The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1894-01-04

| place.
For five years Jack Fleming hat
lived alone. No one knew very mucl
about him, except that he was {
thriftless, indolent genius. When his
father died the fortune that nigh
have gone to him had endowed certain
wealthy charitable institutions. Iii,
mother had died in his infancy, anC
Jack Fleming had grown up with the
servants and his books for compan.
ions. lie had never seen enough o.
his father to love him. In his child
hood Jack had had one friend Dorf
Goldthwait She was beautiful girl
several years his junior, who lived in
the house adjoining his fathers, ant
every day one or the other would
climb the fence that separated then
and drop over into the little yard for
a romp. Dora was proud of her pro,
tector and playmate, for even 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,
| Tor both houses faced the handsome
| playground and Mr.. Goldthwait and
| Jacks father were among the favored
| rich who possessed keys to the great
iron gates that shut out the children
OF the poor, who often lined the iron
| fence and peered wistfully between
the bars at the smiling lawn within.
The children were inseparable until
| Jack was Is and Dora 10. Then Jack
went to college, but every holiday
found him at home again, and often
hnnlrs h,t ha
came home on the sly to see his little
sweetheart. Of course, on these oc-
casions he was Struggled into Dora's
nome and good natured, easy going
Mr. Goldthwait would have thought
1t 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 blocllhead. 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 to large property,
including a theater in one of the large
cities, and the business of the latter
was i'll 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 Gramercv
park. II was closed. No servant
answered the bell, and Jacks heart
1elrIike lead. Again he looked at tn
letter 1t was dated two days before
and had been delayed in the mails.
At home he found his father, but in a
mood in which he had never seen him
before.
lyon young rascalr' he shouted as
Jack entered. 80 You have been
wasting your time next door instead
OF studying"
NO pleading on 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
sarcastcally in his face.
,tI tn1l
return to college you would regret it,"
was the reply.
Jack turned on his heel and passed
out of the house
He found it n harder struggle than
he expected. His income tiuctuated
from next to nothing to nothing itself.
lie became first wanderer among
apartments, then among boarding
houses, and at last an inhabitant of |
furnished rooms" who ate at cheap
rcstaurants-when he could eat at ali.
lie had lived Il week in a rear hall |
bedroom on Twenty-second street be-
fore he discovered that its windows
were only separated from those of
his old home and that of Dora, on
Grlmercy park, by the brief New
York back yards in which they used |
to play together. The Goldthwait |
house was dark. 1t had been ever
since the day Dora left. Next to it |
where 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
since he had left his old life behind
him Jack went to his dingy little
window to gaze at the two mansions.
lie shiyered with cold; but the blood
rushed quickly to his face when he
saw 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,
do"nhcarted and discouraged, he
turned TO n great pile of manuscript
and rubbish on the floor, anc! picking
a book from the nondescript mass he
turned over the leaves.
Twelve plays out" he muttered to
five of them probably lost"
Only that day he had sent his best and
latest comedy to the new English actor
who had arrived the day before. As
soon rs it was rchearsed las he
doubted not it would be) he would
send the others in rotation
For months lie had expected success
to come with the dawn of every new
day. and tonight as he threw himself
IN his bed, hungry md broken
he realized the mistake he
had made in living ina dream. lie
made I.rm resolutions to reform, but
us his fingers clinehed in newborn re.
solve his eyes strayed across the WY
'gaia For the second time that
ev ming his heart stood still Behind
he soft lace curtains of the Gold
lhwnit mansion shadows of people
listed to md fro, The house was in.
'aoited ngain-bu5 by strangers, OF
course, h. thought.
Thanksgiving day founl Jack