The Columbus journal., 1893-12-20

"'" s.: 8: !: :; :: :: ' &; &: 8;
: hearted. The
massive mansions
that surrounded
Gramercy park were brightly Lighted.
In mufled silence q young man,
cloakless and gloveless, hurried by
the iron bars that fence in the little
acre of the rich toward his lodging
place.
For five years Jack Fleming had
lived alone. No one knew very much
about him, except that he was Q
thriftless. indolent genius When his
father died tho fortune that might
have gone to him had endowed certain
wealthy charitable institutions. His
mother had died in his infancy, and
Jack Fleming had grown up with the
servants and his books for compau-
ions. He had never seen enough of
his father to love him. In his child
hood Jack had had one friend. Dora
G~oldthwait She vas a beautiful girl,
several wears his junior, who lived in
the house adjoining his fathers, and
every day one or the other would
climb the fence that separated them
and drop over into the little. yard for
a romp. Dora vas proud OF her pro-
tector and playmate, for eve then
Jack was full of book knowledge, and
Dora soon learned to love Shakespeare
and Milton as read aloud by her hero.
Another great tramping place for
the little PEOPLE was Gramercy park.
for both houses faced the handsome
playground and Mr.. Goldthwait and,
Jacks father we're among the favored
rich who possessed keys to the great
iron gates that shut ont the children
of the poor, who often lined the iron
fence and peered w%istfully between
the bars at the smiling lawn within.
The children were inseparable until
Jack was Is and Dora 12. Then Jack
went to college, but every holiday
found him at home again, and often
books went by the board and Jack
came home on the sly to see his little
sweetheart OF course, on these DC
c~asions he was Struggled into Dora's
home and good natured, easy going
Mr.. Goldthwait would have thought
it the basest treachery for any mem
Der of his family to inform his next
door neighbor, Jacks father, that his
son was playing truant
After three years of college Jack
was hopelessly behind in his studies,
and his father, still ignorant of the
reason, called him a blockhead. One
day Jack received a tender. loving
letter from Dora asking him to come
home at once as her father had just
received word from England that he |
had fallen heir } q large property, !
including a theater in one of the large |
cities, and the business Of the latter |
was IN urgent need of his immediate |
attention. The family would sail for
England Immediately, but Dora
wanted Jack to go with them, if he
could. A few hours after receiving
the letter Jack stood in front of the |
Goldthwait residence on Gramercy |
park. 1t was closed. No servant
answered the bell, and Jacks heart |
fell like lead. Again he looked at the
letter. 1t was dated two days before !
and had been delayed in the mails. |
At home he found his father. but in q
mood in which he had never seen him
before.
"You young rascal" he shouted as
Jack entered. $50 you have been
wasting your time next door instead
of studying"
No pleading o n the part of Jack
could induce the turbulent old man to
tell where the Goldthwaits had gone
Never mind" thought Jack, 'I'll
hear from her soon, and then"
But no letter came. Weeks length
ened into months and Jack grew tall
and thin. One day he went up to his |
college town. and an inquiry at the
post office eliicted the fact that several
letters had come, up to a month ago.
but they had been forwarded to
Gramercy park.
That night father and son faced
each other for the last time.
"Where are the letters Dora wrote
me?" demanded Jack, as he leaned over
toward the old man. who stood smiling
sarcastically in his face.
II told you that if you refused to
return to college you would regret it."
was the reply.
Jack turned on his heel and passed
out of the house.
He found it q harder struggle than
he expected. His income tiuctuated
from next to nothing t nothing itself.
He became first a wanderer among
then among boarding
houses, and at last an inhabitant of
Furnished rooms" who ate at cheap
he could eat at all.
He had lived q. week in a rear hall
bedroom on Twenty-second street be-
fore ne discovered that its windows /,
were only separated from those of
old home and that of Dora, on
park. by the brief New
York back yards in which they used
to play together. The Goldthwait
house was dark. It had been ever
since the day Dora left. Next to it.
his fathers mansion doomed up
against the trees beyond, lights were
often seen. But strangers occupied
the familiar rooms.
On Thanksgiving eve just five years
he had left. his old life behind
him. Jack went to his dingy little
to gaze at the two mansions.
He shivered with cold; but the blood
quickly to his face when he
the home of the girl he still loved
brightly lighted up. For an instant
he stood still, amazed. Then he sat
down on his bed to think. Finally,
and discouraged, he
10 a great pile of manuscript
and rubbish on the floor, ana picking
book from the nondescript mass he
turned over the leaves.
Twelve plays ont" he muttered to
himself; five of them probably lost"
Only that day he had SEN his best and
latest comedy to the new English actor
who had arrived the day before. As
soon as it vas rehearsed las he !
doubted not it would be) he would
send the others in rotation.
For months he had expected success
to come with the dawn of every new
day, and tonight as he threw himself
on his bed. hungry and broken
hearted, he realized the mistake he
had made in living in dream. He
made firm resolutions to reform, but
as his fingers clinched in newborn re-
his eyes strayed across the WY
again. For the second time that
evening his heart stood still Behind
the soft lace curtains of the Gold
mansion shadows of people
a. nm