Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-05-14
No. 30

NOT refused to Increase my obligations
to him
obligations" he objected. Don't
let me hear you mention obligations.
Fate has brought rs together twice.
You think that on the second occasion
you have become my debtor, but l
know that on the first incurred debt
TO you which can never be liquidated.
How would l have Jared had not re-
ceiyed sllillful treatment after the crew
of your ship hoisted me out of the boat
in which l had suffered tortures-o 1t
was the one chance in the hundred that
the rescuing vessel carried surgeon.
There was fate in it; there was fate in
the accident which drove the Mary
Peck to Rio. 1t may be destiny that
even for q third time we shall be ot
service the one to the other"
Il trust that If the opportunity comes
II will be mine," said 1; but our lives
promise to be spent far apart"
Even so. But the chain of destiny
sometimes links the most remote"
Evidently a feeling possessed him
That our connection was not to end with
the good-byes spoken on the steamer
which was to bear me from Rio. He
asked many questions about my ans.
until from the answers he perceived
that l was turning homeward almost
without an idea of the manner 4 ex-
istence before me. Then the talk drift
ed TO the sorry experiences of ny pro-
fessional career and to the errant char
acter of my boyhood existence. He
was sympathetic listener to a descrip-
tion of the old village on the New Eng
land coast and the lonely house, sur
rounded by the marsh, which had been
my favorite retreat. Under the spur
of memory, / told him much of the
abandoned dwelling and of its isola-
tion.
IF ever | come to be a misanthrope,"
/ declared, "let me retire thither, as
sured that / may remain undisturbed
so long as choose. Yet, if my mood
changes, it will be but step, and again
] shall be among my fellows"
Truly an admirable heritage" he
observed.
Indeed 1t Is. The villagers take no
interest in the old place. Though near
them, 1t is out of their way, and there
is no reason why they should visit 1t.
They are not people of the sort TO waste
energy in tramping through salt bogs.
\ man who settled there might feel
tolerably certain that they would not
attempt to intrude upon him."
We were silent for q time, but at
length I asked whether he might not
| visit the United States.
ut is hardly ON the cards." he an
swered. 'It is not probable that shall
quit Brazil for some time to come. i
have interests TO be guarded which
would suffer In my absence. The coun-
try Is on the eve of revolutions; the
empire Is doomed. and its fall cannot
be long delayed. Under the surface
there are plots and counterplots.
have striven to keep clear Of them, and
have succeeded, so far os active partici
patton is concerned; but have had
knowledge of a number of them, and
many of my closest friends are deeply
involved. The nations need Is a strong,
stable government. God knows how
we are to obtain 1t, or what the history
of the next few years will be-"
Before we separated for the night an
agreement had been made which aft
erward seemed curious enough, though
at the time we entered into 1t with the
utmost gravity. 1t was, In brief, that
In case either had an urgent request TO
make Of the other, and the request was
made by letter, there should be used.
either as q signature or appended TO
the writer's name, q symbol, O Greek
cross with three dots ranged vertically
to the right of It, Perhaps 1t was Perez
carnestness as we talked over the mat
ter which prevented me from appre-
ciatlng its strangeness. A little refec-
ton might have persuaded me that we
were wasting our breath, for 1t was
difficult to understand how !, in my
poverty and powerlessness, could ever
aid one who possessed SO much of the
resources / lacked; but, under the In
fluence of my friends grave face and
words, pledge TO heed his call was
given as solemnly as II the alliance
were one of equals.
The following day, u passenger on the
steamer Bedouin, / leaned upon the
vessels rail and watched the Brazilian
highlands growing less and less In the
distance.
rro pr coSrIyupD.l