
cousin
Finally he scrawleda single line upon a
card, and left it where Harry should see it
when he entered the room:
Come up TO my room as soon as you return.
JOE.
Then he went quietly upstairs to his
own apartment, and unlocking heavy
desk that stood in one corner took from II
bundle of letters tied carefully together
with small piece of black Grape. Plac-
ing the package on the table within reach
of his hand, be sat quietly down to wait.
1T was bitter hour that he passed-sit-
ting there waiting for the return of the
boy to whose bright hopes and happiness
he was preparing TO deal such a deadly
blow. Would Harry's friendship for him
survive the revelation he was about TO
maker he asked himself bitterly, and then
an angry feeling rose up in his heart that
his should have been the hand selected to
deal out such misery to his friend. Joe
shivered when the clock struck twelve,
and simultaneously with its solemn
sound he heard the rattle OF Harry's latch
key.
" II must come" he muttered below
his breath, land the sooner the better.
If put it off until to morrow it will be
no easier TO tell or TO hear.n
In a moment Harry's light step sounded
on the stairs, and, flushed with health
and happiness, he burst into the room.
whats the row, Joeg Thought you.
didn't believe in burning the midnight
oil2 Surely your exciting researches into
Newton and Leibnitz haven't kept you up
till this hour? You ought to be dreaming
about our landlady's mullins and all the
dear delights of to-morrow's breakfast.
Phewi I'm tired" and Harry resumed his
old position on the bed.
was rather rude TO you this evening,
Harry, and l thought I'd like to tell
you"
"Oh, bosh is that what's the matter?
You dear old boy, do you suppose re-
membered il for moments i say, Joe,
do you know, / think you the best fellow
in the world there never was anybody
quite so-quite sol don't know what |
want to say. When feller is spooney on
a girl there's million ways of telling her
of 1t, but when it is another fellow, why
let's shake hands," and Harry rolled over
and placed his hand in Joe's enormous
paw.
"Go1 bless you, Harryp'
"Why, what on earth is the matter?
You're as solemn as If you were assisting
at the funeral of all your friends and rela-
tives in bunch"
Harry, is Alice Remson the girl of
whom you were telling me to-nights''
"Of course she is. Sweet little Ally !
There couldn't be two like her in the
world. Why, you don't know her, do
you!'
II know Of her."
"Then you must know that she's the
sweetest, dearest little . Lordl /
forgot. I'm an awful bore, Joe; know
it,"
"She is two years older than you are"
"Y-e-s."
"And woman is older than man at
the same age. Alice Remson Is twenty.
five.n
"Well2 You don't intend to tell me
that a woman is decfepit at twenty five, do
your"
"Alice Remson was belle In New York
society before you had entered college"
what of itH'
have story to tell you tonight,
Harry. Will you try and listen patiently.
and not hate me when i have finished
Shake hands once more, will you? You
may not be willing to when have DONE"
and Joe's strong hand inclosed Harry's
more delicate one for moment IN its firm
clasp. Harry was startled by the CULVER
ing, uncertain tone in Joe's voice and the
gentle way IN which he laid his hand back
on the bed when he ceased holding il.
did you ever hear of Charley How
ardg"
Eyes, think so. The man who was
found drowned In the bay, wasn't he
There was great fuss about II in the
papers. was in the country then, you
know"
"Yes. You were at home with your
mother and Mabel but ! was boarding
here in the same room where | am now
and Charley Howard was on the floor
above us. He was something like you,
Harry, frank, open and noblc.hearted,
IA 81 IT,tiIra