The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-02-14

L oS III AuNib 10 % illuttCI VI nSO, uop ihutAer
you sco and If THOR particular boy wished
to work like two boys, business forbid that
they should stop him. But business for
bid that thcy should give him an increase
of pay Mt his present ridioulously imma-
ture ago So Dioky won certain rises of
snlury-nnplo for boy, not enough for u
vito and child-ccrtainly too littlo for tho
200 rupro passage that he and Mrs. HIATT
had discussed SO lightly onoo upon time.
And with this no was forced to DO content.
Somehow all his money seemed to fado
away in homo drafts and tho crushing OK
change, and tho tono of tho homo letters
changed and grew querulous. why
wouldn't Dicky have his vito and tho
baby out? Surely ho had n salary-a flno
salary-and it was too bad Of him to enjoy
himself in India. But would ho-could
ho-mako tho next draft n littlo moro
elastic?" Hero followed list of bnby's
kit as long rs IL Pnrseo's bill. Then
Dioky, whose heart yenrncd to his vito and
tho little son no had never soon-which,
again, Is n feeling no boy is entitled to
enlarged tho draft and wrote queer half
boy, hnlf man letters, saying TINT lifo was
not so enjoyable after oil, and would tho
little wife wait yet u little longorp But
tho littlo vito, however much sho approved
Of money, objected to whiting, and thoro
WINS strange, hard sort of ring in her lot
tiers that Dicky didn't understand. How
could he, poor boyP
Later on still--just as Dicky had been
told-apropos of another youngstor who
had "matlo u fool Of himsclf," as tho say
ing is-thnt matrimony would not only
ruin his further chances of advancement,
but would loso him his present appoint
mcnt-camc tho news that tho bnby, his
own little, littlo son, had died. and behind
this 10 lines Of an angry womun's scrnwl,
saying tho death might hnvo boon ayorted
If certain things, all costing money had
been done, or II tho mothor and tho baby
had boon with Dicky. Tho letter struck
at Dicky's naked heart, but not being off
cially entitled to baby he could show no
sign of trouble.
How Diclly won through tho noxt four
months. and what hope ho kept alight to
force him into his work, no ono dare say.
Ho pounded on, tho 700 rupee passage us
far away ms ever, and his style of living
unchanged, except when he launched into
now litter. There was tho strain of his
Office work, and tho strain OF his remit
tances, and tho knowledge Of his boys
death, which touched tho boy moro per.
haps, than it would havo touched IL man,
and, beyond nil, tho enduring strain of
his daily lifo Gray headed seniors who
approved of his thrift and his fashion of
denying himself everything pleasant rc-
minded him of tho old saw that says:
If youth be distinguished in his art art art
He must keep tho girls away from his heart
heart. heart.
And Dicky, who fancicd he had been
through every trouble that q mnn is per-
mitted to know, had to- laugh and agree,
with tho last limo of his balanced handbook
jingling in his head day and night
But no had ono more sorrow to digest
before tho end. There arrived a letter
from tho little wifc-tho natural sequence
of tho others If Dicky had only known it,
and the burden Of that lcttor was "gone
with q handsomor man than YOU" 1t
was rather curious production without
stops, something like this: "Shc was not
going to wait forever and tho baby was
dcad and Dicky was only n boy and he
would never set eyes on her again and
why hadn't no waved his handkerchief TO
her when he loft Gravcsend and God Vas
her judge sho was a wicked woman but
Dicky was worse enjoying himself In India
and this other man loved tho ground she
trod on and would Dicky ever forgive her
Tor she would mover forgive Dicky; and
there was no address to writo to-"
Instead of thanking his stars that he
was FREQ, Dicky discovered exactly how an
injured husband fools-again, not Mt all
the knowledge to which boy Is entitled
for his mind went back to his wife rs
he remembered hor in tho 30 shilling
suit" In Montpelier square, when the
dawn of his last morning in England was
breaking, and sho wns crying in the bed,
whcrcat ho rolled about on his bed and
bit his fingers oncvcr stopped to think
whether, If he had met Mrs. HAITI after
those two years. fic would havc discovered
that nc and she had grown quito different
and new persons. This he ought to have
dono. He spent tho night after tho Eng
lish mail came In rather severe pain.
Next morning Dicky HAITI felt disin-
clincd to work. IIc argued that ho had
missed tho pleasure of youth. Ho was
tired, ana no had tastod all tho sorrow in
life before three and twenty. His honor
was gone~-that was tho nan--nnd now no,
too would go to tho devil-that was tho
boy lie him. So ho put his head down on
tho green oilcloth table cover and wept
before resigning his post and all it offered.
| But tho reward of his services camo
He was given three days to reconsider
himself, and tho head of tho establishment
after some telcgraphings, said that it was
n most unusual step, but An view of tho
ability that MIR. HIATT had displayed at
| such and such n time, ut such and such
luncturcs, he was in n position to offer
him an infinitely superior post, first OH
probation, and lator, in the natural course
of things, on confirmation. "And how
much does tho post oarryf" said Dicky.
six hundred Hnd fifty rupees" said the
head slowly, expecting to SEQ the young
man sink with gratitude and joy.
| And it'oamo them The 700 rupee pas.
sagc and enough to have saved the wife
and tho littlo:son and to have allowed OF
assured and 'opon marriage, came then
Dicky burst into roar Of laughter