The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-10-13

Indian, he wns thought, in England,
to be a general Of our western army
and the peculiar terror Of the red man.
A newspaper portrait of him, which
appeared bald, through defect in the
plate, led to the rumor that he had
been scalped, and thousands Of people
were thus induced to buy his book.
The singularly lurid coloring of the
Forty-second street Indian shines out
in Dyer's description of war paint, and
lends horrid realism to the tale which
has been marked by many, but fully ap.
preciated, believe, by no one except
myself.
II there is one thing that Is certainly
worth money TO a man in these days
it's advertising, and Dyer had an abun-l
dance. Offers from publishers came
thick end fast in the wake OF it, and
my friVnd was we'll to do. Greatly to
my sorrow, he married, and / saw less
and less of him; for, though he urged
me to come TO his home, / went very
seldom, having taken violent dislike
TO Mrs. Dyer. Then he moved away
from the city for reasons that seemed
excellent when he presented them TO
me, though / selfishly urged him to
remain, for / had become very much
attached to him. 1t appeared that he
was overwhelmed with literary engage
ments which he thought it would be
easier for him to fulfill If he could have
the quiet of the country. Also, he was
entertaining many of his wife's rela-
tions, and they had begun to be burden
upon him, Notwithstanding the COM
Portable size of his income.
He bought an abandoned farm in
the wilds of the Berkshire hills, and
made habitable dwelling of the rude
old farmhouse. We maintained de-
sultory correspondence as long, fancy,
as nature will have such things live;
nnd then knew no more of him. except
by paragraphs in the papers, and by
his published writings which appeared
In great and increasing profusion.
About two years after his withdrawal
into seclusion came TO know his cousin,
Miss Emily Dyer, charming young
woman who had been thrown upon her
own resources by the death of her
parents, and was struggling 10 maintain
herself in New York. She had secured
n position as n "retoucher" in pho
tographcr's establishment, and her lei
sure was given TO drawing and painting.
Her work was hard; her wages very
small, aad, 20 cap the climax of mis-
fortune, the photographer had fallen
in love with her. would have rescued
her from oil these hardships and perils
by the simple process of matrimony;
but, unhappily. she did not care for me.
Her nffectiors were fixed upon n tall,
tow-headed youth who was studying
art, but had not yet learned 20 draw n
salary. Even by the light of their own
roseate hopes IL seemed likely that they
might have 10 wait year or two before
the young man should become rich and
famous; and, in the meantime, / thought
that DeriInm Dyer. as the nearest rela-
tive of the girl. ought TO help her along.
] wrote 20 him upon the subject, and
received reply ten days later. 1t was
o refusal. and be had dictated IL 20 a
sienographerl The thing read like a
circular about foreign missions.
would have thought II a forgery. gotten
up by his wife. but for the unmistaka-
Die Dyer signature. Such little, fine-
lined. ooldiy regular charactersi Why
had D"t long ago read his true nature
IN his f,ar.irnonious chirographv. Yet
nad thought him one of the most gen
erous and tenderly sympathetic of men.
Could suessks change a human sEsaturs