Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-01-09
lBy Miss winnie Davls)


York streets. What did he care about
New York pavements. Of New York city,
either. for the matter Of that? Every
thing was totally changed for him as he
gauged the loneliness that had fallen upon
him by the small measure Of sympathy he
had for the people and welfare of the city
which was once his homei at last he gave
up his self-imposod task. and sauntered
over TO the window. where he leaned look
ing out at the city below him. There
was the mammoth hotel over the way, and
the millionaire palaces az the corner OPP
preasively big. obtrusively red and white.
There. IN the middle OF the open square,
were the Ieafess horse-chestnuts and
round bed OF shivering plants. and away
10 the north stretched the park. tangie
of bare. brown trees, through which the
ice-covered ponds cleaned like silver
IL Was afternoon. and the stream OF car
Iiages was flowing up Fifth avenue ana
into the East-Side drives. The liveried
servants, the glittering harness, the
horses. the furs and velvets, made say
parade enough, but as he looked down AT
the procession Brett could not help re-
marking the expression prevalent among
The carriage people
.sBv George" he muttered. bitterly, u
am i'm the fashion, it appears. Those
people look as blue as ] feel As ne
gazed into the sunlit plaza his thoughts
wandered and the great buildings ana
the moving throng faded away, for IL
seemed 10 him that he stood again upon
the threshold Of little cabin above
Cripple Creek. on the other SIDE OF
the valley tumbled masses OF hills rose
tier on tier. their sides blue and purple
with pcnt stamen. and away on the hoIl-
zon-linc tho white-headed Sanere de
Christie range shimmered in the clear at
m0sphorc. The rumble OF ore crushers
was in his ears, and the slbilant whisper
OF the aspen leaves. There was the
mine below him, the mine that was 10
make his fortune and release him forevec
from the necessity OF living in that PHI
fully half-baked community in the VII
lage yOndcr lie remembered II all so
clearly. those dreams on the mountain
side. and the feverish anxiety that shook
his hands as he washed "A pan OF the
new lead that made him sick with hope
and fear. as the golden strains began TO
shine among the crushed matrX.
lie wondered blankly what he had
hoped 10 gain by il all. what he had
anticipated I'm his homecoming that had
made him impatient Of the fierce, natural
life Of the mining camp. | must have
been out there too long" he ruminated.
Il have drifted away from my friends,
and people have drfted away from me.
IN all this big city there is not a human
being that means as much 10 me as
Keno. the stage-driyer, or One-Eyed
Bill" Then Brett checked himself.
mist blurred all the clear outlines OF
his western memories and white
robcd figure rose before his mind's-eye.
slender. eray-eyed. and tfnder-mouthed:
figure that had absorbed all his power
Of loving. and made him a lonely man
i'm The miners cabin. as he was now
alone IN the great city.
He choked down a sigh and turned away
from the window. what in the devil
am | TO do with mysclf?' he asked Bit
terry. Christmas IS no time for
ceremonious calls. and have no friends.
lie did not want to 30 10 the club; he
had tried that yesterday. and 1t made him
feel more than ever like a cross between
Enoch Arden and Rip Van Wrinkle. There
was the same red carpet on the stairway,
the same huge easy chairs In the reading
room. tho same badly-printed portraits
of political celebrities on the walls but.
he. himself was strange. lie knew one
or two OF the men sitting about and
greeted them with the cordiality Of per
son who meets a friend in a wilderness
Of strangers. They were all civil enough,
but he had dropped out Of their lives too
completely TO be companiOnable, besides
his way of asking after the health Of dead
club members was uncanny and unseason-
able at Christmas time. Solitude and
much introspection had made Brett sensl-
tive: he felt his alienation and was lone
lier than ever, consequently he had no de-
sire 10 go 10 the club again.
VI cfa heated gilECn- hung
room was intolerable; he felt cramped as
q big dog might in a puppy's kennel; he
must get out into the open and breathe
freely IF any one can breathe deep OF
such smoke-laden air as this" he grum-
hlcd, with a mountaineers contempt OF
the lowland
II was a cold, bright afternoon, and the
men I'm the street below were mufiied in
great coats. the women swathed in fur,
but his harder constitution rejoiced in the
sharp air that met him as a shiyering
negro porter drew back the glass doors,
and he stepped out on Fifth avenue. the
avenue" as he was still New Yorker
enough to call IT.
This high-up everything was more or
less unfamiliar to him. Six years had
swept over the street. and in lieu Of open
space or smaller houses the great hos
telries Of d transient population ana the
palaces OF the very rich smiled down at
him from every side. IT'S shut in fear
fully" he said to himself; "a fellow has
even TO see sky In rhomboids and paral-
kilograms i don't wonder men get a
narrow view of questions when they
never see further than across the street.
HE long strides carried him forward
at a brisk pace and his superb strength
nave him a kind Of panther-like grace
that made people turn around to look
after him. one pretty. tailor-made girl
nudged another as he passed Look
she cried. Isn't he handsome? Looks
something between the Archangel Michael
and a football player" Her companion
laughed. Cant say / see any angelic
resemblance, but he certainly has the
look of an athlete. | wonder who it is
don't your And they passed on.
Indeed. there was nothing angelic
about Brett. except his sunny. curling
hair. and the spare symmetry OF his
figure His face was brown with ex-
posure and his mouth closed in narrow
iipped line that might mean temper while
his blue eyes were bright and hard, as
beftted eyes that had looked on sud
den death without tears ana had faced
danger without blinking. His clothes
fitted him and he wore them with the
Inconsistencies of a gentleman, but the
freedom OF his movements and certain
untamed look In his eyes made him re-
markable even in the motley crowd that
filed the street. A matron pointed him
out 10 her daughter as he grayely guided
"A blind beggar across the street. See
that person, Susie" she said, helping
that old imposter instead Of leaving him
10 the police He is good looking, but
excessively suburban" The girl turned
10 stare after Brett as huge furniture
van stonped their carriage. Yes" she
said. plenty of new Jays in town for
Christmas" "My dear child, your Ian
guage shocks me-" began the mother, and
they wbirled up the avenue 10 the tune
Of her remonstrance.
Brett had now entered the boundaries
OF that quarter where many old land
....r.. - ,.,a.tfcolgsr tpchauOad The