Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1897-05-27

Can he have gone there? thought Van
Maeren, as he sat at home the next
evening, and did not know with what
purpose Westhove had gone out. Well,
lac would sit up for him; there w;ls
nothing else to be done. just 4 few
days to arrange matters, and then they
would be of, away from London. Oh,
what q luckless wretch he thought him
self. All this villainy for the sake OF
mere material comfort, OF idieness and
wealth which, as he was slowly begin
ming to discover. had all become a mat
ter Of indifference to him. Oh! for the
Bohemian liberty of his ~vngabond life
in the States, free, unshackeled; his
pockets now full OF dollars, AMI again
empty. absolutely empty! He felt quite
homesick for 1t; 1t struck him as an
enyiable existence Of careless independ-
ence as compared with his present state
Of vacious ease and seryility. How
greatly he vas changed. Formerly he
had been uafettered. indeed, by con-
ventional rules, but free from any great
Implicitly; and now, his mind had been
cultivated, but was sunk In a depth OF
baseness. And what for? To enable
him TO hold fast that which no longer
had any value In his eyes. No value?
Why. then, did he not cut his way out
OF his own let, to go away. in poverty;
and write a single word 10 Frank aura
Eva to bring them together again. 1t
was still In his power to do this.
He thought of 1t, hut smiled at the
thor ght; 1t was impossible: and yet ne
could not see wherein the impossibility
lay. But 1t was impossible, il was n
thing that could not be done. II WAS
illogical, full of dark difficulties. a thing
that ctul come about for mys-
terious reasons Of Fatality. which, in
deed, he did not clearly discern. but nc
ctpted as unsnswerable.
He was musing in this vein. alone,
that evening. when Annie. tie house
Keeper. came to tell him that som zone
wanted to speak with him.
"Who is it?'
She cid not know. So he went in7o the
sitting room. where he found Sir Arch
ibald's footman. with his big nose and
Ugly, shifty, gray eyes, like a birds,
twinkiing In his terra-cotta face. which
was varied by blue tracts Of shorn
whisker and beard. He was out OF his
livery, and dressed like a gentleman. In
a light overcoat and felt hat, with a
cane and gloves.
VIVA brings you here" nid Van
Maeien, shortly, with a scowl. 81 have
always told you that / would not have
you come to the house. You have no
complaint to make of me. | supposeY"
On, no., he had 20 complaint to make.
ne q only come to call on an old
frie nd-such a swell. BERTHE would re-
member the times they had had In New
York. They had been walters toceth-
er. pals at the same hotel. Rum chance
Oh, that they should run up against
each other in London? 1t was a small
World; You were always running I'm
against someone, wherever you might
so. You couldn't keep out Of anyope's
way; In fact. IL Ii was Gods will O
should meet a Teller, you couldn't keen
OF tnat feiler's way. and then Won
might sometimes be able to do, him n
soou urn. There had been
some letters wrltten-and he scraped
ms ulroat-inconvenient letters. Sixtv
qua down Tor two letters to the N
woman, that was the bargain. life
was hard; TO get a little fun now and
uhen In London. cost a deal of money
ana now there was a third letter. in
uhe same h~and-dear. dear, whose
could II be, now?-addresscd to the old
nan. He did not want to be too hari
on an Old pal, but he had just come TO
ask MN whether this letter, too, was
OF any value. He had II with him
Then, give 1t here" stammered Van
Maeren, az pale as death. holding ont
his hand. ou'
Ay, but thirty sovs. was too little =
mere song. This letter was to the a,a
man, n wac worth more, and. to tell
the truth. his old friend was hard nm
a~esperately hard up. BERTHE was a rem.
eho, nan wno couid throw his money
aoou! n he had a noble heart He
would never leave an old pai in the
lurcn. Tue DEVILS In 1t, we must helm
eacn other Ia this world. Say a hun.
rfou are a rascal" cried Bert,e
~