Nevada County picayune., 1891-03-26

John Collins was out of work. In
common with many others, for reas-
ons not to enter upon, he had been
idle for some time. He was almost
out of money-50 cents is not much.
But he was not out of hope. He was
so determined to put his shoulder to
the wheel that he could not believe
that there would not soon be wheel
to shoulder.
Now, on tins Saturday afternoon,
with everything at standstill, he
knew that there would be no use
in standing before closed doors or of
loltering in empty yards; SO he
made up his mind to have holiday,
and all that sweet, sunny afternoon
to pretend to himself that he had
nothing to worry about.
There was music in the park {;
bHGIC NtIt oCdlS W SiI upOH'
A man could eat ) cents worth
of soda crackers there as well as
elsewhere. In fact, they made quite
a peat lunch.
On Sunday he would buy paper
and get every item in the columns
headed, Help Wanted-Males" by
heart, but this afternoon his pro-
gram was in the park.
Accordingly, he went home,
climbed to the top floor of tene-
ment house, where he had hall bed
room of a washer-woman, who did
not need all the rooms at her end of
the fiat, and dressed himself in his
Sunday suit.
The suit was not a fine one at best,
and it was by no means new, but
John was a handsome man, and
there is a great deal in that.
He blackcd his boots, turned his
cuffs, thanked fortune he still had a
clean collar, and sat off parkward-
he was just in time for the music.
The sky was blue, the grass was
green, the park was just as much his
as it was anybody's, and after the
crowd had dispersed and the musi-
clans descended from their pavilion,
he bethought him to walk about
awhile, and took his way toward the
reservoir.
There was not soul there, and
he began to saunter about the brink
eating his crackers, when his atten-
ton was attracted to the singular
conduct of a young girl, who was
creeping along toward the reservoir,
looking over her shoulder, as though
she expected to be followed.
Now and then she lifted to her
eyes handkerchief that she crushed
up in one hand, and it was evident
that she had been crying.
''What can she be doing?" John
asked himself. In q minute more ii
flashed upon him that she intended
to drown herself.
He was about to spring forward to
seize her, when he reelected that un-
til he was sure that she was actually
would-be suicide it would hardly
do to lay hands upon her, and so,
concealing himself as best he could,
he waited,
And now he observed the girl more
closely. She was young, she was
small, and her features were pretty
She had that peculiar attenuated
look that comes to most women with
worry and poverty, but her clothes
were not ragged, and she had a very
respectable air. She wore one kid
glove, he noticed, At first she stood
behind stone parapet that guards
the edge of the reservoir, crying and
looking over.
Thea she folded her hands, and
Iput her face upon them, and John
fancicd that she prayed. After this,
by dint Of scrambling she perched
upon the stones and sat there. John
drew nearer.
At last she arose to her feet, and
John was there below her, though
she did not dream of it.
"Good-by, you dear, pretty
world" he heard her say. II won
der where am going to-" and she