Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1880-11-26

mentS he was whizzing away over the
snow.eovered fields
The business for week or two was
easy and pleasant enough. Money was
10 Ne collected and RENTED by draft.
The hotels at Harrisburg and Johns
town were comfortable. Walter had
Il, MY Of money and threw it ahou,
am like young lord He MAS gem
erous, frank, genial fellow with his
equals, and ''thc DuclitfS Of philadel-
Iphia." he wrote 10 his mother "had the
entree, of course, to the best society
everywhere
His last " rk was the settlement OF
some claim iii the mountain countries.
then he could go home These people
with whom he now had to deal had not
heard of the DuclitiS, but they were
well bred and educated, and Walter
found friends on every side, 1t was
himself, he thought, not his ancestors,
which gained him friends here. Gen
tlemen themselves, they knew 4 gem
tlcman by instinct He was confirmed
IN his theory that the educated classes
form il sort Of Freemasonry every
where of mutual help and brotherhood.
As for ignorant Doors. as Walter was
fond of calling them, they were out in
a general limbo Of vice and want and
greed
What can do for your fayoritc
poor, | will mother" he wrote loftily;
'hut the more see of them the less |
like the habits Of either their souls or
bodies. =
Now Walter was not strong, and the
change from his dollhouse life TO the
bitter cold Of the mountain range be-
gan to tell ON him. When the last pa
per was signed. and he stepped into the
ears. he was hot and feyeriSh. In two
days he would be ut home.
Barely in time for lennic'S ball,
thought he
Whom lie reached Altoona, then only
u small wayside station, il WAS late i'll
the afternoon. As lie went into the
waiting-room Il telegram was handed to
him.
II possible, SO to Wright'S furnace
and take directions from Sutton rs to
railroad.
Where is Wright's furnace he ask
Ell tne station master.
Back sixty miles ON the branch that
YOU crossed ut noon. The express has
lust gone. No other but the freight
train. You had better wait till morn
ing. Seeing the boy hesitated. There's
a storm coming up.
To go ut all WAS to give up the ball
he and Jennie had talked of for
months "He says 'ifpossible, and it
is not possible" The next instant he
hlushed with shame If he waited I'M
til tomorrow he would be too late for
Christmas and diSappoint his mother. ;"
I'll 90 tonight he said
"Ihc freight trains not heated, mind,
young man.
"I'll 90.
''Plucky little chap, said the station
master ~ Duclltl,, valise in hand
sprang upon the dirty ears rs they rum
bled along. He crept into the corner
of one and fell asleep. About II
O'Clock the conductor shook him.
Here's your landing place, my lad. ="
Eth? How? The furnace
NO, the nearest station. Wright's
furnace lies two miles mp that road.
You'd better stay aboard the train and
come down from Finville in the morn
ing. lisa rough tramp through the
snow; and there's no tavern ut the fur-
mace. Unless you've got friends there
mo, no.
The snow, mixed with sharp sleet
was falling. Walter looked out ut the
ghostly shapes Of the mountains and
the break in the great forest up which
he was to walk. The solitude Of the
night was in itself terrible.
Good night. I'll risk it," lie said,
jumping off. The old knight among his
progenitors had not shirkcd danger;
and he could do his deyoir if it were
only to keep promise to his mother
or be prompt in his work as a mer-
chants clerk. Besides, the Snttons
were thoroughbred people of his own
class. They would make him welcome,
of course
lie had high cavalry boots, but the
snow oozed iii At the tops Of them, and
his feet We're soon an inch deep in ice
water The two miles walk up the
ravne heightened into six, he wander
ed so often from the path He sang,
laughed at every fresh tumble, made
Jokes to himself which Seemed imper-
tinent in the face of the awful solitude.
But he could not help it. lie was only
n boy, and fun and Jokes were the only
stimulation for him against danger,
WI ich man would have found in grim
patience or whisky. But he could not
hide the fact that his legs were racked
with pain and his stomach was empty.
He had forgotten to eat any supper.
Just after the turn Of the night new
moon threw a ghostly whitcncss over
the mountains, and he saw the shape Of
halfa dozen houses black against the
snow. Now that help vas near he felt
how i'll he really was.
Furnaces, blaeksmiths' shops, car
pcnters shops, headed passing some
empty sheds. But two houses were
left; one a large, handsome villa, the
other low shanty. aI'll not disturb
the Suttons tonight knocking at the
last. The knock sounded threatening
enough against the unhroken silence.
a window overhead was raised.
uNbo's tharopn IN :. u.pp,at,'. 1I,n,..r