The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1881-10-20
wHAr KISS aRnsyENoR Losr.


of counse-what the ducei"
Philip Grant stepped back from the
rail with surprise and CONSERVATION up
ON his handsome young face
The throng behind him, whose on
| ward flow he had mOmentaTily impeded,
now rushed on with muttered anatnemas
at the cause of their delay; for the bell
was ringing its last warning, and mo-
| ments were precious to those who want
ed to catch the evening express at the
London s. Southwestern railway depot
He stood back in one corner desperately
searching his pockets for the wallet
1 which had been there q minute before.
He had come down from London that
morning to reply to an advertisement in
the Times which ran as follows:
i Wanted, q gentleman of education and
literary experience tn assist edItoFInalyl
in the office of the Wexham Lighter.
Remuneration satisfactory if right party
can be secured. Oxford man preferred.
Address or call at snee at above Office,
16 Thames Quay, Wexham.
He had jumped up from his rickety
char when he had read it, waved the
| paper wildly above his head, and exc
cuted 8 cancan that had brought his
landlady wheeling and putting from the
depths below up 70 his room.
"H'aF you mad. say, Mr.. Grant. TO
be a dancin' ERE like this, an 'avin'
told you several times h'of the ceilin' in
the room below, and the Teddy 90 so
blessed naFvous about its fallin' ?" she
asked, her red face now purple with
honest indignation.
He had hastened to so0th her, and ex-
| planned the cause, but she was impla-
cable.
| "H'if hits h'a place you're goin' to get
| h'Out h'of town, 'h'I'd thank you for the
| two weeks rent for your Impairment
that's due yesterday. and as hive a
| chance to let it to quiet party 200 psys
| in advance, hid be much hobliged h'if
| you'd find another lodgin' h'if you re-
turns. Thank you kindly. sir. That's
hit sir-'alf pun. sir, and good luck to
your
She ended Modified by his quick trans
| fer to her Of SO great part of his little
capital. 1t was Just as we'll, perhaps, he
| thought, as he packed his vslise, which
persisted in looking so remarkably thin,
even when it contained all his wardrobe.
that he had settled with her, and could
not come back if he wished. His life
had been made miserable by her con-
slant Cummings, and now, with such a
glorious chance before him, he was glad
TO be out of her debt, although it left
him just enough to get down TO Wex-
ham by a third class carriage on the
night accommodation. He was not sor.
ny to leave the great smoky Babylon be-
hind him as the train drew away from
| the suburbs, and the street lamps gave
place to the shadOwy hedges and copses
of the country. He had met nothing
but failure and disappointment there.
It was evidently no place
for genius, he reflected bitterly, as he
thought of the many climbs mp weary
stairs to publishers and editors rooms
with manuscripts which were invaria-
bly, declined of nightly journeys to
pawn shops, where bit by bit his person.
al property had gone to keep the pot
boiling while he wrote on, day after
day, night after night, the stories, re-
views, leaders and poems which all met
the same fate. Was it possible, he
thought,as he watched through the WIN
dow OF the shabby compartment the last
lights of the city disappear in the dark.
ness, that only six months before he had
come there fresh from Oxford, confident
of his own ability TO rebuild tho fortune
which had so utterly disappeared in the
failure of the "Lunar Green Cheese Man.
ufscturing and Transportation Compa-
n.y." brilliant project in which the at
t0rneys and managers of his fathers
estate had invested his money with the
above result.
He had sold his books and the luxuri-
Gus furniture which had made his rooms
at Oxford the envy of the undeFgradu-
ates, hidden his classmates and friends
good bye, and started for London, the
Mecca of all unfoFtunates, to gain fame
and fortune by his pen. Had he not
written much and cleverly for the UNI
VeFsity paperss Had not his essays
gained the prizes at the examinations?
But in the world where he found him.
self thrown no one seemed to think of
that or know of him. His editorials
were brilliant, but too radical and out
spoken, and would ruin any paper which
published them, he was told. His poems
were not IN style-they were pretty; but
idealism had had its day, and realism
was the coming fashion. His stories were
good, but-there was such supply the
marked was overstOcked: Would he
bring them something else9 Perhaps
If he tried again he might succeed bet
ter.
These and many like answers he had
received. He had tried again, and al
ways with the same result. He was un-
known, without influence or patronage,
and the publishing world declined TO
take the risk of giving him start. He
had broken off this bitter revery with
sudden defiant gesture, and looked about
ElIn. l. ncES WGLc q pair Vi sOib OLOWu
eyes fixed upon him, as if reading his
thoughts and sympathizing with him in
his disappointments. The owner of
them in the seat opposite was the only
other passenger in the COMPARTMENTS
girl in plain grey serge travelling dress
and q scanty shawl about her. Her face
was thin and pale, but siDgularly fine
and aristocraiic in feature. Was she,
| too, one of the unfortunates upon whom
the world had unanimously agreed TO
| turn q cold shoulder? He reiapsed into
| his revery again. When he awoke he
looked across at his companion. She
| had fallen asleep. The window beside
| her was broksn-a cold draft blew in
| upon her, against which her thin shawl
was but slight protection, for she was
4 unconsciously shivering with cold. TAX.
! ing his own well-worn plaid from about
| him, he arose and carefully wrapped it
| around her shoulders without awaken
| ing her. When they arrived in Wex.
! ham she was still asleep, the plaid
around her yet. 1t had warmed her at
| least, for little color was IN her cheeks.
| He hesitated moment as 10 whether he
would awaken her and sake it; then,
| looking at her thin dress and pale, wan
| face, he left the carriage hurridly. She
needed it more than he did, and she was
evidently poor. Besides, was ne not
man, and probably the assistant editor
of the Waxham Lighter before night Of
the next day. And so he left her 10 the
carriage and waited in tine station until
day came, and then in the gray morning
went down to the Thames quay, where
he walked briskly 70 and fro to keep
| himself warm until the office of the
came at last Ten minutes later he was
on the quay, looking blank at the river
below him. The place had been taken
the preceding night. There were al
| ways so many to step into even one
pound-six per week, and he had come
too late. All that day he wandered aim
lessly about the town, until evening
found him at the depot again, turning
instinctively back TO London. He could
at least earn enough there by copying
legal papers to keep body and soul to-
gether. It was better TO starve even
there than in any other place. He had
grown to know the streets and sounds
q little like home at least. He had sold
during the day his dead mothers ring
the last article of value about him--to
/ pay his fare back, and he had put the
mopey IN his wallet, and the wallet in
his coat pocket-he remembered that
plainly. But il was gone now; stolen
in the crowd by some thief When he
convinced himself of that he lent up
against the wall and stared 1t the crowd
that hurried past him. What he should
do without . penny was pToblematlc
He could not get back to London, that
was evident He thought of the river
that had CLEANED SO brightly that morn
ing before the quay What was the use
} of hitting against fate any lOngeFf The
!, Thames was the only place. where he
would not be rejected, he thought, with
bitter smile. At that moment voice
behind him in the crowd attracted his
Il attention.
aOh, by CAD, Geneveise but there's
Grant, Come on, let's 60 and cheer
him up; he looks disconsolate enough,