The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-12-27
HIS LAST Item.


spoke
"wlll y,.i Icsve this at Tho Planet osIlca
Cor nei''
Thi. was a fiat .nv9!opc which he held
out TO me, with rhs "ianvt. llanct square.
ewritten on IT, and Va one corner the tamil.
iar "Nows- Immediate | hesitatod Q
moment ard sAid. why. oortainiy." aud
took IL from hun,
Thank yon,'' he said. "it's the last fs
vor shaiI ask any oro."
The scntonoc ended IN half sob.
turicd ard looked at the man moro closo.
ly A very s"rdy frlow In very secdy
suit with an odpr uf stale tobacco hang
fng abcu. diin. Ia NOT ordinarily Oh iuter-
esting pcr,cnage, but iuy professional la.
stinct was aroused.
Here, perhaps, was material for story
il might DO worked up intc thrilling
Gale Clcarls II was my. duty 10 inquiys
modes;ly int. his situation and assist him
with my advice.
Did you say The Astoroid oificc'' said
l.
prdc myself on this openiug When
tho conversation has stoppc'l aud you wish
60 continue H. but can think cf nothing
that does NOT seem silly or iinpcrtinont. IL
IL always IN order TO pretend you have
mistaken your companion s meaning In
this caso II succeeded oven better than
usual
No. Tho Planet. Tho Planet They
must have it first ! would not hovc The
Astcroid get 1t, good item like that aud
exclusive roc"
This was encouraging. He wns news.
paper man, that was plain enough. but
why didn't 70 take his copy 20 tho Office
~ fpn har m ha
bridget
Tho PLOT was thickening " would
probably work up hest for Tho Weekly
They liked something sensational
SO you ago in tho fourth estatc' I used
to do litiic IN that way myself
said his because l remember reading
ir Emerson or the Bible or somewhere
that 10 Great asubtle sort OF Freemasonry
between per. rs when they find that they
havo worked at tho same craft. In my
youth rsri 70 fold papors la q country
town.
Yes, was reporter, but that Is my
last item. Stopl" he exclaimed suddenly.
You are not reporter now, are your"
No; ! hnyo not been reporter for some
time, | replied, with perfect candor
Then ] can trust you with this, and
since you hnvo consented 20 do me favor
] will tell you what you arc about 10 ask,
the substance OF the item
1t Is an account Of a man who COM
mittcd suicide by jumping from tho Hack.
friars bridge IL Is perfect picce az rews,
giving the mans nnmo. CORRECTLY spol!cd,
his residence. names Of relatives, motives
for the rash act and all ="
when did it take placer"
lit hasn't taken place nt all yet II win
take place at ~; 10 tonight
but, hut"-- stuinmcrcd.
"How ,lo know about iti" ho broke In
"Becauso I'm the man Do you nn,lcr-
stand nowt I'm going TO XIII myself 10.
night I've no fricnd In tho world but
my paper. and I'm going TO do IL the on I
sood tnrn IN my power by giving 1t cor
icct ami exclusive liioce OF nows =
The lnua MAS surely crrzy but the story
was coniingOn finely, iuus, hnmor him
"Gvsi, said 'Its n oapitnl idea!''
] thought OF anplyine my ,naxin and tell.
Ing him that Lad coI1iBitied suicide
myself in my youth, hut rofiected that in
his excited sta'v ho Nigh, pot telieve me-
His story | rrss' rave q; aiiy cost
'Comc," went oa Como With me to
my rooms just acruss the bridge and have
something to cat s-it's--it's awfully
unhealthy to go into water on on empty
stomach
TITO man lool;cd at mo as II no thought
] was crazy, too, but I excuse. 4. - nc
count OF us pcrtufbcd minG. BE followed
mo, however, and W we walked on IL 81.
lencc hGgecd myself as I thought VI the
material I was gathering.
Besides the article for The Weekly,
which had now decided 10 expand into
ri.l . no A. Al .t-.,a
excellent article Cor The l'sycholoe ical
Journal
might also change tho facts little
have him cruzcd by stranp drirk and work
1t up for q temperance paper with the title
"Nhr Bottle and the liri'lgc; True Story
Founded on Fncts " The possibilities
were simply endless
a good fire, somc cold meat pie, bread
and cheese and glass of hot whisky
punch soon lousoncd HIS tongue, and had
him talking nationally enough. lie had
been journalist for l2 years, he said, had
worked an oil the leading papers of Man
chester and London mud had barely made
enough TO support himself and an Invalid
mother
When we parted, II was past O'Clock.
and he had promised me 70 give up his
fatal purpose. Rejecting that | had so
cured material from him for no end Of
good wor, ! gave way TO my generous
impulses and pressed half sovereign to
his hand
Heaven bless YOU" be said You
havo saved Tny' lifcp'
CiycumstGaccs prevented me from work
Ing up my material for several days, but
my hoad was full Of IL all the time, and
when ] sat down at my desk deciding to
write tho first serial the plot was clearly
outlined In my mind
wrote tiil late at night, then. accord
Ing 20 my custom, went out for walk
My feet turned involuntarily toward the
scene OF my late adventure
walked ont upon the bridge, and as ]
neared tho middle saw two persons en-
gagged In conversation almost on the very
spot where had been the humble means
OF saving human life few nights be
fore
As drew nearer one OF the figures
seemed strangely familiar A moment
later | caught the words. 1T Is the lost