Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1897-03-18

tachment, signi-
flying that il was not his province to
cut me off at one merciiul stroke, but
to worry and bore me to death by
continually ringing my doorbell and
thrusting the awful document before
my bloodshot eyes. Branton is of a
different mind.
SIT is misconceptions gross mis-
conception" he declared the other
night, resting his feet on the hand
some brass fender and gazing medita
lively into the fire that glowed on the
hearth of his library. Poverty should
be represented as carrying in one hand
a heart, and in the other, perhaps, q
dart"
"Or fat purse, I said to myself.
But my friends case is an unusual
one. His kindly conception of what
should be a grim, repulsive figure had
its origin, and not without reason, in
his own experience. With me it is
different. My financial condition has
changed but little since the day we
received my aunt's buried note an
nouncing that she had run down from
Newport with my cousin Lyvia, who,
by the way, has not yet been intro
duced to society, and IA charming girl
| from San Francisco. To be frank, /
am still living in Holwood's pleasant
apartment overlooking the avenue, and
must of Iecessity continue recipient
of his kindness until he gets back from
his tour of the world. What l shall
do then l dare not contemplate. But
that does not concern Branton.
When the note of my aunt's ar
rived my fortunes were Mt their lowest
ebb. For weeks had been doing my
own cooking, and Branton's arrival
from the West, where, through no
fault of his own, he had lost the small
fortune that had fallen to his rosses-
sion on the death OF his father, an
English country gentleman who had
left large number of sons to divide
a moderate estate, added an additional
burden to my thin pocketbook. Just
why my friend had left the West he
did not explain further than that cir
cumstances had reduced him to men,
ial position on a ranch, and he was in
fair way to rise when he suddenly
made up his mind to 60 home, and
landed in New York, penniless and
compelled to accept my poor hospi-
tality. For four days he had been
seeking work in vain when 1 heard
from my aunt. 1t was early In the
fall; few people were in town; her
house was closed and she thought it
would be jolly for Lyvia and charm
| ing friend of hers to spend an evening
in bachelor hall. Would pardon the
sudden notice and expect them at Z
o'clock sharp? At the time pardon
was not granted, but had to make
the best of circumstances. Even had
l known just where to address my
kind relative, l could hardly have
dared asked her to excuse me, particu
larly on the ground of my financial
straits, for, bred as she has been in
the lap of luxury, poverty is q thing
beyond her understanding. To her il
is crime. She cannot imagine that
a person with normal amount Of
common sense should be afflicted
with it.
Fortunately I had still remaining
so from :he last remittance of nv
father, which came enclosed in an
affectionate epistle saying that he had
given me the best possible education,
fitted me to battle with the world, and
thought that thereafter l had better
do for myself. With this money We
procured the necessary supplies for {
simple dinner, and despatched a ote
to Carter asking him to Join us. Their
arose the question of service. We
had no servant, and naturally it wal
necessary that some one attend ut the
table. As l was ruefully eyeing my
small stock OF remaining money, Bran
ton, ever ready, came to my assist
ance. He knew no one in town anc
was going to sail for nome just as sooI
as he could afford it. With his clear
shayen face he would pass for a mos
respectable butler. OF course / de
INJURED, but he insisted, and eventu
ally won his point. 70 this little vic
tory can be traced his kindly concep
tion of an artistic figure of poverty.
Holwood's silver service presente,
a stunning appearance when we nr
ranged It on the table that evening
The soup as it steamed on the back O
the range, the roast as it sizzled in tn
oven, the few simply cooked vegeta
!, bles in the pots all ready for servin;
looked excellent, and Branton mad
the most imposing butler / have eve
set eyes on, for he always was II hand
some fellow. So it was with feelin,
akin to satisfaction that threw my
self into chair in the study when til
menial labor was over and awaited tn
coming of my guests. Already Bran
ton was aping we'll bred lackey, an
sc inimitably did he play his part thO
l almost imagined myself the proprit
tor Of a well appointed establishment
instead of a struggling young ma
with no occupation and but four do
lars and thirty-two cents in the worlt