Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1888-06-30

with rare sheen in them; it might be her
mothers face, too, but with the bloom of
perfect health tightening up its olive.
Involuntarily he rose to his feet and
bowed, but as the girl only seemed to regard
him as one might look at circus tumbler,
Philip relapsed into his seat, in the humilia-
tion beauty can put upon the greatest of u.s.
"Nothin' but cold potatoes? Well, guess
they'll do with little salt and piece of
bread"
'Did Curran speak?" asked the girl
"Yes," answered Philip "And who is he
"a common laborer2" Then he bit his lip.
But nobody took offense, no one suspected
their guest of being anything above COM
mon laborer.
"Only laborer,n answered Graves, ga
weaver, but he's got some book knowledge
somehow There aint many can beat him
at talSin, is there?"
The girls eyes were on Philip now, impa-
tient, as he fancied, even for his poor tribute
to her lovers praise.
''He is wonderful" he assented, "but what
don't understand is, that he can be such a
man and still weaver. Where did he learn
it allr
sHave you got enough to eat? Well,
knowledge has got pretty well through all
classes now, for those as wants it. It's there
for all who have eyes or ears for it, Why,
friend, where have you been all your life!
Brains and hearts don't go by station. I've
found smarter men in shops and mills than
most we send to congress There's thousands
like Currail, if they only got the stirrin' he's
had some way. Now, Jane, it's about time
you got this mans bed ready"
Philips heart jumped OF course he
couldn't stay, but what excuse could he give
for coming at all, then?
"Be you lookin' for a job?' asked Graves,
after his daughter had left them.
1t occurred to Philip that he had one, if he
wanted ito put one spark of happiness
into such lives as these, but he nodded The
man looked him over rather disparagingly.
"Well, wash yourself up and black your
boots bit, and l guess l can do somethin'
for you in the mill It's hard work and
small pay, but we never had better, you and
me. We don't well know what we miss beln'
poor, we miss it such big ways"
"How long has Curran lived here" asked
Philip incoherently. The man stared at him
a moment.
"Oh Curran, he amt been here more'n
six month. He amt got no folks; he lives
down TO one of them factory boardin' houses,
but don't have no friends, or talk about any
thin but what you heard tonight. But it's
all useless" Graves looked gloomily on the
floor. "We aint got no show; the rich are
too many for us. guess it's human nature
for one man to boss the crowd, or it wouldn't
q always been 50. There's the girl, she'll
show you where to sleep Be up early in the
inornin', now"
The only course for him seemed to be to
follow the girl, and Philip rose to his feet
"Good night" he said. The sick woman
opened her eyes in surprise. Such people as
they found no time for amenities in their
dreary home. Graves looked around.
"Whatf Oh, yes, goodby, but I'm goin' to
see you in the mornin."
His bedroom, on which the roof encroached
greedily, was newly whitewashed or elsewaS
seldom used. His lamp sat on wooden
chair with no back to it, crowded by tin
wash basin, with his portion of water half
filling it, and round black ball of soap
Then Philip turned to look at the bed they
had made for him on slat bedstead with
low headboard but not so low as the thin
pillow. How many times must anybody
double the pillow to make it fit for his heads
For a counterpane was the girls plaid shawl;
he had seen it on nail down stairs. Poor
little girl, she would want it very early in
the morning. Then he glanced in the eight
by ten looking glass that hung on the white
wall. Disguised! his own father would not
have known him, and he had sensation of
double consciousness as he saw his own re-
Election Perhaps Graves was disguised too,
and all the i'll dressed men he had seen that
evening, who suffered as much in their
wretched lives as he could, who could
enjoy all that frightened his own life
as much And clothes made the
difference between him and them, apparent
ly, perhaps really The world managed ac-
cording to the clothes standard-for the man
who could borrow a broadcloth suit, COM
forts consideration, happiness-for the man
in overalls, weary days, cherries houses,
hunger and-bah. Phillip pulled off his
great boots and threw them angrily across
the room; he did not know what to make of
it all
He did not propose to spend the night here,
of course, and face the family and his job in
the mill in the morning, but he might as
well lie down till the house was asleep and
escape became possible. But he could not
the poor little pillow. So he takes off his
yellow whiskers, and makes such good use
Of the basin of water and the ball Of soap
that when he next looked in the little
mirror he saw no longer the road dusty
tramp, but the fresh, kindly face of young
man who has never tasted of the bitter foun-
tains of life He started as if he had been
shot; the windows had no curtains, and any
passerby might have seen his transforma-
tion Then came heavy step on the stairs.
He blew out the light and buried himself in
the bedclothes. In a moment more the door
opened and Philip was breathing heavily.
"Asleepr it was the voice of his host.
"Well, s'pose the morning will do. Pretty
tired, guess; wonder how far he came to-
dayg and Graves closed the door after him
and went down stairs again.
OF course Philip was not going to sleep, but
there would be no harm in just closing his
eyes, he could think so much better
Here he was drinking in the very life of
the poor, strange, terrible life he had never
really imagined before. He had seen how
xuoy.,, opd hrokan 1Uare their man and read