St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-01-17
POOR DICK WARRINGTON.

He had been a gentleman once and a
scholar, who had won honors at Cambridge,
and was regarded as one of the best men in
. a college at that time unusually rich in prom
ise. lie had just seen one familiar compan-
ion Of his in the old days pass into the new
Law cathedral, outside whose gates lie was
lounging. The famous judge gave glance
at the diSreputable loafer as he went by,
but never recognized him; if he had done so
he would probably have spoken. for he was
a kindly-hearted man. But this very fact
made the reprobate more bitter. IL his old
friend had cut him there would have been
some ground for declaiming against the hOl-
lOwness of mankind, but Dick Warrington
knew well enough that he himself had sunk
out of recognition. and ones own worthless
ness is not so cheering a subject of medita-
ton as 10 the wOrthlessness of other people
He pondered over neither. but only gazed
modify after the retreatng figure of his
old comrade and then turned and saunt-
cred into Long Acre. He was nearing his
lodgings; they lay in dingy court half a
mile away, when IL occurred 10 him that he
had forgotten his mission. He had come
out, with the idle good nature that seldom
deserted him, 10 buy wine for his landlady's
husband-dying, the doctors said, of con-
sumption. Dicks quarterly pay had just
arrived from the Social Hearth. for he con-
tributed to that shady serial, which is
base imitation of the Family Herald, with
none of its virtues and with all its vices.
The Family Herald, indeed, has few vices;
for it is an excellent periodical. and you
may obtain from the editor, for
/ nothing, advice on any earthly sub
] phnnGn IN
which advice will always De terse and def
mite, and improving. Also, you may find
essays on politics and social science therein,
! II you are mtellectual-essays that inspire
you with wish that the editor of the Fam
lily Herald were happily controlling the des-
TIMES of our empire instead of the too pa
tTiotic cliques which control il at present.
! While, as for the tales-but this is no place
to rhapsOdiZe, even over the Family Herald.
Warrington was on the staff of the Social
Herald, which is, as everybody knows,
foolish and vulgar periodical, whose ''criti-
cism of life" is not worth twOpence. 1t paid
very badly. but he contributed more or less
TO several other journals, of which Bow Bells
was the most respectable. 1t was marvel
how he with his talent could write badly
enough to suit some of these editors. He
said IL took practice, but on the whole he
succeeded admirably, and the stories and
articles he furnished to the public showed
better than anything else how far he had
fallen. And yet there was a battered rem
nant Of nobility i'm him. hardly conscious of
its own existence. As some old picture
may lie long in dark lumber room hidden
behind great masses of rubbish till a kind
hand opens the shutter, lets in the fresh
air and the sunshine, and dsperses the
pied-up lumber, a chance touch shakes
! no 1an
ture. scatters its dusty veil, and, hardly
dimmed by years, its beauty CLEANS into
light again-a Turner, VelasqueZ. So
! the spiritual virtuOso may come across
! strange treasure trOve, acts of chivalry, OF
self-fOrgetfulness in the most unexpected
! quarter, dear to his heart as the Elzevir to
the bibliomaniac. We were human Eli
virs once maybe; but, like the shabby vol
umes the book-hunter filings aside with dis
dain. we have been very much cut down.,
Dick bought the wine and returned lels-
urelY 10 his lodgings. He stole cautiously
up the dark crooked stairs into the narrow
passage. and as he traversed 1t a strange
thing happened. Through the venerable
ancient air of a London clearinghouse that
landladies always seem TO fancy improves
with keeping-and. indeed, it does acquire
4 certain ine mellOwness wherein are COM
bined the essences of many different OdOrs
there came TO him the scent of heliotrOpe.
/ With il returned the memory of a day
| when his sister had been to visit him at
college. and with her one of her friends a
! beautiful. light-heaTted girl. whom Dick
had cared for with a transient. boyish pas
sion. He had bought bouquets for them,
and among the flowers he gave to his sis
! ters friend was sprig of the dim, gray
! purple blossom.
lie did not pause to wonder why the old
scent came back TO him in this widely diff
| ferent atmosphere, but, passing on, entered
the invalid'S room. Mrs. Hartley was not
there, but he saw. standing at the bedside
a girl dressed in the garb of a private sister
hood. with a cluster of flowers at her
l brooch. Her figure was slender and grace
/ full, and he could see readily enough that
she was lady. His acquaintance included
| several women who had taken the "craze
| for humanity and typhus fever" as he ir-
/ reverently expressed it, and Iris Enderby's
presence did not astOniSh him, though he
noted her beauty with pleasure. The hair
was the deep brown that has CLEANS of rud-
der color, and her eyes were clear and
| honest. and regarded one with very steady
and fearless glance. She turned her head
as Dick entered and took him in COM
/ pletely, so he fancied, in about a second
her scrutiny, but much that was painful to
man whose inner life had never been in
tended to bear investigation. Insight
into character is all very we'll for the people
who have the insight, but 1t is sometimes
trying to the unlucky character; and so
Dick felt as rather defiantly he met Iris
Enderby's glance
''She thinks" he said inwardly. that
am one of the people that it will not do to
encourage" The girl had formulated no
| opinion so distinctly, but yet his guess was
not far from the truth. For there was no
denying that Dick. with his battered cos
tune, his rather dingy hands. and the
reckless devil-may-care expression on face
grown coarse that had once been handsome,
looked a disreputable character, with
/ whom a refined girl could have nothing in
common. Therefore Iris withdrew her
ewes with calm indifference and went on
measuring some medicinal compound.
Her face. with the indescribable air of
! fearless innocence about ii that some faces
will wear to the end. awoke in Dick a novel
] sense of embarrassment. he hesitated,
/ but the desire to speak to her was too
strong and he crossed over to the inval-
! ids side.
"Can 1 be of any use?" he asked DO
litely.
mo, thank you" said the girl trife
colby; but her voice was very pleasant and
musical. Mrs. Hartley will be here pres
emily" She turned passing glance on
! him as she spoke. distrustful and yet indif-
ferent. Evidently not the kind of girl to
whom any one would offer impertinence In
cold blood. But Dick paid no heed to the
restraint; he spoke again, warming TO the
old manner.
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