Evening journal., 1891-07-29
LANE, LITTERATEUR

/ Four Of us, all wanderers in a strange
land, and all met by some happy accident
sat around the cracking fire at Rome. The
| Roman servant. long nosed and sullen
raked into flame the fagots gathered from
the Alban hills, for, being the 1st Of March,
/ our pipes and beer were not enough to keer
us comfortable.
| Dick Richards was the fellows name
| who told the tale. Egadl but he had a
sweet voice, and ! swear it brings the tears
| back into my eyes to think Of the story he
told MS in his quiet halting way between
the puifs Of his long stcmmed pipe, the
smoke curling up in unison from our in.
| dividual bowls as II it were incense for
the memory Of jack Lane, litterateur.
"Poor Jackw
The moment he began to speak we shifted
our feet uneasily, and the smoke got in our
eyes.
Jack was a good fellow"
Again we pulled away in silence, and felt
the terrific portent of his tone. "a good
fellow.p
Puff, puff. A window ratified, moved by
| a light spring breeze; the Roman servant
brought in more beer.
u will tel you about him. We braced
up; the story was coming, and knowing
Dick,Ne knew it would be good Jack
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 Ia a way that
drove the girls distracted; fine horseman,
magnificent shot, a crack chess player,
gambler, duelist, and twenty-five years
old when he died Not bad fellow, you
will understand, but full of the southern
love for adventure, and with 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
"'So The only decent relative left; ac-
counts for my deuced lonely feeling
ellis reverie was interrupted.
just the man want. | am looking for
you, Lane
"'Oh, hello, Beanei What's upr
We have a scheme on hand; going 60
start poolroom and need more capital;
want you to go into il, II 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
i will so 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; il is all right 1 viii
be around tonight
might came, and at the first hour OF dark
Jack Lane entered the door that led him TO
ruin. The associated managers had told
him he need not be connected with the
affair, but he came so frequently that he
was soon estimated. not as a stockholder,
but patron.
zone 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 the
only respectable one left. / gave you the
money that led you into evil. Forgive
"News OF the death found Jack in the
| midst OF game of poker. He had beer
/ drinking heavily; his wonderful eyes were
luminous; his ruflied hair lay like wreath
/ Of gold about his brow.
"'Dead, he whispered hoarsely, as h,
dealt the cards, and all the money will b,
mine, mine
but the reading OF the will proved th,
uselessness Of his hopes. She had lef
every cent OF vast estate to a convent
and the codicil attached revoked the maiI
purport OF the bestowment to this sligh
degree; TO my nephew, John Stewar
Lane. | leave the white silk handkerchief
embroidered with a golden l., for on it Eel
my bitter tears 60 think that had givei
him the key to hell.
Jack Lane took the handkerchief an,
put it In his pocket. He left kentuck
soon after and went west
sit was some years after that met hin
again in Nebraska. He had been engage,
TO lay out some swamp lands; he and hi
men were hard at work. He looked sick
discouraged; he hated the work, and th
air Of the swamps was undermining hi
constitution. He was gambling heavily
too, In the adjoining town, and the lam
Of life was burning rapidly. He had th
same hearty handshake, the same blu
eyes and wreathing hair.
Writing anyp
"'Some,' he said. Can't help it,
II invited him 20 come TO my Office
was running The Chanticleer then-an
told him to bring some manuscript wit
him.
"He came one night with the manuscript
I The student lamp rained down gentle r,
s diance upon US. lie began to read hi
= story in a voice resonant with pathos an
s0ftening tenderness, and as he proceede
saw in the curling smoke Of my cigar III
transient characters OF the Witch Of III
, Swamps.'
"'A dream first ne explained when h
had finished readinR-'a dream that haun
Z cd me. | saw the figure coming toaar
inc down through the tarns and pool
'fuere was seaweed bound about her. an
like banner waved a filmy silk above he
: head spangled with golden letters, an
Z tears like brilliants showered about he
y and above all rose the purple donseness
. the swaml~s. and langiIid and low in Ii
r sky hung Dian mocking me-
II took the story and paid him doubI
+ what ooald Afford, and not an atom ,
what Il was really worth, for il surpasse
+ any Poe had ever written for witchery an
sweetness. He threw up the survey schen
: then and used tue money to carry hii
I east-
y Years passed. L was IN New Mexic
e ] that next saw Jack Lane. In the tow