The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1890-07-11

did not know him at all until he began
TO laugh. and then he blandly inquired
what he'd been doing with himself all
these years. But the man who rasped
h:m from top to toe was Warden. Bust
ness hours were over, and their meeting
occurred at the club. Two minutes after
they had shaken hands, Warden was
..anding with his back to the log fire,
his thumbs in the arm holes of his waist
coat, fitting on his toes, his head well
back, and most affably and distinctly
patronising him.
"Well, Fred, you're still in the army,
are your" he asked
"Still in the army, Warden"
''Well, what on earth do you find 10
do with yourself out there? How do
you manage to kill timer"
"Time never hung heavily on my
hands 1t often happened that there
wasn't half enough for all we had to do"
you don't tell me! Why, supposed
that about all you did was to drink and
play poker"
mot an unusual idea, / find, Warden,
but very unjust one"
"Oh, yes, know, of course, you have
some Indian fighting to do once in
while; but that probably amounts to
very little. mean when you're in per-
manent camp or garrison. / should
think Il man of your temperament would
just stagnate in sich life. l wonder
you hadn't resigned years ago and come
here and made name for yourself"
"The life has been rather more brisk
than you imagine" he answered, with
quiet smile, ''and have grown very
fond OF my profession. But you speak
of making name for myself. Now, in
what would that have consisted?'
ooh, well, of course, if you really like
the army and living i'll a desert and that
sort of thing, I've nothing to say" said
Warden: "but it always struck me as
such a-such a-well, Fred, such wasted
life, all very well for fellows who hadn't
brains or energy enough to achieve sue
cess in tho real battle of life" land here
Warden was swelling visibly'), "but
not at all the thing for a man of your
ability. We all conceded at school that
you were head and shoulders above the
rest OF us. We were talking of it some
years ago here in this very room; there'd
been something about you in the papers
some general or other had mentioned
you in a report. Let's see: didn't you
get wounded, or something, chasing
some IndiansY' Lane replied that he be-
ieved that something like that had
happened" but begged his friend to-, go
on; and Warden proceeded to further
expound his views:
NOW, you might have resigned years
ago, taken hold of your fathers old bust
ness, and made fortune. There's been
perfect boom in railroad iron and
every other kind of iron since that panic
Of rs. Look at Terry; he is rolling in
money-one of our most substantial men;
and you know he was mere drone at
school. Why, Fred, if your father could
have held on six months longer he'd
have been the richest man in town today.
1t always seemed to me that he made
such mistake in not getting his friends
to help him tide things over"
"You probably are not aware" was
the reply, "that he went to friend after
friend-so called-and that it was their
failure or refusal to help that broke him
down. The most active man in pushing
him to the wax, am told, was Terry's
father, who had formerly been his chief
clerk"
"Well," answered Warden, in some
little confusion, for this and other mat
tiers in connection with the failure Of
Samuel Lane e. Co., years before, were
now suddenly recalled to mind, "that's
probably true. Business is business, you
know, and those were tough times in the
money market. Still, you could have
come back here when you left West
Point, and built up that concern again,
and been q big man today-had your
own establishment here, married some
rich girl-youre not married, are your"
Lane shook his head.
"On the other hand, then, you've been
fooling away all this time in the army,
and what have you got to show fer it?"
"Nothing-to speak Of" was the half
whimsical, half serious answer.
well, there! Now don't you see?
That's just what I'm driving at. You've
thrown away your opportunities All
right, Strong; I'll be with you in a min
ute,'" he called to man who was sig
mailing to him from the stairway. "Come
in and see US, Fred. Come and dine
with US, any day. We're always ready
for friends who drop in. want you to
meet Mrs. Warden and see my house.
Now excuse me, will you? l have to
take o hand at whist" And so away
went Warden, leaving Lane to walk
homeward and think over the expert
ences of the day.
He had "made name for himself"
that was well known from the Yellow
stone to the Colorado. Thrice had that
name been sent to the president with the
recommendation Of his department. COM
mander for brevets for conspicuous and
gallant conduct in action against hostile
Indians. The Pacific coast had made him
welcome. Busy San Francisco had found
time to read The Atlas and The Chroni-
cle's correspondence from the scene of
hostilities, and cordially shook hands
with the young Office: who had been so
prominent in more than one campaign.
Santa Fe and San Antonio, Denver,