The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-02-14
AN OLD YOUNG MAN.

talo:
Dicky HIATT was kidnapped in his oarly,
early youth neither by landlady's dnugh-
ter, houSomaid, barmaid nor cook, but by
q girl SO nearly of his own caste that only
q woman could have said sho was Just the
least little bit in tho world below It,
This happened month before no came
out to India and five days after his ono
and twentieth birthday. The girl was 10
six years Older than Dicky, in the things
of this world, that is to shy, and, for tho
time, twice rs foolish us he.
Excepting always falling off horse,
thoro is nothing moro fatally easy than
marriage before the registrar. Tho core
mony costs less than 90 shillings and is
remarkably like walking into pawnshop.
After the declarations of residence have
boon put In, four minutes will cover tho
rest of tho proceedings-fcos, attestation
and all. Then tho registrar slides tho
blotting pad over tho names and says
grimly, with his pon between his teeth,
"Now you're man and wife," and tho cou-
pie walk out into tho street, feeling ms IL
something woro horribly illegal some
whore.
But that ceremony holds and can drag
man to his undoing just as thoroughly
as the long rs 20 both shall live" curse
from tho altar rails, with tho bridesmaids
gigglng behind and "Tho Voice That
Broathod Der Edon'' lifting tho roof off
In this manner was Dlcky HIATT kidnapped.
and he considered it vastly fine, for no had
received an appointment In India which
carried u magnificent salary from the
homo point OF view. Tho marriage was
to be Kept secret for year. Then Mrs.
Dicky HIATT WINS to como out, and tho rest
of life was to be q glorious golden mist.
That was how they sketched it under tho
Addison Road station lamps, and after ono
short month came Gravcsend and Dicky
steaming out to his now life, and tho girl
crying In 80 shillings q weok bed and
living room in back street off Montpelier
square, near tho Knightsbridge barrnck.
But the country that Dicky came to was
hard land, where linen" of 81 wero
reckoned very small boys, indeed, and lifo
was expensive. Tho salary that doomed so
large 5000 miles away did not go far,
particularly when Dicky divided it by two
and remitted moro than tho fair half at
one-sixth to Montpelier square. Ono
hundred and thirty-nvo rupees out of $40
is not much to live on, but it was absurd
to suppose that Mrs. HIATT could oxist for.
ever on tho eco hold back by Dicky from
his outfit allowance. Diclly saw this and
fcmltted at once, always remembering
that 700 rupees were to DO paid 10 months
Later for first class passage out for q lady
When you add to these trifling details tho
natural instincts Of u boy beginning n
now lifo III new country and longing to
go about and enjoy himself and tho neccs-
sity for graphing with strange work
which, properly speaking, should take up
a boys undivided attention-you will SEQ
that Dicky started handicapped. Hc saw
1t himself for u breath or two but no did
hp m of l,i f,,t
AS the hot weather began the shacklcs
settled on him and ate into his flesh.
First would como lcttcrs-big, crossed,
soYen sheet lcttcrs-from his wife, telling
him how she longcd TO SEQ him, and what
a heaven upon earth would DO their prom
| erty when they mot. Thon some boy of
! the chummery wherein Dicky lodged
would pound on tho door of his bare little
room and toll him to como out to look at
pony-tho very thing to suit him
Dicky could not afford ponies. He had to
| explain this. Dicky could not afford
| living in the chummery modest rs 1t was
! Ho had to explain this before he moved 20
| single room next tho office where he
worked oil day. He kept house on q
| green oilcloth table cover, one chair, one
charpoy, ono photograph, one toothglass,
I, very strong and thick; "a 9 rupee eight
| anna filter, and messing by contract Mt 81
| rupees month, which last item was ex-
tortion. Ho had no punkah, for q punkah
| costs IS rupees q month, but he slept on
| tho roof of the office, with all his wifo's
letters under his pillow. Now and again
he was asked out to dinner, whore he got
both n pun&ah and an iced drink. But
this was seldom, for people objected to
recognizing boy who had evidently the
instincts OF aaScotch tallow chandler, and
/ hn in
| could not subscribe to any amusement, so
he found no amusement except the pleas
| uro of turning over his handbook and
| reading what 1T said about "loans on ap-
| proved security" That cost nothing He
| romitted through Bombay bank, by the
way, and tho station knew nothing of his
| private affairs.
| Every month Inc sent home all no could
| possibly spare for his wife, and for another
reason which was expected to explain itsolf
shortly and would require more money
About this time Dicky was overtaken
| with tho nervous, haunting fear that besets
married mon when they nro out of sorts
| He had no pension to look to- What If he
| should die suddenly and leave his wife
unprovided for? The thought used to lay
hold of him in tho still, hot nights on tho
roof, till tho shaking Of his heart made
| him think that ho was going to die then
| and there OF heart disease. Now this is u
! frame Of mind which no boy hos n right
| to know. IL Is q strong mans trouble
but, coming when It did, 1t nearly drove
poor punkahlcss perspiring Dicky HIATT
mad. He could tell no one abont 1t.
A certain Amount OF screw is ms noe
essary for man NJ for billiard ball 1t
makes them both do wonderful things.
Diclry needed ,noAoy badly, and no worked
;or It lisc q horsN. But naturally the mcn
who owned him kyew TINT boy Gun live