Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1896-11-05
CHESTERFIELD NEAL.
Chicago News.


Portable club and ordered dinner. They
had been to college together, but fifteen
years had lapsed since their last meeting.
Between them was tie that tinctured
their friendship with something like ten
derness. They talked of all those things
that seemed so vague and distant in the
past, until some kindred soul endows them
with life, of the fate and destiny of the
boys, the teachers they had loved, the
dear alma mater, of themselves and how
life had Jared with them since their part
ing.
They left the table and in the comfort
able ante-room sat and smoked, talked and
thought. John McCree and his friend
We're men of independent fortune, but had
chosen different pursuits in life. Their
young manhood had been ilnrestrained
by home influence. Among their college
mates they were distinguished for their
rccklessness. They were careless and
given. in mild way, to sowing their wild
| oats. Neal had been the ringlcader. Moth
ing seemed too hazardous for him TO at
tempt. His physical strength was superb
and his courage and fOrtitude almost
| without limit.
Suddenly Neal turned shortly. His old
| haunts knew him no more With remark
able vigor he'threw himself into the legal
| profession. From d wild boy he had
changed completely into grave man. His
cordial manner was the same, but all who
knew him felt the great change.
| His studies took him away from his old
associates and later he established him
self in the metropolis.
1 The fire burned low Neal surveyed his
friends handsome profile for few mo-
ments and then asked, abruptly:
John, why have you never marriedT'
/ "I-oh!-why haven't you. Chess?"
TEL me first, laddie."
To tell the truth. Neal. | never cared
much for ladies. My mother-well, you
know what she was. She broke my faith
er's heart. My sister-she was the ele-
CANT Mrs Wellohy: we won't talk of her
now. Women are all the same. Neal To
crafty their feyerish love for admiration
they will sacrifice anything. They are
deceitful and insincere. Why, look at
them in the street. in public places, their
affection is sickening. Look at them in
the art galleries. How they raise their
eyes TO famous or infamous picture
Their bOsoms heave with suppressed emo.
ton. How beautiful softly breath tho
soft lips low lest the air would be pro.
l
heauty. DO they think it beautiful ana
grand? No. They want to show the by
ISLANDERS how much they know of art; how
deeply they are moved Question one OF
them and she could not tell you one thnt
about the picture.
Even in the sick room they want TO b,
observed; want to he noticed See then
on the streets. The very dresses the,
wear are SO constructed us to cover thc
defects in form. Acting, deceit, insii
cerity. They can't help it. 1t is thei
nature to be So.
81 disagree with You, John, You mr.
too general in your condemnation. Grantee
that most of them are vain. silly, design
ing. there are those among them VIII
know nothing of vanity, acting or frvolit
women with coura geous hearts and Iowa
souls, who are to-day the strongest pillar
our nation rests upon. My mother dice
John, before l knew her l never hn
: any sisters My girl-fricnds have bee
lcgions as yours have been also. JOIN
II Like you hogan to dcspise them becars
y the majority seemed narrow and insi,
: niticant. But for the sake of one womn
:, l shall always remain champion of I'll
sex because she belongs to it. To me ST
is IL representative woman. lady of I'll
u first degree. You and the rest of the f.
= lows wondered what changed me so su,
'" denly from "A wild hoy to a serious man.
. y craven whose name is familiar
you but which | would not stain my Ii,
y to speak insulted me hasely and thu
w. added injury. | was hot-hrade,l in tho
!, days and careless of results. We stot
;, near the entrance of IL hotel when he II
dressed me. The insOlent words h;
i hardly left his lips when | grasped II
II revolver and turned on him. The cowaI
os ran ont of the door \ girl was passil
- by She was very young-not 1d, thin
lie SraSped her arm, crOuchcd down b
'" bind her and swung her around so til
u the barrel of my revolver pointed in h
~ face. Did she shrek and shrink AVA,
" No, McCrce, she lifted her grand. swc
', eyes to my face and, laying her hand
y" my arm. she said. simply: Don't sta
w. your hands with towards blood Job
" my revolver Slipped from my hand.
' barred my head before her. She smil
~ and passed on. | have never seen h
Il, since, never heard who she was, but I
\, memory Of her has made me Il better ma
~ ! am trying to live so that when | me
-, ner shall look into her pure eyes wi
~ hands, hrart, honor and soul unstainct
~. Neal stopped, lost III rcyrrir. Jul
~ with exquisite tact, left him alone wi
an his thoughts.
nv, After that night these two friends We
ny inscparabIc. Having no near rclati,
~, they chung TO each other. When. after
W few years, Johns health failed Chest
A., hrld Neal wont with him as n hrotl
might 10 seek Il lrirr climate than /
~ coast offered. The outdoor life and n,
-. AR OF the plains were great benefit
~ both of them. Johns weight incrcas
~. his color dccpcpc and he began to la
-, the picture of robust manhood.
10y lheE were riding over the prairie q
~ ~ morning when Johns horse cast 81
,,s ana Ii" was thrown over her head. |
n leg was broken and he sustained scy,
''' conclusion of the brain. They were III
sc twenty miles from their destination.
~, niue town across the river and nOtbi
hn, III sight but the rolling prairie. For II II
- n"nt Neal was in II quanlnry, II WIS a
tln dent that John must have help at on
,s" The horse was so badly famed as to
i,,,, OF little use. There seemed but one thi
~ 10 do, and that was tn leave him there n
md 20 for assistance So. protecting him
~ best he could from the sun and any chm
on. strnSins animal, he galioprd AWAY will
III, Sickcring heart. lie could not hayn h,
9nt gone more than an hour, hut when
IN returned no trace Of his friend could
,n,, found. He had thought that he |
ria marked the place, hnt The mhroken MI
~ tlptipl bis ,+ntl anil