Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1892-08-20

table which should have groaned under
n weight of plans, and pondered over the
general emptiness of time and circum-
stances which surrounded him
Failing to elicit any satisfactory re-
Spouse from tho invisible partner Of his
joys and trials, he ran both shapely
hands through his sanguine curls, and
pulled and twisted them about until his
head resembled caricature of the fam.
ing torch in the hand of Bartholdi's
statue. Probably he had some vague
notion that if he could not coax an idea
out he might rub one in; but the at
tempt-if attempt it was was abortive.
Ideas were coy and elusive, slipping
away into the waste places of his mind
and concerning themselves with trivial
ties
Dan was fain to cXpostulate This
won't do, you know" he ruminuted re-
proachfully. Hero have sat solid
year, booted and spurred, ready for the
call Of the populace to house its home
less millions, and the populace. instead
of shouting, Stewart to the rescued
trots on with its hands in its pockets
and doesn't even look on my side of the
street The confession is humiliating
but it really appears as though the
homeless preferred the sky for a shelter
to roof of my construction"
A pause, filled by the careful trim
ming and polishing of set of unusually
handsome nails, almond shaped and
pink as a woman's. Dan was scrupu-
lousy neat, almost fastidious, about his
person, and refined in all his habits.
You're the child of Destiny, know
my boy" he pursued, land until recent
ly she hasn't been altogether IL stepdame
to you; but it won't do to press the old
lady too far, it really won't, you know
She's getting II little tired of you and
beginning to turn her shoulder You
must give her rest and strike out for
yourself before matters grow compli,
Gated or you'll be getting a grand and
uninterrupted view of her back. She
has other children to look after besides
YOU"
But, at the very moment when he was
accusing her of waning interest in his
affairs, Destiny, still mindful of her IA
vorite, was coming up the stairs in the
guise of n uniformed postman and slip
ping through tho slit in the door in the
form Of a thicllish. white parallelOgram.
Tho dear old lady often serves MS so; it
is ono of her ways of convicting us OF
participation in the universal sin of in
gratitude.
Stewards correspondence WAS not so
extensive us to make the arrival of the
mails Il WEAKNESS to him, and it was
with cheerful alacrity that he rose and
possessed himself of his letter. The post
mark Ground, staring and distinct. as
unhurried village postmarks always are,
was that of some snal! place in Virginia,
and the handwriting was bold, heavy
| and intensely masculine. uses stub, u
Dan thought, as he ran the blade Of his
penknifc along the edge of the envelope.
"Whocver can he be? | don't know
| anybody in Virginia. This proved tc
be mistake, as he found on glancing al
the signature, the sight Of which elected
an exclamation of pleasure.
"Dear Stewart" the letter ran, 81
CHANGED on your advertisement in stray
| Nation day before yesterday, and the
| sight of your numc made tho memory oil
the old days crop mp through tho drift
| pretty strong, | want to tie together
again. Times have changed with me
| since we shook hands last in Chippewa
| NNu1Cll. i We bO10 SOulS vi IIlc UUluSS we
| talked Of" Here followed a concise
sketch of his fortunes and brief mention
of his pccuniary success. However
much boasting Ned might be guilty Of
orally, nobody could confront him will
written orations on the theme. "Pn
back in Virginia now" the letter pro
ceeded, "and have bought part of the
old place told you of, where was born
ana raised, and where my father lived sc
long as old Mr. Beverley ovcrseer. Per
haps you'll remember about it. Queer
how things swop round, isn't it? Any
how, I'm here, and I've bought the land
and am going to kGock up a decent
house and settle down if things go as
want them. There's shanty that We
used to live in on my farm, but nc
house? I'm in it now, and there's
n room for you besides, if you viii
fall in with my scheme. The ole
| homestead is on the other part of thu
plantation, and the Beverleys own i
still. l wanted it, but they wouldn'
sell; so, as l say, I've got to build, and
want you to come down here and put VI
for q year with me and do up the thing
in style. Money is no object, but tastc
is, and as have plenty of the one ani
you of the other, we ought to make /
success of my house. l see that stone
and mortar are in your line now. Come
down and pay me visit anyhow, ant
us soon as you can, because l never wa
Il hog after delay. I'll meet you at oul
doghole of a station any day you name
and we can talk things over and arrange
about the business part. Bring a gun
IL. 4
too, if you still banker after the petit
coats. The old state can show prett,
woman or two vet. and we've cot snra'