Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-08-23
JOHNSON'S ROMANCE.

Dear old johnson! Whenever ! think
Of him I realize that he was one of the
true, good hearted fellows we only meet
with here and there in the world, and
not too often.
His name, by the way, was not
johnson, but it will answer all the pur-
poses Of my story TO call him so.
1t was name handed down through
many generation Of noble ancestors
that he carried across the channel when
he was nearing SO years Of age, together
with the very small remnant Of fortune
which remained after one of his friends
had swindled him.
johnson was exactly the person to be
swindled. His trustful, generous heart
made him an easy prey.
IT don't like leaving my native
land" he said to me day or SO before
his departure, "but the fact is can no
longer afford to live in England, SO
must avail myself Of the inexpensive
continental style Of existence. l am
bound for Paris, which, after all, will
not be going very far away"
Johnson had been living abroad for
more than year when decided that
it was about time / was looking him up.
He was not good at correspondence,
neither was /.
We exchanged occasional letters
which seemed to be full of nothing, SO
I wanted to see with my own eyes how
he was bearing his changed fortunes.
Tt was in the small "entresol" of one
of the tall houses of the old Latin quar-
ter of the capital that I found my friend
established.
He declared that he was very jolly,
but I did not believe him. 1t was only
a sort Of logged determination to look
on the sunny side of things in general
that made him say SO.
How could man no longer in his
first youth be "jolly' in a stuffy little
lodging where his head almost touched
the ceiling and where his frugal meals
WCIo nOuU III NY ULdAOCll4s
Johnson was just the fellow who
ought to be the head of an affiuent Brit
ish household, with sons and daughters
growing up around him. Or he should
have been wealthy bachelor uncle, alb
solutely adored by large contingent Of
nephews and nieces. Solitude did not
seem the proper setting for him.
However, he took for his motto,
"Whatever is, is best, ;" trotted me about
Paris with an air of part ownership
which was infinitely comic-in fact, did
his level best to make my fortnight's
stay pleasant one.
He would have insisted on giving me
up his bed and migrating to an inlet
attic on the fifth floor, but would not
hear of it.
Twas obliged to pretend that should
certainly suffocate in the small closet
he dignifed by the title Of "chambre a
coucher," and that I had engaged quar-
tiers at one of the nearest hotels OH my
way from the railway station and before
I found him out.
Though we had known each other
during good many years, it was only
when my stay in Paris drew very near
its close that johnson one evening be-
came confidential.
am not very likely to forget that
evening, either, for l had come out ra-
ther sick and decidedly shuddering from
visiting the morgue.
Declaring it to be one of the sights
Of the city, which strong nerved man
ought to see once in his life, had pre-
vailed on johnson to accompany me.
A group of excited women and man
or two were standing by the entrance.
They told us that the body Of girl-a
young and pretty girl-had been carried
in not long before. She had been found
floating in the Seine-a case Of suicide,
no doubt.
''I-think-I'll take your arm-my
dear fellow, stammered johnson as we
came out from this CHASTITY spectacle.
Then felt sorry I had urged him
against his will. for his face was as
white as chalk and his manner was that
of man walking in dream.
1T reminded me-, he said, after we
had walked some little way, and he
seemed better, Of a girl who was
drowned good many years ago. Per-
haps I'll tell you about it by and by"
I did not question him. The little ro-
nance Of his life came out quite natu-
rally as we sat together in the stuffy
"entresol," waiting for dinner.
II am such thorough fogy now, !"
remarked johnson from the depths Of
the big voltaire chair into which I had
forced him, that | dare say, Frank,
you could hardly imagine me young
and fairly good looking
"You forget" I answered, THAT
we were both tolerably young when
we first made acquaintance. And, in
my opinion, you are good looking now. "
"Oh, yes, to you, perhaps. But could
you imagine me man with whom a
girl-pretty and much sought after
would fall in love? Yet SO it was, and !
think shall feel better if ! tell you
about it this evening""
"Tell me by all MEANS" said. II
never knew before you were man with
a story. =
He smiled rather sadly.
"Who has not q story? Only we do
not happen to know it. don't suppose
that we who have failed in life as re-
CARDS happiness are i'll the minority.