The sun., 1897-12-12

CLERK @ behind IT,, Uncle Billy leaned forward. y.
boSFs % Sos Is ts1l me If the man that box 600
The clerk stared. made him repeat the quos;
ZION, ana then turned away. But no returned
heads besides his own. aepnrentls set beside his
shoulders. Uncle Bily was again asked TO ro'
peat patvh his question. nt He did 50.
boxi". said tho irst Clerk. turning with Affected
esRerity to one Of tho others.
singular gravity: "iie was there % a moment
age, but he's gone out to stretch his legs. lt,s
more than ten hours at a time, you know"
~ But simplicity has it's limits Uncle Billy
his partner Was ofilciaily "' connected meet ID With tho
building; his check had flushed and then paled
asS, asaatod The pupils Of his blue eyes had con-
no said with equal gravity, I'm show show yer bow
sh ePG%GS onS Wafod HS Il to know SS
whcre Jim Foster lived"
cn s IN Ssp bdI %oS
give you that Information, he said, land here's
Snd sR R9RG to White ,hs II
ns ps1sed s here Smf b9iant Shq idea ss0 had 3
ner and tho upstairs at the window; he would
put IN the name Of the latest swell" hotel at
lenee. Hc added THE Oriental" and without
folding the paper showed 1t in the window.
ySg wSn an Sn Senve9ps sskd the eeEk
Uncle Billy laying I'm down 1lnst CON- sRe GO
through" The clerk smiled, but affixed the
But 1t was q short1ived triumph. The dis.
appointment ct finding Uncle Jins address
move him further away and lose his identity
in the great city; Besides. he must now make
hs sG and SEEK at h
] decorations-cven in these early days Of hotel
| building in San FRANCISCO were extravagant
| lonely in his strange surroundings. But he
took handsome suite of rooms, paid for them
ened, walked out of them to ramblc vaguely
throu1gh:the city in the fcverish hone Of meet
is Gd hJ Sen sh be es
tables In the piliared dining room, filled with
its gilt bedstead. and fed TO his modest lodg-
ings at the Good Cheer house. and appeased his
OF retired miners and freshly arrived Eastern
eeSmigrants: eSig Two or three days Rsssod thus in
times day he would enter the gorgeous Oriental
with affected ease and carelessness. demand his
key from the hotel clerk. ask for the letter that
his window on the passing pas crowd below Tor the
partner he could not find, and then return to
the Good Cheer house for rest and sustenance.
On the fourth day he received q short note from
s,ine GnGe I'm; IT, was &c o9uShed In his usual usual san an
business took him out OF town. but he trusted
70 return soon and welcome his old partner;
that Uncle Billy would not ''seo ali the sights"
before he. Uncle Jim. returned. Disappointing
gleam of hope irradiated it. The letter had
bridged oyer that gulf which seemed to yawn
Ssd % hS his s to- h
without question, and had alluded to renewal
o., their old intimacy, For Uncle Billy. with
two narrowing doubts. one whether Uncle Jim
in his new-iedged smartness as city" man
such as he saw In the streets-would care for
his rough companonship; the other, whether he,
Uncle Billy, ought not TO tell him at once of his
Gnangea tpr.unS %s r But IKE al weak, m 9nreas9n
could COZ T not forego bis Old idea Of Of astounding
% as fTpE Tt thin hs sa"Fe 81 It. of the
doubted, with more reason perhaps, if Jim
would see him after he had heard Of his good
recollection of Uncle Jims sudden stroke for
| independence, and that rigid punctiliousness
which had @ m made him doEgedly accept the rospon'
Jim's company. he saw tho sights" of San
stupid Child mil eht have seen t6em-with great
curiosity, but little, Contamination or, corrup.
tion. l fear he could hardly be called a pure
man, for he sometimes rewarded vice as bet
ter people never rewarded virtue. and there arc
iargess to certain women. who need not be
otherwise mentioned. which startled them into
i'm YET Sea,sd BS
the arrival of the Sacramento and Stockton
steamers at the wharves, in the hope Of dis.
on the gangplank Here, with his old super.
stitious tendency and gamblers instinct. he
day il any one of the passengers bore the
least resemblance to Uncle Jim, II q man or a
woman stepped off first. or if he had met a sin.
to be the real occupation Of the day, which he
would on no account have omitted. and TO a
the mornings work OF their old partnership
He, would say to himself: It's time TO go and
look up Jlm'-and put Off what he was pleased
| to think his Measures until this act of
duty was accomplished.
In this singleness of purpose he made very
few and no entanglinR acquaintances, nor did
he impart to any one the secret of his fortune
Loyalty reservine ii for his partners first inowl:
simplicity this was a great trial, and was. per
haps. crucial test Of his devotion. When he
letter. with his humber address, to the mys
terious, lock box of his partner without fear ol
false shame. He would explain IL all when
they met. But he sometimes treated unlucky
and returning miners to dinner and visit tc
an active sympathy with and understanding OF
the humble,t, Uncle Billy, who for many year;
scrubbing. mcnding, and cooking. and saw nc
degradation in it, was somewhat Inconsistency
irritated by menial functions In men. and al
though he gave eNtravagantly to walters and
threw dollar to the crossing sweeper; there
WINS always a certain shy avoidance of them II
Uncle Billy was, however, seriously concerned
BY one Of these crossing sweepers turning hastil,
DelOrc lneln una hclUR uONn
passing. carriage. The man rose and limped
hurriedly away, but I'Icle Billy was amazoC
and still more irritated to hear from his com
panion that this kind Of mental occupation wa
often profitable, and that at some of the princi
pal crossings the sweepcrs were rich men.
But Il few days later brought n'more notabl,
event to Uncle Billy. Ono afternoon in Mont
yomcry street he recognized in one of its smartl,
dressed frcqucntcrs a man who lad few year
lefore been n member OF Cedar Camp Cncl,
Bi!ly's childish delight at this meeting, which
seemed to bridge over his old partners absence
was, however, only half responded to by the ex
miner, and then somewhat sat'rically. In tn,
fulness OF his emotion Uncle Billy confided I,
him that he was seeking his old partner. jim
spoke glowingly OF his partners brilliant ex
pectations, but deplqred his inability to FIND
business, II reckon he's got back" said th
man dryly. Il didn't know he had lock bO,
at the Post Office. but ] can give you his othe
address, He lives at the Preside, at Washer
wompn's bay" He stopped and looked with
satirlcal smile at Uncle Billy; But the latter
familiar with California mining-camp nomen
claturc, saw nothing strange in 1t, and merely
repeated his companion . words.
You'll find him thera! Good.by So long
Sorry I'm in a hurry" said the examiner, an'