Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-12-14
When a man has ha,,.ea wRl, xoy,

When q man iss battled VIII, pever--
y all his life, fearing it as he fought
it, feeling for its skinny throat to throt-
tie it, and yet dreading all the while
the coming CT the time when it would
gain the mastery AID throttle him
when such a man is told that he is rich,
it might be imagined he would receive
the announcement with hilarity When
Richard Denham realized that he was
wealthy, he became even more sobered
than usual and drew long breath az if
he had been running race and had
won it. The man who brought him the
news had no idea he had told Denham
anything novel. He merely happened to
say, lyon are rich man, Mr.. Den
ham, and will never miss it,,
Denham had never before been called
rich man. and up to that moment he
had not thought of himself as wealthy.
He wrote out the check asked of him.
and his visitor departed, gratefully leav-
ing the merchant with something to
ponder over. He was as surprised with
the suddenness of the thing as if some
one bad left him legacy. Yet the
money was ali Of his own accumulat.
ing, bUt his struggle had been so long
and he had been SO hopeless about it
that from mere habit he exerted all his
energies long after the enemy was over
come-just as the troops at New Or
leans fought a fierce battle, not know.
ing the war was over. He had sprung
from such hopelessly poor family
Poverty had been their inheritance from
generation to generation. 1t vas the in
variable legacy that father had left to
son in the Denham family. All had &C.
cepted their lot with accomplishing
resignation until Richard resolved he
would at least have a fight for it. And
how the fight had been won. DenhaIn
sat in his Office, staring at the dingy
wall paper, SO long that Rogers, the
chief clerk, pat his head in and said in
a Geferential voice:
Anything more tonight, Mr. Dem
ham,
Denham started as if that question, in
| that tone, had not been asked him ev-
cry night for years.
"What's that? What's that" he
! cried.
Rogers was astonished, but too we'll
| trained to show it.
Anything more tonight Mr.. Den.
ham?''
"Ah, quite SO. No, Rogers. thank
you, nothing more
Good night, Mr.. Denham.'
"ER Oh, yes. Good night, Rogers,
good night"
When Mr.. Denham left his Office and
went oHt into the street. everything had
an unusual appearance to him. He
walked long, unheeding tho direction.
| He looked at the fire residences and
| realized that he might have q fine resi-
dence if he wanted it. He saw hand
| some carriages. He, too, might set up
an eqsipage. The satisfaction these
thoughts produced was brief OF what
use would a fine house or AN elegant
carriage be to him? He knew nc one to
| invite to the house or to ride with him
in the carriage. He began to realize
how utterly alone in the world he was.
He had no friends, no acquaintance
even. The running dog, with its hose 10
the ground, sees nothing of the sur
rounding scenery. He knew men in q
business way, of course. and doubtless
each of them had :. home i'll the suburbs
somewhere, but he could not take a
business man by the shoulders and sag
to him: Invite me to your house. ]
am lonely. want to know people,
| If he got such an invitation, he would
not know what to do with himself. He
was familiar with the counting room
and its language. but the drawing room
was an unexplored country to him,
where an unknown tongue was spoken.
On the road to Tealtf he had missed
something, and it was now too late to
60 back for it. Oily the day before he
had heard one of the clerks, who did
not knew lie was within carshot. allude