The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1885-03-13

having one He,e the unknown truck an
attitude aud continued.
You know what the poet SAYS
Y ou may live without books
What Is ku0wledge, huJ gEieving
You may i've without hupe- 81.
What is houe but decrivinI
You may live VTithuHt love
WHAT'S pesSI0n but pining?
But whore il the man that can Ave without
dining .-
You are acquainted with the poets, are
you . said DR.. Vic1ers.
4 have, sir, quite a knOwiecge Of polite
literature In TACT, | have done a little writ
ing myself. It never came to anything -
Nothing ever dos that undertake. 1 was
never thoroughly trainsd ID anything. / atu
the man of no account. be said, exactly as
though be was Introducing somebody.
What has been the NATTER asked the
otheT-
Wrong training replied tiie man OF no
account. II bad beeD appreRtIced in ear
ly life to a SHOEMAKER and learned my trade
well, would probably have had chance 10
lead decent, respectable life. But unfor-
tuuately for me, my father made some mon
ey. /, therefore, was cpnd enned 90 learn
nothing useful l was ordained TO be a gen
tlemau.' Gle glanced at his ragged coat
when lie spoke, and drew his tattered boot
away from the fire almost as though he was
ashamed) Besides that disadvdutag ge la
bored undered another. l was supposed to
be genius Doubtless you have known
many young persons of whom great things
were expected, bat who failed to realize. /
was one of that kind. However,, nothing is
expected Of me anymore And he laughed
a hard, dry, mirthful laugh. Have You any
tobacco?' he asked, with an abrupt tran5i
tion of manner,
The Doctor gave hin cigar.
L have smoked The Turkish chibCOk in
CJustantinople, continued tue man between
putfs.
j have whitfield cheroots in Havana with
dark-eyed senoritas. l have smoked cigar
cites With pretty grisettes, IN the Latin
Quarter in Paris. l have puffcd out smoke
from jIe dudheen Of old Irslaud, and taseC
a turn At a cob pipe in the pine woods of -
ALBANIA. 10 fact, have smoked under many
conditions and in many climes, but my day
is over. The travelling ] do nova days is
mostly Of the sort known as pedestrian
tours, he continued dryly, though my trip
from San Francisco this f al was enlivened
by n little riding on the rail-. I'd wait at
the water tanks along the track. and then
climb up and hang on underneath a freight
car. Quite an exciting way of jonrueying.
1t rests the muscles somewhat, but it is IA
tigulug 90 the nerves
But what do YOU intend doing in the fu
ture p asked ;he doctor.
'Do?' repeated the other. Just as little
as possible till the end of the chapter. What
does a watch do when it has no main-sprinc?
I have no main spring He smoked a lit
tie while and looked moodiIy into the fire.
The Cathedral ciock struck three Then
the other clocks in the towers took it up and
told the hour.
One -twO-three,' repeated the man.
Quite romantic situation for you, isn't it
sitting at o'clock in the morning, receiv-
ing the confidence of common tramp? But
l am human being, sir and l once had a
conscience and a heart. l have been through
things that were enough to kill both, though
once in a " hiIe have an uneasy ache where
my heart was, like the throb Of nerve after
both teeth are out. That is when memory
wakens up. Sometimes in the night when it
storms. And always in the spring Out in
the country, you know, when you smell
things just starting to grow, and after sun
/ set, when the gray night begins to cover the
" DttplDE
ponds. Something hurts me them every
thing is so innocent and peaceful. l always
( get into town as fast as l can, and beg, Dor
row or steal a drink OF two That fixes me
all right. l forget everything then, only
that l am a beast without a soul. l wish [
had a drink now said be, in what tried to
be braggadocio tone.
The Doctor made no reply to this, and the
man dropped his head on his breast aud sat
silent for a little while. When he spoke
again it was in an altered tone and with an
altered manner.
I've always thought if my mother had
lived it would have been different. Perhaps
it wouldn't. but I've noticed mans mother
is about the best friend he has. A woman
is generally good to her child no matter how
bad she is every other way. Ii seems to De
her nature. Heaven knows there isn't
much use in man putting any faith iD one
under any other circumstances. Let me tell
you something. Sometimes. when 1 am
trudging my way along dark, lonesome
road, with feet famed with walking aud a
tired body, and head nearly crazed with
thinking, | feel like I'd find some relief in
talking it all over with some one. That
helps any one if he is in trouble-helps de-
cent. respectable people, 1 mean. OF course
nothing could do me much good. But I'm
going to tell you the thing always in my
mind only when ! am drunk. When l was
young fellow, nearly through college, my
father lost his money. l was engaged to a
giIl-such pretty girl, all smiles and dim
Piles and GOLDEN bair. / thOukht she was the
purest, sweetest woman God ever made
And l believed in her and loved her-my
God How | loved her l could have knelt
down and kissed the hem OF her garment.
look back now and feel sorry for myself as
though l had been some other young fool
adOring something that had never existed
Well, when the money was gone l went tC
work. l never dreamed of her not being
true to me. so l had the hope of her to help
me. 1t was up bill work, brought I'D as
had been. l used to think I'd be obliged "a
remake myself. But l might have done
something in time; L don't know, though
One day--I remember it as though it had
only been an hour ago-I had letter from
her telling me she was going to be married
wharf when l read the letter. never see
the sun shining on water to this day but
what it makes me feel sick.
i fell over they said, and they thought il
was a sunstroke. l never believed in any.
body after that And didn't care. What
had l to care for ? just drifted Ten years
afterward, l came out of a gambling house