Wichita eagle., 1890-01-16
THE BROKER.

She looked out into the hall in her new
Wrapper she shook her dust cloth through
the grating, and inspected the yard OF the
large three story house. Young wives were
standing about in the hall, resting their arms
upon the banistcr, expecting their husbands.
1t was about noon time.
Her husband came home first. A thick
set, bald headed little old man, with liver
colored face, staggered slowly towards her.
They scarcely noticed each other; then they
both looked out into the yard together.
''Why do you come home 50 early! You
always come at a time when dinner is not
ready Is there no business" the woman be-
gan. The man did not answer; he was look
ing out watching his youngest child, a beau
tiful blonde boy, frolcking and playing in
the dark, inhospitabie asphalted yard.
And the woman again spoke.
"What are you looking att"
"At this yardl | shall probably never see
st again. am sick, very sick; shall never
be well man againi Take the business sign
from my door"
He cast one last glance out into the yard;
then, with trembling hand he unscrewed the
sign from the door, the zinc plate on which
was inscribed in gilt letters: Josef Gross,
Broker" Then he went in and went to rest.
TO resta Re closed his eyes, and from under
the compressed lids one old, solitary tear
stole out.
''What is the Inatteri" asked the woman.
'sThe heart-the old trouble On the street
was again seized with spasn. | fell to
the ground, and a servant led me home |
knew that it would end like this; my foot
pains me violently, as if boiling water were
flowing through my veins instead of blood
Prepare my bed"
''Do not lose courage! The physician says
there is nothing the matter with your
Nothing but that l must del What viii
become Of youE'
COZ the girll"
"Of you!"
"And of the little child
A vainiy suppressed, low moan forced itself
ND from his broad chest. The little child
asked in pampered voice:
'Papa, what have you brought for nles'
''Nothingn
Then his daughter came i'll. His oldest
child. The image of the mother. A tail
figure with berry mouth and curved eye
brows. She was not yet eighteen, but the
pretty iittle pink dimple under her chin was
already deepening. As they were thus stand
ing side by side, the daughter and the mo-
then, one might have taken them for pair
Of sisters.
Aud as the broker looked at them, first
wild, then dull, despair seized him. What
was TO become of his wife, what of his mar
riageabie daughter, if he should die? The
wife could, perhaps, find bread aud shelter
with one or the other of er relatives, but
the daughters How is she 30 find a hIlsbands
Who viii marry her without money! No
bodyi Or perhaps some coarse, uncouth me-
chanic, which is stili worse. How his Oldest
son viii 20 10 ruin, who, in spite of his great
intelligence, has not improved one jot:
thoroughly good hearted fellow, but who
perhaps at this very moment is playing cards
somewhere, for no one has had as much as
gliIn pse of l.ial since yesterday. And what,
finally, is to become Of him who is almost as
near TO him as his wife? What il to become
of his youngest, 5-year-old son, his splendid
boys OF this too delicate spoiled idola God
knows what he, had life been spared, would
have made of him.
But it cannot be; the broker feels that he
must die. Once, twice more the spasmS of the
heart seized him more violently than ever be-
fore; then the feet began to swell. and it
came, what he had expected with mortal
dread, but still prepared, as one condemned
TO death expects the downward swoop of the
ak that has been lowering over his head
dropsy.
His father and his two elder brothers had
died from this disease The broker had OBJ
served the beginning of and was acquainted
with the conditions that served to hasten the
catastrophe - tie exciting va-banque game
with life. He was present when his father
one day, during a brokers' transaction on the
exchange, broke down. He knew that the
consequences OF an unhappy speculation
changed one of his brothers from vigorous
man into dying skeleton. He had seen it,
and ali their dying began like his
The image of approaching death would not
have been 81 terrible TO him were it not that
he must die now must leave his family now
when be had not penny to call his own;
now, when he was not even able TO meet his
interest for the next quarter. In several
months things would change thoroughly. |
Then he would procure money, if he had to
dis II out OF the ground.
The sick man is alone in his room Il Is
dusk. Through the open door lie can see
the guests sitting in the parlor. Ia the /
CHEEKY, home like CLEAN of the hanging lamp !
the faces look SO friendly, 50 full OF love- His /
- SlttlIl-, idA4S, anu II
tea into her neishbors cup. The Strolg. sun |
burned young man thanks her, smiling defer /
entially. There is peculiar expeSslon about |
the lips Of the young girl when she addresses |
:he young man, and now and then flaming /
red floods her face and snow white neck /
And the young man listens TO and answers /
only her. And rs the broker looks az this /
pair of lovers his heart contracts sill more !
They can never belong TO each other. But /
If he had lived, or had left fortunel
The Sex man is entirely forgotten And he |
foroibly suppresses his groans and signs In
order not TO interrupt the conversation in
the next room, not 10 cause the slightest dis
cord in their low laughter In the laughter
If his wife and daughter, which only too
soon VIII change into loud sobbing. Into
weeping and lanleBtang as soon as they hear
that all this spiendor, their higE living. was
empty deiuSion. their wealth a many hued.
beds and the linen sh.n Be sold st public auc-
ton and among the bidders the low remark
shall pass from mouth TO mouth: lie, too,
was 8 swindlerir They will be driven out of
these apartments that have grown so dear to
them: and into the cellars, in which they
viii then live, none of these guests here Will
follow than, not one; and, in spite Of his
great love, the old, faithful sdrnirer also Will
disappear from the side of the girl.
4 ASbt was brought In; the physician had