San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-12-01

Orleans and procured the first mail that
he had received for six months. 1t was
a characteristic of his-a within, it might
have been called in another man-to be
bothered as little as possible by letters,
papers or kilograms when travelling. 1t
was also characteristic that he often put
himself wholly beyond the reach of wire
or post-perhaps to make doubly sure
against such interruption.
He had been il Mexico this time, over
on the west coast, as far from civiliza-
ton as he could get, and one may get
very far from it indeed there, as every
one knows who has had the courage
to leave the beaten routes of travel.
For, although finished cosmOpolite,
Chalmers could adapt himself to the
manners of any people who lived close
to the ways of nature, and hence was as
much at home among the ignorant poems
of Oajaca or Chiapas as upon the pave
ments and amid the more polished civil
ization of New York or San Francisco.
There was no apparent reason why
Ogden Chalmers-man of fortune and
of leisure-should not wander as he
pleased or hide himself from the world
where and when he chose. He was al
most wholly without ties-with the sin
gle exception of half brother somewhat
younger than himself wholly without
and his money safely invested, rather so
as to avoid care in its management than
with view toward securing the largest
possible income, he was of course free
to go and come as he would.
He had now come direct to New Or
leans via steamer from Vera Cruz, and
all the way across the gulf had been
wondering why he was coming hither
and which way it would be best to turn
next. 1t really mattered very little, but
he supposed he must come to a decision
of some sort in the latter respect. 1t
was winter, and so he did not care to go
farther north. California was an old
story. In Cuba the hotels were bad; he
could find more comfort in an Indian
tepee than there. Then, again, he won
dered why he had come this way at all;
he might better have joined those news
paper men he had met at San Benito-
Bohemians, but most thoroughly good
fellows-and gone with them down to
see the revolution in Guatemala.
Yet, after all, something was to be said
in favor of New Orleans in midwinter
it certainly was not the worst of places
at that season; perhaps he might as well
make up his mind to stay awhile and
see what would turn up. Having come
to which conclusion Chalmers placed
his name upon the register of the St
Charles, and went into breakfast, tax
ing with him his six months accumula
ton of mail. There was not much of it
and he noticed the fact whimsically, a!
indicating how slight. were the ties be
tween himself and the world. Their,
were but two letters and single paper
One of the letters was from his brother
and bore various postmarks, shown!
how it had followed him about. H
opened it and read:
DEAR OGDEN-I am in devil of a fix abou
money. VIII you help me out? If you viii
come home at once, as shall need a big lot.
can hold things off for a month, but if 70
can't help me by that time Tmust go under
Your affectionate brother.
GEORGE CHALMERS.
The letter was dated September first
1t was now the fifteenth of January
Chalmers was so deeply engrossed b
the contents of this one that he opene
the second letter mechanically, withou
observing that the address was write
in woman's hand. Mechanically, too
his eye ran over its brief lines, unit
their import flashed suddenly upon h
brain. This letter read:
DEAR Mr.. CHALMERs-Your brother h,
been arrested for embezzlement. The ban
claims TO have lost more than a hundred tho
sand dollars. l write you because George wi
not, and l think you ought to know. He sal
you will not help him. Must l believe
Yours sincerely, LIMA TENANT.
This letter was dated October frs