Wichita eagle., 1888-03-16
A DERNIER RESORT.

| afternoon in early June. 1t was quiet, tree
shaded, grass grown street. and the man, as
be walked along with jaunty, swinging step.
seemed wonderfully wide awake in contrast
to it. He was a well preserved man, who must
have been very good looking, if not positively
handsome, in his youth He was dressed in a
gray suit of fashionable cut and wore his silk
hat slightly tipped on one side Of his abund-
ant, brown curly hair This brown curly hair
was very lightly touched with gray here and
there, so lightly. indeed, as to not be percepti-
bic to the careless observer In his right
hand, which was firmly held against the
small Of his back, he grasped heavy, gold
headed cane. He glanced from side to side,
as he walked, at the windows of the cottages
with the air of one who had been used to, and
! still expects to, catch the admiripg glances
| of peeping women. And in this expectation
he was not wholly disappointed, for from at
| least half dozen doors and as many windows
he caught their glances, though they were
really more of wonder than admiration;
albeit, he chose only to admit the latter
by Jover' said he to himself in drawl-
ing tone, as the last cottage passed he emerged
| into the highway again and came in sight of
| picturesque old blacksmiths shop, before
| which stood an immense weeping willow,
| chow little the place has changed. What a
| sleepy old town it is. l don't believe there
| nave been twenty buildings added to it since
| left here nearly a quarter Of a century ago
| And there's the smithy just the same as when
| worked there in a grimy apron-paugh.n
And then stepping across to the shop where
| man of about his own age-a stout, round
faced, merry looking fellow was welding q
hammer with mighty force, striking brave
sparks from the horseshoe he was fashioning,
and singing loudly the while to the musical
clink, clinE, clnk that answered his blows
Halo! Jim Farlow," said the new conner in
a louder and quicker tone than that in which
lac had spoken to himself, but it was not I'M
ii Jim Farlow was touched upon the Shout
der by the gray kidded hand that the loud
inging and musical clinking ceased, and the
blacksmith turned slowly about and gravely
cgarded his visitor with DO hint of recogni-
ION in his honest blue eyes.
''Wby, Jim, don't you know me?" asked be
Of the gray suit. Surely you haven't for
got Jack Palmcr?"
Jack Falmer!" repeated the blacksmith.
BE you Jack Palmer! If you be you don't
ooll much like the Jack Palmer that used to
work aside of me at this very forge"
But l am all the same" said Palmer,
though 1 fancy city life has removed all
race of the country youth; that is, all trace
f his rusticity. l flatter myself some of
us good looks still remain. Hey, JimH
To this speech, made with self satisfied
smile, Jim replied by another question: -
spose You invested that money SOS you made
1 heap out Of it:'
s'Weil, did-at first" answered Palmer.
but the heap soon dUiinGled away. 1t was
1nly thirty thousand in the first place, you
TOW
''Only thirty thousand" replied jim, with
grim chuctle. wy, Wen you fuS. heard
81 i. I thought you'd go clean daft. swan /
lid. Thirty thousand" says you to me-
a-tearin' off your apron; thirty thousand
ur me that never got thirty dollars together
nee the day were born, an that's six.an'-
wenty year ago Thirty thousand, says
-ou'--
Yes, yes" interrupted his companion has
ily: Il suppose it did look like a large sum
. me then, but when ono lives in Z great
.ity and associates with wealthy people it
Don begins to look ike a very small one.
nd, by Jove! it and all made by it got less
,nd less as the years went on until am ac-
ually down 10 my last hundred"
Down to your last hundred" echoed Jim
FarlOw. well, you must have lived high
And now, if l may make SO free as to ask,
what have you come back here for? You
urely amt a lookin'"- and glancing at
he kid gloves he broke out into a loud
;uffaw-''you surely amt lookin' for job
1t the old smithy againF'
"PShaw! Nonsense" replied the other,
lalf angrily, and then he resumed. in his
ormer drawing tone, "Old Corbetts dead,
hear, and left Ruth all his property. Must
% worth tidy little sum-
1T is worth q tidy little sum and she's a
10y little woman asserted the blacksmith
With emphasis.
Palmer than ever, though, I suppose
Naturally such homely girls make still home
Ter old maids
Il never thought her humbly nor neither
lid any one else but you, guess, Palmer,
md you didn't think SO till you got amongst
hem city gals. You treated Ruth all fired
mean, you did, and Jim Farlow turned to
dS anvil again.
''Oh, look here, Jim, don't go to work fc.
a minate or two more. Does she live at the
farm2 l know l didn't treat her exactly
right. but when one finds ones self sur
rounded by handsome, fashionable girls one
can't help forget the rustic maidenS one
leaves behind. But l have good reason to
think l can still make it all right Better
late than never, you know. She has re-
manned single for my sake am sure, and
have come here to reward her constancy 2.
at last In short, TO marry her,"
ITO marry herr
'Great heavens! what a parrot YOU are,
jim Yes, TO marry her. She is derpier
resort
whats thati" asked the blacksmith.
"A last resort. can't live any longer in
The city. I'm over head and heels in debt
there-owe for this very suit l have on. So
I've made up my mind TO return to the home
Of my childhood, marry my old sweetheart,
and settle down into quiet country gentle
man. Not bad thing to do when one can't
do anything else, is it!'
Nv ell. swan. YOU are q cool card" said
Jim. But you won't find her at the farm,
but at the little red house just this side OF it
She isn't bit stuck up, though she has come
into fortune. You'd better go right along,
and wish you all the luck you deserve"
Palmer eyed him suspiciously for moment,
and then staggered up the road, with the /
gold headed cane once more fitted snusly I.
across the small of his back
We'll, swan said Jim, '.if that don't I
beat al. I'd like to take that walkin' stick .
and prod him in the back with it right out /
Of the village. But spose she'll take him /
and kill the fatted calf. and all that sort Of .
thing, thanks to bis pooty face. whilst never /
even darst-- but the last Of the sentence /
was lost in the merry clink, clink, clink that +
had begun again
Eu.h Corbett was hanging out her washing /
when Jack Palmer stepped on to her front /
porch and raped on her front door with his /