Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-05-13

lighted room. whose unshuttered windows
stared into the black night so glaringly,
that practically was as defenseless to an
enemy hid in the darkness without, as If
shut in a glass case. AS this thought
leaped to my brain. / suddenly extin-
guiShed the light and CROPPED for the re-
volver and cartridge belt, resolving to
make as determined a stand Us possible.
Securing both, buckled on the belt and
backed against the door in order to resist
any forcible entrance In this defiant at
titude / waited, the storm continuing TO
rage without
A Texan thunder storm is at all times
awe inspiring. | do not think / ever lived
! a more thrilling existence than during the
brief interval l crouched in the darkness
of that little cabin, which was necessarily
/ lighted by the blue flashes that seemed 10
I leap from window to window, and which
shook TREMENDOUSLY under the crash OF the
| shatrering reports that followed one an
other in quick succession. My excitement
reached its height when, during one Of
these sudden lluminations, l perceived
pressed against the pane and peering into
the room a wild. red face, with long gray
beard and disheveled hair streaming in the
wind. The apparition, seen oy the lurid
3 4
was only prevented from firing at it by the
/ brief interval of the flash. When the
lightning cleaned again the face was
gone. and / was certain now | could hear
some enc grouping his way along the side
of the house, evidently supporting him
self in that way against the charging
gusts of wind and sharp fusillade of the
| driving rain. At the same time Miss Flo
: S,acaysaa uneasy and he -k ed loTrly
'.Hulloa, herer shouted gruff voice.
l hastily relighted the lamp and opened
/ the door in some trepidatton.
There entered tail figure, so gratEit-
ously limp and bedrangled with rain as to
! be almost groteSque; so worn with travel
and with such an utter WEAKNESS of life
in the eyes as to be really pathetic. The
| clothes that he wore were torn and
abraded exposing a sub-stratum Of red
flannel at the knee, which gave him
( ludicrouS suggestion of having worn him
self down 10 the quick from the excess of
| his devotions. His shrunken pantaloons
eucroached upon the calves of his legs, and,
as he was without stockings, this lack OF
| intimacy with his hob nailed shoes exposed
a pair of very gaunt and reluctant ankles.
His beard and hair were long, struggling
| and unkempt and were surmounted by
an extravagant SLOUGH hat of the frontier
pattern. Running over the scant details
| of my former apparition, | mentally CLASH
| fled him at once as q 'border tramp"
/ But | was lonely that evening and dis
posed 10 he polite. | therefore offered
! him the only chair in the room, stretched
myself upon the low bed and calmly
awaited developments.
Good evening"" he said, in a rather
| husky but pleasant voice, as he lapsed into
the chair. Then he took off his broad hat
with swirl of scattering rain drops,
wiped his forehead with red bandaGa
/ handkerchief, ruminated a few minutes,
replaced his hat, and finally producing
pipe and plug of tobacco began slowly
cutting up and crumbling the latter-the
usual frontier preliminaries TO smoke.
| watched his movements with absorb
| ing interest. lie reminded me so forcibly
| CT pictures of the larnented John Brown,
| that was more than ever inclined to &C
] cept the singular conflicting conditions
| of that martyrs soul and body" as ex-
emplified in the popular song.
When he had finally lighted his pipe and
emitted several curling rings of smoke,
/ this odd figure vouchsafed the information
that he had come across country in the
| hope of assisting Us in shearing. / In
formed him that we had just finished that
day for the season. He seemed 10 ex
| perience some regret at this, and for a
time smoked on in silence. AL length, his
eyes happening to fall upon my relin-
| quished Volume, he took il up, glanced
over it hastily, and laid it down again.
| "You have been reading Macaulayy'
he said. I assented in some surprise.
| "Ahr said my strange guest; "a won
| derful man. wonderful man, that same
Macaulayl What genius, what learn
| ing, what noble style he had, to be surer'
Then throwing his head back and mar
rowing his wild eyes, he suddenly broke
| out:
"sAn acre in Middlesex is worth prin-
! cipality in Utopia; the smallest actual
! good is better than the most magnificent
promises of impossibilities; the wise man
| of the Stoics would, no doubt, be grander
object than q steam engine. But there
are steam engines. And the wise man Of
! the Stoics is yet 10 be born. A philosophy
which should enable man to feel per-
| fectly happy when in the agonies Of pain
may be better than a philosophy that can
assuage pain. But we know that there
are remedies that will assuage pain; and
we know that the ancient sages liked the
! tOothache as little as their ncighbors.'"
! / sat up in some amazement ut shis
| effort at memory. For the past three
| months, having associated with individ
| uals whose vocabularies hardly ventured
| beyond the possibilities Of fright smart
and ''away over yonder," Twas somewhat
| startled, | admit.
care you native Of this state, sirf''
| asked, with great respect
ono" replied he, Turning full upon me
| for an instant those singular eyes II his
| Il am, like yourself, northerner."
'Iet me offer you better pipe said,
| pointing ou, to him the case containing
| my best meerschaum; you viii find some
| excellent Cavendish in that jar. "
lie gave me a quick glance, as n appre-
! ciative Of nv hospitality, but declined,
saying that long habit Rad given him
| preference for the natural leaf.
''Wbat IS your college, be suddenly
asked. as was filing a pipe preparatory
to joining him.
''Yale," answered, with the pardona-
| bic pride q all Sons Of that alma mater;
| 'and yoursy''
II seldom mistake a collcgian," re-
! marked my homogeneous visitor; =" IN
laEG7lTit regina 2AtgfS fellSf afe G9leCeI5i-'
/ ! hail from Dartmouth p"
had made the inquiry more from 20
| likeness than any other motive, snd yet,
al the moment % my Epea king, IL dashed
| across me that be must be colleg. bred.
| Now that / was assured q t. feH sin
cere regret in seeing one who bad enjoyed
such advantages ~ such wTetrhed odds
with fortune. lie rnlSss have OWNED VIVA.