The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1877-03-22

"He receiyed me in his private office,
lwhere he was looking oyer the, filing
lpapers; and he left me standing near
the door, and went on with his work.
alter looking up and saying, Good eVen-
ing! There was something repulsive
about him, thought, and l determined
to try for the situation first, without say
ing ANYTHING about who l was. SO l
stated my business very c0ncisely. he
raised his speetacles on his giisbening
| forehead, referred from me to a paper he
back to me, aud then said:
| "Young man, there ls no vacancy,
and even if there were, for the past
Two weeks there have been on an aver
age twenty applications like this per
diem. You had better apply some
Wnere else.'
"My hand was on the door-Knob, but /
turned around and looked at him. With
Eout knowing clearly how the words
came, said slowly:
~ am Kenneth Lane, sir. My father
helped you once, in the creates ex tremi-
| ty OF your life.'
"His face flushed little, and he in
terrupted testify:
"'Ah, certainly But you see, Mr..
Kenneth Lane, can't make situations
IL do not know what he was going to
say. shut the door and passed out
through the long rooms, past smiling
clerks, who no doubt read my errand
and It's failure in my face, and out into
the street. l do not remember anythin 6
else very distinctly, except that seemed
plunged suddenly into an alley and
from that into all kinds OF no thorough
fares-desperate places that l would
nave shrunK from at auy other time. i
was conscious OF rushing along at times
and then blindly cropping my way, drag
Iging myself along slowly and painfully.
l was In one OF these latter moods when
was seized and brought TO halt by
TWO tll-favored villains, who proceeded
to 60 through my pockets in gallant
style. Apparently disgusted with the
general emptiness of those receptacIes
they turned around to the light.
| "Drunk," said one OF them, Tor else a
fool, l don't know which"
"Uome, my covey," said the other "you
air innocent, you air, and you'd better
skin out q this afore you get tap on
the head"
sit was gloomy enough, boys, I can
tell you. The sense OF failure is hor-
rid thing, and it mad full possession of
me then. l was young, and had fitted
myself tor some of the higher, nobler
work of lite, just to be thrust back and
told there was no vacancies. Right then
and there telt that there were powers
in my brain which could win me name
and place among men il they were only
given the opportunity.
ooh, boys. there was the bitterness
Of It'll Il might as well be a highway
roboerp said aloud, despairingly.
| "'That is just what 1 think said a
voice close beside me, and when start
ed and turned, there was Steve Rauald,
sitting there as coolly as if we had
walked to the place arm in arm. never
had quite liked his cat-ilke way of
Watching and coming on me unawares,
but it had never startled me before as it
did then.
"'Why Stevep Iexclaimed, Fhow came
you hereT
ooh, pve kept you in sight all the
evening. l thought you did not seem
quite right, 30 / followed you. Devil
ish cool that on old Laclede, wasn't
it?
"The question brought me back to my
grievances. 1T was terrible, 1 said.
'My father started him in business when
he had not friend or a dollar in the
world. When 1 think of that L could al
most swear vengeance ON all mankind
for that mans base ingratitude.'
"Yes,' said Ranald, but remember
your American proverb, The world
owes you living.
"'Pll never be able to collect the
debtp returned, bitterly.
way robDer, you know said Ranald,
mutteringly, plowing up the earth at his
feet with short stick. you haven't
the right kind of Dluck'
"What kind does it takep l asked
with a short laugh.
"Weu, suppose a carriage comes
along, your first job is to wing the
driver, after which you can talk with
the inside passengers at your leisure.
In case it's rider or foot passenger,
you can deal with him easily enough.
But then you've got to have quick
hand on the trigger, and you haven't
got the pluck you know
"'Haven't lp cried, with kind of
reckless daring. III l was armed Pa
snow you before tomorrow. 1 don't
owe the world much gratitude, and l
had as well do something desperate and
yet hanged, and done with it aIl.'
"'Oh, as for arms, could let you have
mine,' said Ranald, not looking at me at
all, but back towards the city. "But l
don't like much to do it. You'd never
use them"
81 need not go on to tell you, boys,
how it all came about. but in less than
half an hour Ranald was ON his way
back to the city, while l. with his pis-
tolls in my pocket, was striding along the
green lanes that led farther and farther
out into the country. l was desperate,
of course, and burning fever was
bounding in my pulses, confusing
all that I did. 1t must GER
tainly have been that, com.
bined with Ranald's influence, that
| set me, Kenneth Lane, behind hedge,
| with pistol in my hand ard a murder
ous iutent in my heart; while the moon
shone Whitley over the broad fields and
the long ribbons OF road that lay be-
tween them.
"rhe first that passed was a man
whose lace could not see. l had my
finger on the trigger. L was just ready
10 spring out upon him, when suddenly
well, Graham, he began whistling that
same little foolish love tune you used
to be always wbistling, singing and
playing at college. That made me grow
very weak, and l couldn't move. II
brought back all you fellows SO distinct
| ly. By the way, wonder if he. will
ever know how near that little love tune