Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1889-12-27
get my trunks Inland or walked and 1efa
L. IL. ll..i.r

get my trunks Inland or walked and lett
him to pay the driver.
II stopped there for a week, and hunted
up an old friend and borrowed a fifty. Then
got taken on newspaper But that was
work twenty-four hours day. 1t pulled
me right down. l couldn't eat-I just lived
on brandy and strong coffee never was as
strong as Samson"
''Well-here 1 am at last" he began again,
after lying still few minutes When I be-
gan meant to tell you about a woman. OF
course there was more than one. l never
could resist pair of bright eyes, and they
didn't resist me much either. But not one
of them would have stood by me through
thick and thin, nor did l care for any one Of
them long, There was a Spanish girl in
Mexico who would have enjoyed running
knife through me: but New York was too
far away.
"There is girl, though-God knows how
l came to find her-who made life seem like
different thing. She isn't much over twen-
ty, but she's wise enough for forty. Talk
about what you will, she always has some
thing to say-something that puts things in
new light. And you can't forget it; you
go away and it keeps ON saying itself in your
head.
~ don't say that she cared about mel
never pretended that she did. I know she
was sorry, that's all. She saw straight down
to the bottom of my heart, and if there was a
spark of honor there it famed up. l told her
just how had been knocked about the world
and that | knew was of no more account
than a handful of chaff; but she kept saying,
1T isn't too late.' OF course I knew it was.
| knew l should never amount to anything
hated to work. didn't start right. Pm 81
years old But she always said-so softly,
too-'It isn't too late' 1t sent me into a
lawyers Office finally. We had some foreign
correspondence and 1 made myself useful
did know how to read. I haven't lived in
libraries for nothing. Perhaps, after all, 1
could pick up something's Its the unex-
pected that happens-who knowsg I said to
myself Gay? I never was SO light hearted
in my life. Perhaps should be somebody
''She went home finally. They live in Gin
cinnati. Her mother said I mustn't write to
her; but next spring-well meant to go out
there. The cat can look at the king, you
know. But then 1 got this cough I had
light overcoat. 1t looked all right, but there
wasn't any warmth in it. And it was SO in
formally cold. I was checking off my debts.
She said one day: L never trust man who
is reckless about money matters That
struck home, can tell you. 1t set me to
thinking, and I made list of everything
owed. 1 used to get up in the night and
strike light when I remembered one that
wasn't down. I meant to pay every cent.
Every penny could scrape went for that
You wouldn't believe how long 1 could live
on Y. l took receipt every time, and ]
put them all in envelope with her initials
on it. I thought maybe would show them
to her some day. It's in my Shakespeare
now=aatt that sonnet-she'n know. There are
some books of mine, and this ring-when Pm
cold you take it off and put it up. You will,
won't yous There's good soull The man
who gets her ought TO make something OF
himself. He won't be snuffed out Ike tai
low candle"
Then he stopped and held his fingers on the
ring. ''I'll write down the name to morrow"
says he; "rm alive yet" And with that he
gave little sigh like and turned little
more on his SIDE He was all tired out, and
was glad when he dropped off.
But Lord bless you! in the morning we
found he was gone.
l saw his sister; she came finally. She
was slim, high strung little body, dressed
all in black She looked and looked at him,
and after while she stopped over and began
to take the ring off his finger. tried then
to find out about the folks in Cincinnati.
She had eyes little like his. She looked
me straight in the face as keen as could be.
'No, we haven't any friends in Cincin-
NATL" says she.
Landl He hadn't never told her. But I've
wondered, sometimes, if that girl ever knew
what became of him.-Mrs. D. H. r. Good
ale in The Independent.