The morning times., 1896-02-09
u u lN IA son, send you forth into
IMl the world with the benedic-
Ill w III tion of n father who might

Ii W ID tion of a father who might
have risen 10 heights not dreamed OF in any
philosophy, but 10 whom cruel fate has de-
nied the hand that sheuld lift him from a
darks0ne Oblivion Il fate that has, in ef
feet, crushed him.-Bey guided, my son, by
your secret conviction OF what might have
been, tempered with your knowledge of my
higher flights OF ina gination, which lat
ter are not a marketable commodity. Be
happy, my son. Be good. Be good. Heaven
bless you! And and pass the bottle"
These words, not uDaccompanied by
few maudlin tears, contained the whole
philosophy Of life, as il appeared d to the elder
Mr.. Bland, and were those in which he dis
missed his son TO the struggle for that niche
in he shadowy Temple of Fame which he
had found IL impossible personally to fill.
IL is, perhaps, scarcely surprising that
The son of such a father should have found
himself heavily handicapped at the start.
He had talents Of a certain dreamy order.
He did few things passing well But the
father had been happy -go-lncky, shiftless
man, witnno dominantnote in all his chords
Of life; q man who was an ideal boon COM
panion, and who cultivated species OF
bastard philosophy in his cups.
The son. although he had not yet reached
the cup stage. was the stamp of his father
in all other things.
But that was fifteen years since. and the
father, with all his thoughts of omission and
commission heavy upon him, had long ago
gone TO that land, wherein he might, per-
chance. be judged in a light clearer than
that of earth.
And the son? Poor. needless, dreamy,
careless Robin Bland. the niche In Fame's
Temple must surely be further off than
ever. even IL it was ever near thee in aught
but thy dreamsl
He had tried many things and the many
things had tried him-severely. The
counting-h house. into which his father had
practically dismissed him. was now but
shadowy remembrance, so many things had
interviewed since.
He had tried Journalism, and had almost
reached starvation point; had been a re-
porter on an evening paper and conse-
quent attendant at unSayory inquests and
police court proceedings. He had been on
"A tramp during the hesumInermonths, sleeping
under the stars the peacefullest sleep his
life had known. He had been general
utility in 'fit-up show through some
parts of the provinces; and cOnjurer's as
sistant and confederate at suburban halls.
He had been ION with the crowd at some
OF the London iheaters. as an Indignant
peasant" or "a son of TOLL at . pence
per night He had long abandoned the
hope of anything that should mean to him
respcctability and a settled position; had
scarcely any desire for it, in fact.
Finally, he had been one of troupe of
song and dance artists at u nfti-rate hall.
on the two-shows-a-ni principle, and
was grateful for that, in that it brought
him warmth and food and-drink. Per
haps the latter was the greatest considera-
ton of all 10 him now.
He formed one of a convivial party one
night, which met at an obscure public house
near the hall at which he was engaged. He
was leaning forward, with his head sunk
upon his breast and his eyes fixed on va
cancy, while his hand mechanically grasped
the stem OF his glass, when his. attention
was attracted. above the roar and laughter
OF the room, by the sound OF a child's
voice. He glanced round, with gleam in
his ewes ard sOmei hing or softened brill
iancy in their depths.
A tiny. ragged girl, with the most wist-
fully pathetic eyes be remembered to have
seen, was holding out couple OF boxes or
matches; she had managed 10 get into the
room somehow, and was passed about
among the men there Robin Bland slipped
his hand into one pocket. and then into an
other. He had not coin in the weTld; he
softly shook his head, and turned away
from the pleading face; the misery OF 1t
seemed to hurt him. His glass stood half
full at his elbow; he looked at it for a mo-
ment, and then, taking his thumb and
forefinger, he unsteadily turned it over,
so that the liouor flowed away over the
table, and dripped slowly down upon the
floor. The he stood the empty glass down
again.
At the same moment there was the sound
of an oath and cry from the child. One
of the members of the troupe to which
Bland belonGed-a heavy, brutal fellow
to whom the child had proffered matches,
had suddenly struck out at her, so that
she reeled across the room.
tGet out of it-botherin' about 'erei" he
exclaimed. 81 should like to-"
The sentence was not completed; there
was the sudden crash OF an overturned
table. and in an instant the fellow was ly,
ign amid some broken glasses staring up
him.
sYou cowardly brutei'' he cried. "Get
up, and I'll give you the best hiding you
! ever had in your life! To strike baby
like that! Get upl''
| But the man thought better of the sug-
| gestion, and lay still, growing out an oath
| or two.
| But the incident proved to be the end
! of Robin BANDS career so far as the
| song and dance business at that hall was
| concerned. The man was valuable mem
| ber-far more valuable than bis opponent.
| and Robin was eventually compelled to
| sever his connection with them and to start
| out again in the dreary world on his own
| account.
| After that time, his several acquaintance
| picked up in many strange places, and under
many strange conditions of life-lost sight
| of him altogether. Some suggested that
| s'poor old Rob- was dead, or, as they
| expressed it, "had passed in his bloomin'
| checks,'' others, more facetious, that he
| had married, and that his wife was look
| ing strictly after him, with view to his
| future respectability.
| Both surmises were, however, wrong.
| He was alive and he still led his purpose
| less life alone. Things had gone hardly
| with him, and his hand on the cup that
shcaid bring forgetfulness had been more
| frequent, if increasingly unsteady. Want
| and exposure had made him Old before his
| time; his dissipations had. worn away q
| constitution that had never been OF the
| strongest.
| Once he had been found raging in high
| fever one late autumn evening in u country