Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-08-01

And this was his return for themi Mr..
Street would have given years salary to be
back at his desk
At every station he went out and stood on
the platform with wild desire to get off and
go-anywherel away from Barrville. The
people in the car began to look at him
strangely and suspiciously. And in the
midst of his agonizing reflections the brake
man dashed open the door and sang out
"Barrville."
How he got of from the train and over the
distance from the depot to the court house,
Mr.. Street never knew. He spoke to several
persons on the way, but he couldn't have
told, for his life, what he said to them The
first realization of his surroundings was
when he found himself ascending the broad
steps of the court housewife green baize
door in front Of him and all hope behind
him.
He hesitated q moment. That moment
was decisive. The green baizs door was sud-
denly opened from within, and he had no
choice but to enter The room into which he
came was the court room. Court was in ses-
sion, and the room was filed to OVERLOOKING
Mr.. Streets entrance was scarcely noted
every eye was strained toward the witness
stand.
A man near the door made room for Mr.
Street on the bench beside him. The cashier
sank into the proffered seat. The buzz Of
voices in the court room came to him in in
distinct murmurs, like sounds great dis
lance away And, all the time, the man at
bis side kept talking on in desultory fashion
1.-THE fellows up for larceny" he said
"Queer you hadn't heard about it. "You're
f~t& yofc %t,,
one that robbed the Kerrin Savings bank in
rs. P'raps you recoliect9 He owned up to
it when he found they knowed it. He's been
on the stand all the morning. They're
awaiting for him now"
The loquacious stranger craned his neck
around to get a better view. Mr. Street felt
that he should faint or shrek if something
didn't happen.
Something did happen.
''There he is!n exclaimed the stranger;
''that's him on the witness stand He's a
holding up his hand to be sworn. 1 guess
you'll have to stand up to see him."
The cashier staggered to his feet. He
looked at the people, the ceiling, the clock
it was just 5:15-the jury, the lawyers, the
judge. Then, with an effort, he raised his
eyes to the prisoner-and saw
Not Mr.. Hammond-but man as like him
as his reflection in glass Like him, but not
he. There were the same piercing eyes, the
same strongly marked features; but this
mans face bore the impress Of hard and
reckless life 1t needed not bis confession of
the crime; for Mr.. Street knew, now, beyond
peradventure, that this was the man with
whom he had grappled on that eventful night,
six years ago, and that Mr.. Hammond was as
innocent Of the crime as the cashier himself.
| For one moment Mr.. Street stood staring
blankly at the prisoner. Then as the whole
force Of the revelation dawned upon him.
with an indescribable look of horror and re-
morse he seized his hat and dashed frantic
ally from the building
| The night train bore away from Barrville
a man who sat bolt upright in the corner of
the seat, with his hat crushed down over his
eyes. He neither spoke nor stirred He had
seen the phantom which had pursued him for
the past year. until it had come to seem a
living reality, dissolve and vanish before his
very eyes. And it had left him dazed and
bewildered. He no longer tried to reason it
out. He doubted his very senses, and grasped
the arm Of the seat firmly, to make sure he
was not dreaming. The romance Of his life
had departed. He was no longer the mys-
terious emissary who carried in his breast
consuming secret, but a commonplace bust
ness man, whose thoughts any one might
read.
But commonplace people sleep soundly.
That night not a dream disturbed his slum-
bers, and the next morning he went to his
desk, q matter Of fact cashier.
Mr.. Hammond married Miss Wilson. Mr..
Street never told her his secret She asked
him about it, once, but he evaded her ques-
ton. When Mr. Street congratulated Mr..
Hammond, the latter said
'Do you know, Street, used to fancy you
had something against me. You seemed al
most suspicious of me- 1t made me posi-
lively uneasy at times"
But the cashier drew himself up with dig
nifty, and said:
"Do you take me for fool, sir?"-Hermin-
ins Cobb in The Epoch
We'll Up in His Part
She was a woman of ready resource. While
the hour was late, two or three evening Wis
itors yet tarried, and the moment she heard
her husband strike the steps she knew that
he was booty, and also grasped her line of
conduct.
"Ha, har she laughed, as she rose up, "he
cometh. He has been cut rehearsing for am
ateur theatricals, and 1t will be just like him
to try to show off. He takes the part Of a
Maj Springer, who comes home full"
A hand was heard clawi1g over the door; q
key was finally jabbed in the lock, and then
the major entered His hat was tipped back,
bis knees wabbled, and be hung to the door
and nuttered:
'FWhas This shee 'fore met Shay, Emily,
wha1zer doing, chr
"De-Aghtful! splendid" cried the vito as
she clapped her hands "Why, Harry, you
arc grand success in your rolei"
"Whaz zhatl Whazzer latin bout First
time been xhrunk in two years. Had Gxzie
time wiz zhe boys, you know7"
"Be-autifuli Booth couldn't beat itr' ex-
claimed the wife "Why, dear, you are q
born actor. It's just as natural as life"
"Who shays I'm liari Whoop! lean
lick any man In roitl Been out wig 'er boys,
you know Shay, Em1yr
"Ixn't he natural, thoughr replied the wife
run upstairs, Harry, and change your
clothes You'll do Nothing could DO more
perfect"
''Chazs d1ic clozesi No, xuri Chazs noz-
zfng UpstairsI Yes, go up shtairx Good
(hio nize Emily. RegIar angel Been QUE
wiz er boys, you knowi'
And the little woman clapped her hands
and laughed and praised, and got rid of her
company under the impression that no one
had suelt a mice. However, the last one was
hardly of the step, when she bounced up
stairs and confronted the bedazed man with
the exclamation.
"Now, then, you old denijohn, prepars