Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-01-11

me right down l couldn't eat-l just lived
on brandy and strong coffee. never was as
strong as Samson"
"Well-here / am at last, :" he began again,
after lying still a few minutes When be-
gan meant to tell you about woman. VI
course there was more than one. 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 did care for any one Of
them long. There 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
came TO find her-who made life seem like
different thing. She isn't much over TWEEN
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 IL; you
go away and II keeps on saying itself in your
head.
al don't say that she cared about mel
never pretended that she did. l know she
was sorry, that's all She saw straight down
10 the bottom Ut my heart, and il there was
spark Of honor there IL famed up. told her
Just how had been knocked about the world
and that | knew was Of no more account
than handful of chafr; but she kept saying,
1t isn't too late.' OF course l knew it was
/ knew | should never amount TO anything.
I hated TO work. didn't start right. I'm 81
years old. But she always said-so softly,
too-'It isn't too late.' II sent me into
lnwyers Office finally. We had some foreign
correspondence aud | made myself useful;
did know how TO read. | haven't lived in
libraries for nothing. Perhaps, after all,
could pick up something! It's the unex-
pected that happens-who knowsf | said To
myself Gayl l never was so light hearted
In my life. Perhaps should be somebody
''She went home finally. They live in Gin
cinnati. Her mother said mustn't write to
her; but next spring-well, l meant TO go out
there. The cat can look at the king, you
know. But then got this cough. l had a
| light overcoat II looked all right but there
wasn't any warmth in it. And it was 50 in
formally cold. / was checking of my debts
| She said one day: L never trust man who
| is reckless about money matters. That
struck home. / can tell you. IL set me TO
thinking, and made list of everything l
owed. | used TO get up in the night and
strike a light when | remembered one that
wasn't down. meant 10 pay every cent
Every penny could scrape went for that.
| a on WOuldllI DcleNt now long 4 COulu i've
onaV. | took receipt every time, and
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
now-at that sonnet--she'll know. There are
some books of mine, and this ring-when I'm
cold you take it Off and put it up. You will,
won't youi There's good soull The man
| who gets her ought to make something of
1 hiusalf He yon't he Suuffal ont like a tai
| low candle"
Then he stopped and held his fingers on the
| ring "I'll write down the name to morrow,
says he; Pm 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 youl in the morning we
found he was gone.
| l saw his sister; she came finally. She
was a slim, high strung little body, dressed
all i'm black She looked and looked at him,
| and after while she stopped over and began
to take the ring OF his finger. tried then
70 find out about the folks in Cincinnati.
She had eyes IA little like his. She looked
me straight in the face rs keen as could be-
mo, we haven't any friends in Cincin-
natl, y says she.
Landi He hadn't never told her. But I've
wondered, sometimes, if that girl ever knew
what became Of him.-Mrs d. II. r. Good
ale In The Independent