Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1890-08-07

"Well, what on earth do you find to
do with yourself out there? How do
you manage to kill timer
thine 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"
Not an unusual idea, 1 find, Warden,
but very unjust one"
"Oh, yes, I know, of course, you have
some Indian fighting to do once in a
while; but that probably amounts to
very little. mean when you're in per-
manent camp or garrison. should
think man of your temperament would
just stagnate in such a life. wonder
you hadn't resigned years ago and come
here and made name for yourself"
1.-The life has been rather more brisk
than You imagine" he answered, with a
quiet smile, land l have grown very
fond of my profession. But you speak
of making a name for myself. Now, in
what would that have consisted"
ooh, well, Of course, if you really like
the army and living in desert and that
sort Of thing, I've nothing to say" said
Warden; "but it always struck me as
sucha-such a-well, Fred, such wasted
life, all very we'll for fellows who hadn't
brains or energy enough to achieve sue
cess in the real battle of life" land here
Warden was swelling visibly'), "but
not at all the thing for 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 report. Let's see: didn't you
get wounded, or something, chasing
some Indians" Lane replied that he be-
lieved 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
q perfect boom in railroad iron and
every other kind of iron since that panic
of '73. 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 tine richest man in town today.
1t always seemed to me that he made
such a 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 wall, l am told, was Terry's
father, who had formerly been his chief
clerk"
We'll" answered Warden, in some
little confusion, for this and other mat
tiers in connection with the failure Of
Samuel Lane & 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 big man today-had your
own establishment here, married some
rich girl-you're not married, are you?"
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 sh& FLOR 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 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? 1 have to
take a hand at whist" And so away
went Warden, leaving Lane to walk
and think over the expert
ences of the day.
that was well known from the Yellow
stone to the Colorado. Thrice had that
name been sent to the president with the
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 officer who had been so
prominent in more than one campaign.
Santa Fe and San Antonio, Denver,
Cheyenne and Miles City, were points
where he could not go without meeting
troops of friends" 1t was only when
ne got back to his old home in the east
hat the lieutenant found his name asso-
GATED only with his fathers failure, and
hat his years of honorable service con-
Keyed no interest to the friends of his
youth. Money makes the mare CO."
aid Mr.. Warden, in a subsequent con-
and money, it seems, was what
he meant in telling Lane he should have
,ome home and made name for him.
elf"
Lane had been on duty year in the
;ity when rumor began to circulate to
he effect that investments Of his in min
ng stocks had brought him large re-
urns, and men at the club and matronly
women at the few parties he attended
,egan asking significant questions which
low it pleased him to parry rather than
answer directly. His twelve months ex-
,eriences in society had developed in him