The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-03-18


One day General Jack had a visitor, a
man of forty years, with grizzled hair and
stoop in his shoulders-a pallid face,
somewhat bloated from long indulgence in
| liquors. "You don't know me, General
Jack |" said the man.
| The general was puzzled good deal.
| "Hombre, I've seen you somewhere. Stop
i have it Good Lord, Cary, what have
you dene to yourrelfp'
Its fifteen years ago, general" said
Cary, alphabetically.
"Only fifteen! POUNDS You we're
handsome young fellow then; l thought
you were a genius. And your wife was
lovely"
"Don't mention the past-she's wreck
six children to care for; and am-what
you see. ! want you to do something for
me before the black dog devours me-"
"Hombre, it's the drink that does it."
II want you to save me from the drink,
general.
"Ths man" the general says, when he
tells the story "this man, Mark Cary, was
what you might truly call one of these here
geniuses. When / knowed him-and loved
him, too, as everybody had to do--he was
editing neat little paper in Virginia town,
and happy as June bug. One of your
Appolloses- tall, square, step like spring
board, blue eyes full Of fire, Hyperian curls
like-a man every inch. The things he
couldn't do with the dumb-bells want worth
trying; he could beat my best man at
square leap; sat horse like a Center or
Comsnchy, and put a pen in his hand, or
call on him for speech and by POUNDS you
couldn't mate him nowhere. / used to get
him to write my bills and advertisements
for me-he'd been treasure in that line if
he'd only taken wages. AS for poetry
well, I'm no judge, but if he couldn't pump
all these here ceutenniallers I'm Dutchl
His wife was just the sweetest little lady
ever you see, and could pour out tea like
an angel. And now here he wac, gone to
seed
"How come it, Cary?"
1t was the war, poverty, sickness, long
struggles in adversely, long lassitude and
loss of spirits, chagrin, all that turned in.
81 think I'm gone, general, hut Mar
garet wont hear a word of it. She told
me to come to see you and ask you to help
me-"
"Where is the little woman, Mark?'
He named a wretched tenement house,
General Jack drummed on the table with
his fat fingers moment. "Not in want l
hope, Cary2" said he at last.
mot quite general; but the times are
| hard; / can't get away, and there is no tell
ing how long it will be before that comes,
too"
"Come, let's go and see her." and the
general and Cary, without word, led the
way to his poor lodgings.
The general does not say much about the
interview that ensued, but l know from
other sources that the wife and children had
a good supper that night.
"Come to my offiee-down town, here's
the number--to- morrow at eleven, Mark,
and I'll talk with you. Madam, I'll see
you again." and the general withdrew.
"See, here, Mark" said the general,
next day, "you're broke down. The little
woman can't do anything with you, and
your own backbone's turned to iDjun-rub-
Der. You amt worth a d-n"
"That is just about the conclusion am
coming to myself, general" said Cary, with
pathetic sincerity.
81 know better!' cried Jack, vehement
ly pounding the table with his fist; IL
mean to take you in hand now, and make
q man of your
81 wish to heaven you would" cried
Cary.
Il mean to you're the very fellow I've
been looking for this year or more. You're
honest and capable-you know all about
geology, minerology, and that sort of thing,
| uOn your IL you uOu YOU Cdu ledIu-
stop! Listen you are up to my diamond
passon-wel, theirs where l want you
want a man-an honest mana capable
man-to 90 to South Africa for me, and
find NE the biggest diamond there-a dozen
of them, is you're SO minded! Will you
go? Stop! I'll take care of the little wo-
man if you do, and provide for her if you
don't come back. The sea voyage will
give you chance to taper off, drop the
drink, build yourself up, and all that when
you get there you'll be all right again, and
then ysu can use your brains again in find
ing me that diamond. I'll pay you good
wages, and all you find is mine. Is it a
bargain? Strike hands on il if it is
"If Margaret says yes, III go, general.
And God bless you, anyhow"
"Come home 10 lunch with me, then,
and we'll ask her. She'll likely be there"
Not only she but all the children were
there, and in the newest of clothes, tor
Mrs. Jack had been at work too, and Mrs.
Cary told her husband, with tears in her
eyes, "We needn't go back to that dream
of horror any more"
So it was all settled in few minutes.
Cary's family were 10 have the cottage on
the general farm and an ample allowance;
the eldest boy and girl to go to school,
and Cary himself to go after the big dia-
mond In week Mark Cary sailed, with
a chest full of books in which to study up
the subject and the little woman and her
children were happy on the farm-happy,
at least, as they could be with Cary away
in quest of the big diamond.
How did that quest fare? | must let
General Jack tell it in his own way, as be
takes the key of his safe from his pocket,
preparatory TO opening it, and stands on
| ha haa ha
stout calves, and emphasizing his narrative
with gestures of the key:
"Never was mistaken in man IN all my
life before that Made all my money by
looking in peoples faces to see if could
trust 'em or not. And this here Mark Cary
WELL there s half million O diamonds,
great and small in this here chest, let alone
bonds and d left him here with the safe
open and nobody else In the house, and
gone off say to Europe or the Sandwich
Islands perfectly easy. But, you see
we'll, there's such thug as tempting peo-
pie to far. Cary got along SPLENDID at first.
He wrote to his wife and me regular all
along the voyage, and when he got to the
Cape he sent photograph that we might
see how he was spruced up. could see
the old curls coming back to his hair, the
old fire TO his eyes, the old roundness to his
cheek and the little woman was more IN
love with him than ever. He went up
country, and by and by his letters begin TO
come in regular again, and diamonds, too
small ones, but one or two good,sized ones,
so that 10 their sum they might be taken to
be worth full as much money as had put
IN for him. One day he sends me a real
brilliant two-carat fellow, and smultan-
eousy draws on me for $500, saying he
was going to another place in the hope to
l
after that, no more from Mark Cary.
|, More than year went by, and not word
did | get from him, nor did his wife no
more than me- The little woman was we'll
nigh crazy, and, as had no good news for
her, l didn't tell her any. | had written