The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1888-04-26

own absorbing concerns - intent,
brushed by him unheeding.
Where should be look now? Never
in these five years of toll. of patient
striving for one idea, had this thought
occurred to hIm, that when he did
manage to follow her it might be too
late: that she might have gone beyond
the ken Of those who had known her.
He walked about the streets vaguely,
aimlessly all the day; and when The
thoroughfares shone with the white
glare OF electric lights he continued
ms footsore wanderings.
Presently he noticed sign offering
nights lodgings beside a flight OF
stairs leading into large house. lie
considered moment, and then went
in. He engaged room, then took
MS money out of his pocket, and put
| it under his pillow. He would be very
careful Of it. He would spend moth
ing on himself. He might find Hilary
vet. vet But where Oh, nv God! With
a sudden lev terror of premOnition
shooting through him he turned his
head into his hard, thin, coarse pill.
low. Where?
It was a small room, its spaces man.
aged and utilised in the spirit of com
pact snugness which characterizes the
| cheaper metropolitan fiat; but it was
very pretty room. Its grace and
almost elegance of arrangement made
up for its exiguity And the pretty
woman who poured tea for her one
visitor gave last bright charm to
the apartment which the gentleman
| was not slow to appreciate.
He was rather ilorid person, to
whose good looks the touch of forty
years had given certain appearance
of added prosperity, and perhaps
| pompousness. The appearance of
prosperity was quite justified. Mr..
terial things which man need wish
| for.
Perhaps he took them-his unim-
peachable position, his gentle blood,
his inherited and accumulated wealth
rather as tribute Ia his personal
excellence and respectability; but, all
| the same, he was man of many good
impulses and some generosity. If he
were very prudent III some respects
one could not but acknowledge that
he had the right 10 such prudence, sit
uated as lie was.
Yes. have q great sympathy with
some of these fellows" observed Mr..
McFarlane, slipping his tea. ''It is
pathetic the struggle they go through
when they are launched into the mael-
strom of city life. Some swim; but
many more sink. Yes-poor fellows!
I've seen a good many cases of the
kind.
The bright young widows face dark
ened with an alluring sympathy.
Yes" she assented with soft lit
| tie murmur.
"Some have come under my especial
notice"
Yes? 1 dare say you have given
many struggler a helping hand, too, "
| said the young widow.
She said it quietly, not impulsively.
If she had forced the enthusiastic note
at all, Mr.. McEorianc's delicate taste
| would have taken umbrage.
This was exactly what Mr.. McFar-
lane greatly appreciated III the charm
| ing little woman in the black dress.
| He made no allusion TO himself on the
score of her probable original status.
| He did not know exactly what it was;
but he imagined. without wishing to
enquire very far back, that it was
something rather simple, while re-
spectacle.
He did not think he should at all
have cared for the acquaintance of the
| defunct Mr.. Lawton, who had been
| frank, fresh young dry-goods
| clerk, with great limitations as to his
intellectual outlook, and evidently
greatly his young wife's inferior.
Mr.. McFarlane could not but con-
slider it as almost proyidential-and
this quite impersonally - that the
young dry-goodS clerk, after inSuring
his life nicely, should have left his
| wife to pursue her career unhampered
by the restrictions that n husband
without many resources must place
upon a clever and pretty woman.
If Mr.. McFarlane was a little slow
in finally crystallising his various feel
ings of appreciation, admiration, for
| this particularly clever and pretty
| woman into a definite offer OF his
person and its accompanying advan-
tages, it is to be remembered, as said
| before, that the advantages were real
| lI QulUe UNCOMMON.
"a man does what he can in such a
| case" he said. in reply TO her remark.
| But the remark had llattered him-had
been delightfully."- agreeable.
And Mrs. Lawton was looking so
very charming-more so even than
usual, if that were possible-that eve
| ming. There was such a soft color
upon her cheek, such a light in her
eyes.
And what an air of grace aud breed
inc she hadi There was something in
personal distinction certainly. 1t was
an excellent substitute for social dis
tinction, if one could not have that.
And a what a quaint mellow name
| Hilary was!
Il have had one instance under my
notice for some time" he pursued.
The young fellow who came from the
rural districts about two years ago.
He was honest, Industrious, capital
| fellow, though rather dull. But |
don't think it was the Gullr ess which
stood in the way of his getting on.
| He had not come 10 this city with any
intention of seeking his fortune, it APP
peared. On the contrary, when he
cane-poor wretch!-I fancy lie
thought himself possessed of certain
wealth. 1t was touching story. 1t
seems-I only found this out very
lately, for the poor fellow is very
reticent-that he had an attachment
rather hopeless one. l imagine
for young woman in his own place,
and that she left it to come TO the CITY.
Oliver Payne-that is his name-saved
and toiled and at the death of his ia
ther sold out his share of the farm and
home.
The young woman, it would ap-
pear, had been rather ambitious in the
time past, and probably would not
listen to his suit. But | suppose Oil
yer felt that if he presented himself
before her as capitalist in mild way
she might be induced to think differ
emily of him and his offer. But he
never found her. She had gone up to
different things or down to lower, and
he looked in vain And then he h1 ii