The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1888-04-28
A Dernier Resort.


town ono afternoon In early juno. 1t
was quIot. tree-shaded. grass-grown
street, and the man, rs he walked
along with jaunty. swinging step.
seemed wonderfully wido awake in con-
srast TO Il. He was well-preserved
man. who must have been very good
looking. II not positively handsome. In
his youth. He was dressed In gray
snit Of fashionable cut and wore his
silk hat slightly tipped on one side of
his abundant brown curly hair. This
brown. curly hair was very slightly
fouchcd with gray here and there. so
lightly, indeed. as not 10 be pcrcepti-
bio 10 The careless observer. In his
right hand. which was firmly held
against the small OF his back, he grasp
ed heavy. gold-headod cane. He
glanced from side TO side, MS he walked.
at tho windows OF the cottages with the
AR OF ono who has been used to. and
still expects to catch the admiring
chances Of popping women. And in
this expectation he was not wholly dis
appointed. for from at least half a
dozen doors and rs many windows he
caught their glnnces. though they were
more OF wonder than admirati on;
albeit he chose only TO admit the lat
Ter.
''BY Jovel' said he to himself in n
drawing tone as the last cottage passed
he emerged into the highway again and
came in sight OF picturesque old black
smiths shop, before which stood an
immense willow chow little the place
has changed. What a sleepy old town
II is. l don't believe there have been
twenty buildings added TO it since j
left here nearly quarter Of century
ago. And there's tho smlthy just the
same rs when l worked there in
grmy apron-paughi" And then
stepping across TO the shop where
man of about his own age-a stout.
ronDd-faccd, mcrry-looking fellow was
welding hammer with mighty force,
striking brave sparks from the horse
shoe he was fashioning and singing
clink. clink that answered his blows.
'Hellow! Jim Farlow." said the new
conner. in louder and quicker tono
than that in which he had spoken to
himself. but it was not until jim Far
low was touched upon the shoulder by
the gray-kidded hand that the loud
singing ana musical clinking ceased
and the blacksmith turned slowly about
and gravcly regarded his visitor with
no hint OF recognition in his honest
blue eyes.
why. Jim. don't you know meP"
asked he out of tho gray suit Surely
you havn't forgotten Jack Palmerpp
Jack PQlmcr!' repeated the black
smith. BE you Jack PalmerP Ifyou
be. you don't look much like the Jack
Palmer that used to work aside Of me
at this very forge"
But l am all the same" said Pal
mer, though 1 fancy city life has re-
moved all trace of the country youth.
That is all trace OF his rusticity. |
laLter myself some OF his good looks
still remain. Hey. Jim''
To this speech. made with self-satis-
fed SMILE Jim replied by another
question: IL s'posc you've invested
that money SOS you made heap out
of itPn
well. | did-at first" answered
Palmer, but the heap soon dwlndlcd
away. IL was only thirty thousand in
the first place. you know"
Only thirty thousandi" replied Jim
with grim chuckle; "w'y wen you
first heard OF il / thought you'd go
clean daft. swan did. Thirty
thousand. says you to mc a-tcarin' off
your apron thirty thousand fur mo
that never got thirty dollars together
since the day / were born an that's
six an twenty years ago Thirty
thousand. says you"
Yes. yes" interrupted his compan-
ion hastily; II suppose IL did look like
large sum to mo then, but when one
lives in great city and associates with
wealthy people II soon begins to look
like very small one. and by Jovel II
and all made by II got less and less MS
the years went on until am actually
down to my last hundred"
Down to your last hundredI" echoed
Jim Farlow. We'll you must have
lived high. And now. II / may mako
80 free as 10 ask. what have you come