Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1880-12-16
JACKS FATE.


been 80 bright with sunshine and
sensualIy lovely with a balmy south
west wind.
To-day the sky looked as hopeless
as it only can look when II wretche,l
storm is pelting down, lowering and
lcaden-hued.
The thermometer had tumbled
down to fifty four, aud The rawest of
east winds was blowing in damp
gusts, bringing misty sheets Of rain
against the window-panes Of Jack
Jerome's Office, with u miserable,
waiIing little noise that was only
equalled in gloominess by the ap-
pealance of the slowly tinkling rivu-
lets of the rain drops rs they dripped
down the glass.
AS dispiriting as ever II day was or
could be, Jack thought, as he turned
disgustedl;' away into the little room
again, with it's stove in the middle,
that stood there perpetually, its time
tables of dozen roads tackled on the
walls, its rallied off ticket Office with
the telegraph apparatus, whose mon
otonous click -clickety click had come
to be a positive haunting horror to
jacks life.
Aud not much wonder, seeing that
he was obliged to listen at it thirteen
hours out OF the tWenty-tOur, and to
attend to all the other duties Of sta
ton agent at this lonesome little ont
Of the way depot in the suburbs, and
al for the insignificant remuneration
Of $40 u mOnth--Jack jerome, col
lege bred, strong.imbod, handsome
us il young Apollo, and proud as
well, just proud enough to fill the
detested position well, since nothing
else had yet offered.
He had always meant such grand
things when college days were over.
lie had fully decided to study law
to make Il name for himself that
should bring coy Fame and tickle
Fortune to his side.
There had been plenty Of money in
the jerome Golfers then, and not I'M
til Il week after Jack had carried of
the grand I,OnOrs did the sudden,
appalling crash come, in which every
thing was swept by the board, and
the handsome, ambitiousyoung fellow
found himself with fine stock Of
clothes and Al education, III II place
where beggar could not be a
ChoOser.
OF course he had tried other things,
but other things were not available;
aud then this had been offered him,
and he had taken it and fulfilled his
duties well, and loathcd il equally
well.
But to-day he was not thinking so
much of that Us the other thing, that
naturally led him to tlespise the fu-
ture of his position. He was thinking
Of the soft, velvety gray eyes that he
had seen once OF twice too often for
his happiness-a fair faced, proud
stepping ioung girl, whose name liz
even did not know, but who had
made an impression upon him that
he could not shake off.
"But what good would it do, even
if knew her, and if a mutually de-
lightful acquaintance ensued!' he
asked himself bitterly, as he leaned
against the big desk and looked
moodily out into the disconsolate
day. ga poor devil with SIOa week
is not an object Of much interest to
one Of the fair ones, to begin with
and to ven.c"e to bid hopes of q
future
An iupcraolve 81 mmOns Oh the
telegraph ins, lment d;ssipated his
thoughts, aud by the tine he had
taken S orders, sud seen to one or
two dets IS, the dowh train came in,
aud it Id off on the siding, waiting
for the Easte.n Express, Frank
Wheat crne n, che ny and good
naiared as ever, IS well paid and
gentlemanly passenger conductors
usually a"e.
III suppose you've heard the latest,
jerome ;" he said, with just the least
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