The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1880-08-27
telling me more than I have any right
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81 thought you knew already"
shook my head silently.
"And you," he added, after long
pause and the same fixed look, "you
have not told her, either"
He did not say what; there was no
need. In that moment he read my
heart as she had never done.
"f she could have loved q man wor-
thy of her," he went on; eff she could
love you, jerks" but he mercifully
forebore to add mother word.
| Something went out of my life with
their Notwithstanding that the
years could never restore. But it had
never been whenever could be; and
that consciousness helped me somewhat
to bear its loss. Two years later I was
thankful for an opportunity to set my
face eastward once more, thinking less,
however, of the friends was to meet
than of her whom in all probability I
should never see again.
Sydney Meredith, my old college
chum, had changed more in the ten
years that had elapsed since our last
meeting than any member of our class,
whose reunion we had met to celebrate.
1t seemed natural to be sitting again in
No. 80 of the Old North Middle, look
ing at each other through curling
smoke across the table covered with
books and papers, pipes and cigars.
The literature belonged to a younger
generation of students, in whose apart
ments we were temporarily located.
The pipes and cigars we had added to
give little present life to the old room,
haunted by countless ghosts of dead
and gone past.
Sydney was as handsome a fellow as
six feet of height, a corresponding
breadth of chest, a fine complexion
and mass of coal-black curly-hair
could make him. We agreed that he
was the ornament of our class in
physical sense as truly as in an intel
lectual one. He was a good-natured
fellow, too; y-going, full of fun,
prone to see the best in everybody and
everything, and his popularity was i'm
mense. He graduated with high
honors. and was a lawyer with sue
cessful and growing practice when we
met four years later; but here. at the
end of ten more, was the mere sug-
gestion of his old self. The brilliant
eyes and teeth were there, though the
lips smiled less often, the hair was
thinner and straighter than in the old
college days. But it was not the
physical change that was SO plainly
marked. The spiritual was trans
formed, and not for the better. He
had become cynical, skeptical, re-
served, and at times even morose-a
disappointment and puzzle to all his
friends. He spoke of it himself; I
had hoped he would grow confidential,
as our talk wore on toward midnight.
That had been the old fashion.
"You know how to make some al
lowances for fellow, Jenks.''
]. laughed. cit is something new
to have to make allowances for you,
Meredith
There is need enough now. a-days.
1 have to be introduced to myself every
six months, and even then find it hard |
work to keep up the acquaintance"
'Tm not going to beat about the bush,
Meredith. Tell me straight, what is
the matter with you. I've right to
know, and / believe it will be blessing |
to you to tell me.''
Everything has gone wrong with
me, jerks, and the exasperating thing |
about is that cannot for the life of me |
see how, or in what way I have been to |
blame"
''Not business, surely" began.
''Oh bother business!' he interrupted,
"business isn't everything in life.''
"a man has lived to little purpose if |
he has not learned that before he is
thirty / assented.
81 have a fine Office" he went on,
countless clients, plenty of money,
and-my recollections of the woman
I loved"
Ifelt that had the explanation at last.
''Where is she?' asked.
''Grand Canal, Venice; at least l
heard so the other Duplicated there
for the winter, went abroad year ago
with her married sister and will stay
there very likely with the family"
'Then, of course, everything is over
between you. But it was long en-
yagement to be broken at last"
''And she broke it, jerks; the most
faithful and loving woman I ever con-
,eived of. Read thisr' He took note
rom his pocket. tossing it towards me.
Tell me what it means, for have
never found out" 1t bore date of two
years previous:
my DEAR SDNEY:-In reply to your mes
age can only say, it will be better for us
10Th II we never meet again.
'.AGNEs KINGDOM"
"Agnes Kingdom I exclaimed. II
lad not recognised the writing.
"You do not know herr he asked,
quickly. l.
+" You wrote to me of her, you know"
answered, evasively. "but I have no
for names" u
But tell me what it MEANS" he re-
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