Santa Fe daily New Mexican., 1896-04-13
NO ONE KNEW HIM.

These were the words Of Florence
Larkin to her brother. George had in
trusted her with that difficult commits.
sion--to find out why Gertrude was off
and on with him--why sho was some
times so cordial and sweet and some.
times SO distant. And poor Florence had
to explain to George thst Gertrude had
virtually said that he was too common
place. She could not marry man that
nobody knew and nobody talked about.
He was good, he was successful, he was
kind, he was everything that Miss Edge
worth would require in one of hel
novels, but he did not attract peoples
attention. Nobody ever heard Of George
Larkin
After Florence had explained this in
the minutest way possible twice, George
seemed to understand what she was talk
ing about.
"Does she want to see my name in
the newspapers?''
II should not say that, /" said Flor
ence.
docs she want ME to ride down
Broadway in plate armor and nail on
the doors Of Trinity notice that she is
the prettiest girl in the world?"
"She did not say so," said Florence.
"Does she want to see me more?"
II should think you would do better
if you went there less, said Florence.
''If all she wants is to have me talked
about, she shall have her way!" And
George Larkin flounced out of the room.
Ten days after, as Gertrude Clark
came down, rather late, to her breakfast,
the servant brought in pile Of letters
Oh the salver. Gertrude's little sister
counted them; there were %. what in
the world has happened?" said she.
The little sister cut them open, and
Gertrude read:
DEAR MISS CLARK-I think you know Mr.
George Larkin. Will you have the kindness to
put his address on the note inclosed?
DEAR Miss CLARK-Do YOU know your friend
Mr.. Larkin we'll enough to ask him to come
round to our reception? 1t is very informal,
but we shall be so pleased to see him.
DEAR Miss CLARK am SO annoyed that
forget Mr.. Larltin's first name. 1want to send
him card for our party. May trouble you
for his address?
Twenty three notes that contained
such references to George!
Yet for these ten days past George
had not sent her-no, not carnation.
He did send her note to excuse him
self from driving with her in the park.
He was not even at her aunt's regular
family party. where he had begged her
to have him invited. George had who'll.
ly dropped out of her life, and Gertrude
had begun to wish that he had not drop
ped out.
The reader shall know what had hap
pened. The reader shall know how a
nice girl may be suddenly walked up to
find that her lover is not the unimpor-
tant person which in his humility he
had made her believe. The reader shall
know. how one young man got himself
named from one end of a continent to
the other.
All this happened i'll a very large city
of 2,O00, 900 people, which is the capi.
tai Of very large country, which coun-
try is next to the republic of Altruria.
This country was governed partly by
the principles Of the nation Of Altruria,
partly by the principles Of the devil
and partly by sort of happy go lucky
system which had worked very we'll for
100 years. In the course of the happy
60 lucky arrangements it found itselt
in a scrape for the sort Of ready money
that it wanted. 1t had some read .
money, which the people did not mu. 4
like, and it wanted some ready money
made Of beaten gold. And so the chief
magistrate of this happy 60 lucky
country had issued his proposals for
what was called a popular loan.
Nobody knew very we'll how the pop
ular loan was to be taken up, but every.
body was quite sure that his next door
neighbor had better subscribe toit. Peo.
pie went SO far as to say how much Mr.
Jones ought to subscribe and how much
the Widow Smith ought to subscribe
But, up till the moment when Gertrua, =,
sent that unkind message to George by
Florence, nobody knew very we'll how the
thing was going to turn out. 1t might
be that the popular loan would all be
taken up by set Of sharpers, or it might
be that it would not be taken at all. Il
might be that it would be very unpopu.
lar loan. And everybody was very Curl
Ous to see.
There was once an occasion when all
the nations Of the world agreed that ev-
cry person in the world should scream
as loud as he could at a particular in
stant Of time. When the instant came,
there was horrible stiffness over the
mundane creation. For everybody, in.
stead Of screaming himself, had listened
to hear somebody else scream, and nc
one screamed but a dumb man in China
and deaf woman in the Sandwich Is-
lands.
1t was something like this about the
popular loan. But at last the great day
came when, at Washington, they opened
the bids.
Now, the credit Of this nation was
pretty good and pretty bad. In very
bright, gilt edged times 1t could borrow
money at less than per cent. In those
times when there was trouble abont the
sort Of money that it would give and
take, IT generally had to pay 81 OH $l04
that is to say, it's 4 per cents were
placed at l04. The different sharpers
and the different old ladies, the men and
women who had been coaxed up to sub.
scribing in different ways. were in gen