The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-07-17
LANE, LITTERATEUR.

land, and all met by some happy accident,
sat around the cracking fire at Rome. The
Roman servant. long nosed and suIlen,
raked into fame the fagots gathered from
the Alban hills, for, being the 1st of March,
our pipes and beer were not enough to keep
us comfortable.
Dick Richards was the fellows name
who told the tale. Egad! but he had
sweet voice, and swear it brings the tears
back into nv eyes to think of the story he
told us in his quiet, halting way between
the puffs of his long stemmed pipe, the
smoke curling up in unison from our in
dividual bowls as if it were incense for
the memory of Jack Lane, htterateur.
poor Jack"
The moment he began to speak we shifted
our feet uneasily, and the smoke got In our
eyes.
Jack was good fellow"
Again we pulled away in silence, and felt
the terrific portent of his tone. "a good
fellow"
Puff, puff A window ratified, moved by
a light spring breeze; the Roman servant
brought in more beer.
81 will tell you about him." We braced
up; the story was coming, and knowing
LICK, We huch ~ hOulo OO SOOA. OeASA
was from the Blue Grass country. and as
fine looking fellow as you would wish to
see; eyes like pieces of sky, and clear cut,
noble features, and yellow hair that
wreathed about his head in a way that
drove the girls distracted; fine horseman,
magnificent shot, a crack chess player, a
gambler, a duelist, and twenty-five years
old when he died Not a bad fellow, you
will understand, but full of the southern
love for adventure, and with a dash of
wild poetry in his composition, inherited
| from some blue eyed ancestor, who had
| loved life and its ups and downs ere he was
born.
when he was sixteen his aunt gave
| him $500.
"'You are the only respectable relative
left she said, and sighed as she thought
of her brother, who had just fed to India
! to escape the consequences of his four
teenth duel.
Jack took the money and kissed the
donor gratefully. Then he went out-the
gift in his pocket, the words in his mind.
"'SoI The only decent relative left; ac-
counts for my deuced lonely feeling
His reverie was interrupted.
Just the man | want. | am looking for
you, Lane
| "'Oh, hello, Deane What's up?
"'We have scheme on hand; going to
start poolroom and need more capital;
want you TO go into it, if you will; your
name need not be connected with it, you
know
Jack put his hand in his pocket, and at
the touch of the money the words Of his
aunt came tripping back to him on the
wings of the devil
4 will go into it, he said, and pulled
out the money. You can take it. ex-
pect some from play next week. Never
mind to thank me; it is all right. l will
be around tonight
might came, and at the first hour of dark
Jack Lane entered the door that led him tC
ruin. The associated managers had told
him he need not be connected with the
affair, but he came so frequently that be
was soon estimated. not as stakeholder
but a patron,
"One night the aunt, who had given him
the money he had invested in the scheme
died. Just before she closed her eyes, she
murmured: Jack, Jack, you were tht
only respectable one left. l gave you the
money that led you into evil. Forgive
News of the death found Jack in the
midst of a game of poker. He had beer
drinking heavily; his wonderful eyes were
luminous; his ruffied hair lay like a wreath
of gold about his brow
Dead, he whispered hoarsely, as be
dealt the cards, and all the money will bt
mine, mine
But the reading of the will proved the
uselessness of his hopes. She had left
of a 70 n u
and the codicil attached revoked the maiI
purport of the bestowment TO this slight
degree: To my nephew, John Stewart
Lane, l leave the white silk handkerchief
embroidered with golden L, for on it fel
my bitter tears to think that l had giveI
him the key TO hell
Jack Lane took the handkerchief anC
put it in his pocket. He left Kentuck,
soon after and went west.
at was some years after that l met hin
again in Nebraska. de had been engaged
TO lay out some swamp lands; he and hi.
men were hard at work. He looked sick
discouraged; he hated the work, and thu
air of the swamps was undermining hi.
constitution. He was gambling heavily
too, in the adjoining town, and the lamy
of life was burning rapidly. He had tn,
staile hcdIby uAuuSudhe, the same Dlu;
eyes and wreathing hair.
Writing any?
Some, he said. Can't help it
Il invited him TO come TO my Office
, was running The Chanticleer then-auc
told him to bring some manuscript witt
him
He came one night with the manuscript
The student lamp rained down gentle "a
dance upon Us. He began to read hi
! story in a voice resonant with pathos am
softening tenderness, and as he proceeded
, / saw in the curling smoke Of my cigar tn
transient characters of the Witch of tn
! Swanps.'
I a dream first he explained when h,
had finished reading-'a dream that haunt
ed me- l saw the figure coming towarS
lne down through the tarus and pools
There was seaweed bound about her. an,
| like banner waved a filmy silk above he
! head spsngled with golden letters, auC
tears like briiliants showered about her
: and above ali rose the purple denseness O
. the swamls, and languid and low in tn
sky hung Dim mockiug me
, Il took The story and paid him doubl
: What could afford, and not an atom o
!wha1 it was really worth. for il surnaskA1