Wichita eagle., 1889-12-20

| OF war. To tell the truth, got pretty deep
in debt, though had mistrusted something
for good while.
"At last the crash came, and it was bad
one. 1t was all up with Hurd and Enderby-
father was the Enderby. He came home and
shut himself up in his bedroom; he wouldn't
see even mother, and there was the very dick
ems to pay. What could doa had no more
idea than baby. Anna-that girl has ire
mendous pluck, and good-she's one of the
best girls alive-Anna went to governessing.
Ned and Mortimer, the two younger boys,
came home from school and went in stores
1t strikes me that's good way to be a cad,
but | didn't blame them. Father-wel,
father was found dead one morning. I sup
pose it was all right-apoplexy Of the heart,
or something of that kind they called it.
Mother went home to her eldest brother and
took Alice with her. Everything went under
the hammer, and was fairly turned out Of
| doors
'How little women know about lifel An
IA, poor girl, thought | could de- anything.
--.-h your talents sne used to say-bless
you'll my talents were all for ornament and
not for use They wouldn't bring sixpence
in the market Some Of fathers old friends
wanted to help me. / tried government
| clerkship, but that was worse than being a
galley slave. To come In at just such min
ute, like barber or bootblackl l couldn't
stand that. Then | went to Mexico with
party. 1t YVES big thing; there was a min
ing scheme, and a piece Of railroad to be
built, and long pay roll. l was in the
Office. l was there nearly two years, but I
got down with the fever and had pretty
bad time, so one day started for New York.
When got in sight of land, had just one
dollar in my pocket"
"What did you dn?" says l.
"Oh, gave that to the steward" says he,
trying to laugh. II had my trunks put on
hack aud drove up to the Brunswick. l
registered, and turned to go out See
herep called out to the clerk, give that
fellow couple of dollars for me when they
get my trunks inland off l walked and left
him to pay the driver.
~ stopped there for week, and hunted
up an old friend and borrowed 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 am at last, 4" Ia began again,
after lying still few minutes When be-
gan | meant to tell you about woman Of
course there was more than one. l never
could resist a 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 cid | care for any one of
them long. There was Spanish girl in
Mexico who would have enjoyed running a
knife through me: but New York was too
far away.
"There is girl, though-God knows how
I 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
a new light. And you can't forget it; you
go away and it keeps on saying itself in your
head.
81 don't say that she cared about mel
never pretended that she did. | know she
was sorry, that's all. She e~w straight down
to the bottom of my ~art, and if there was a
spark of honor there famed up. | told her
just how had been knocked about the world
and that | knew was OF no more account
than handful of chaff; but me kept saying,
1t isn't too Iate.' OF course | knew it was.
| knew l should never amount to anything.
l hated to work. didn't start right. I'm 81
years old But she always said-so softly,
too-It isn't too late 1t sent me into
lawyers Office finally. We had some foreign
correspondence and | made myself useful; | |
did know how to read. | haven't lived in
libraries for nothing. Perhaps, after all, l |
could pick up something! It's the unex-
pected that happens-who knowsF said to
myself. Gay2 / never was so light hearted |
in my life. Perhaps l should be somebody
''She went home finally. They live in Gin |
cinnati. Her mother said | mustn't write to |
her; but next spring-well, meant to 60 out |
there. The cat can look at the king, you |
know. But then | got this cough. l had a
light overcoat. 1t looked ell right, but there
wasn't any warmth in it. And it was SO in
formally cold. was checking off my debts
She said one day: i never trust a man who |
is reckless about money matters That
struck home, | can tell you. 1t set me to
and | made list of everything l |
owed l used to get up in the night and
strike a light when | remembered one that
wasn't down. | meant to pay every cent
Every penny | could scrape went for that.
You wouldn't believe how long | could live
on Y. l took receipt every time, and l
put them all in an envelope with her initials
on it. | thought maybe would show them
to her some day. It's in my Shakespeare
that sonnet-she'll 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 you2 There's good SOUL The man
who gets her ought to make something OF
himself He won't be snuffed out like tai
low candle"
Then he stopped and held his fingers on the
ring. '1'll write down the name tomorrow"
says he; ''I'm alive yet" And with that he
gave a little sigh like and turned a little
more on his side He was all tired out, and
| was glad when he dropped off.
But Lord bless you'll in the morning we
found be was gone.
| 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 of 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.
mo. we haven't any friends in Cincin-
natl" says she.
Land He hadn't never told her But I've
sometimes, if that girl ever knew
what became of Lim.-MrS D. h. r. Good
lie in The independent
It :5as Paper BOX.
Two variety performers came to Boston
sst week, looking for an engagement at one
IF the dime museums