The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-08-03

short. just.such a man as you would
address, iastinctively, as 'Mcjor.''
We pulled Tentatively at the cigars
until satisfied of their excellence.
Then l asked the major what had be-
cone of llisstyvo nephews, OF whom he
used to teil'nle so much. He INDUCED
in some reminiscent clluckles, and said
well, well. So I never told you
how theytsettlc,l down? Quite fam
lily affair it was. Let me see-um-
when ou,last.lieard Of The boys, Lee,
the elder, was drinking very hard.
where the tellow ever got his ap-
petite for liquor no one knows, but he
had it, and it was appalling, and there
did not seem to be any way of spelling
it for him He was one OF the bright
est boys I ever knew, one OF these
plausible, ingratiating scamps that
YOU can't help but like, and wish you
could. George was just the opposite, a
quiet, stu0ious sort of chap, who kept
TO himself. mostly. Somehow, he never
seemed TO get along with people the
way Lee did-he didn't have that
men agreeable and taking. He didn't
care any more for society than society
cared for him: the two weren't suited to
each other; all he wanted was to be let
alone The boy was all right at bot
tom, as he's shown since; but the per-
son to draw him out hadn't come along
yet
"Well, four years ago this fall, there
came to the house one day hundred
and twenty pounds of as pretty, blue
eyed meekness as You ever saw. 1t was
the daughter of a sort of second cousin
Of brother Eds and mine. Her parents
were dead. and Ed was her guardian,
so she came here to live. She was one
of this little. canary-bird sort of girls.
AT the time she arrived. Lee was
just a little this side of delirum ire
mems, and / really believe she STAYED
'em off. Julie was her name. She
hadn't been in the house two weeks
before every body was in love with her,
including both of the boys. 1t was the
most astonishing thing in the world,
the wav she drew that fellow George
out From being moody and self-con-
tanned. he just expanded into as jovial
and agreeable young man as you'd
wish to meet. Julie and he seemed to
take to each other from the start. /
San tell you, old boy. to see them to-
gether. with SO much confidence and
good VIII between err, and SO much of
something else that seemed too big to
express--well, sometimes it made me
feel that possibly ii missed something
In life by knocking around single.
But, however-well, Lee didn't get
along SO well with Julie When he
was sober, and devoted himself to her.
he seemed To sort of awe her, don't YOU
know-shc wasn't free ard happy as
she was with George, bat always re-
strained, and half afraid OF him. But
they were both dead in love with her.
and each was determined to have her
Now, you would have thought that
Ed and his wife would have pat their
Influence on Georges side, wouldn't
you? Not bis of IT. They wanted
her 70 marry Lee, and why? Because
they told her she was the one person
who could reform him-save him from
drupl1ard's grave, you know. and
all that rot, Wen. I'm blamed if they
didn't hornswoggle the girl into say
ing she would marry MIN. He had
grace enough to take it with a good
deal of shaIne-facedness. and She
well, She looked as if she hadn't a
friend left on earth. But they had
uinned her SO much about her duty
End what man she could make of
Lee that she diGn' have nerve enough
to come out fiat-foo;ed and say no.
Zone evening George came to me
Observation-Disclosures as could be, and
wanted | should take dinner with him
down town l knew how he was feel
ing and thought might chirl1 him ND
a bit. possibly. so we had dinner to-
rether. Long before We'd finished
could see he'd some new purpose in his
head. and finally out he came with it.
he saws:
Uncle, how drunk NAV a gentle
man get?'
We'll, | told him a gentleman was
all right so long as he could apologize
for his condition.
Then he wanted TO know, Il cham
payne was good way OF reaching the
limit / hadn't quite GOT him yet; but
! warned him against champagne. OF
course-told him il was too liable To