The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-02-17
THE WATERS OF FATE

WIN, anu ohouBh 'nelr uuHuS meb III !
friendly clasp a marked pallor over
spread their faces, and look of awe
crept into their eyes. For a moment |
neither spoke, but instinctively they |
turned away to a less frequented part of
tine station, where they again paused
and looked into each others eyes.
''Hal, this is getting unoanny, said
one of them.
"Yes, it is rather creepy" assented
the other.
'But not unpleasant, old boy"
mot if it were natural. But under
the circumstances
"Pshaw! Why should it not be natural
IA mere coincidence? We may not meet
again for years-perhaps never"
81 don't believe it, l have perfect
faith in the fact that we two shall meet
like this till one of us goes over to the
unknown.
Perhaps even then," laughed his
friend.
"Ughl Don't make the thing more SUI
pernatural than it is. Come. we'll spend
| the night together and see the new year
safely over the border of the old" And,
mailing passing cab, they drove away
| together.
! Though both men were handsome, no
more striking contrast could have been
found. The elder, man of about 30,
was tall, broad shoudered and deep
chested.
The other, who was about two years
his junior, was equally tall, but Of
slight build, with fair hair, almost
golden, and blue eyes-dreamy, pen
sive, languid eyes, that seemed yelled
with secrecy.
Unlike as these two men were in APP
pearance, they were singularly alike in
their tastes, manners and habits. Per-
haps this was due in part to the fact OF
their having been almost inseparable
companions at school.
On one subject, however, they were
widely at variance-women.
To Harold Ferris woman was some
thing sacred. Were she wicked, she was
to be pitied; good, an angel to be guard
ed, cherished and enshrined upon ped
estal of honor and devotion.
To fair, merry Ernest Dangerfield
woman was a plaything, to be cast aside
when broken. If she was bad, it was be
cause it was her nature to be so; if good,
her goodness was an accident. Therefore
it happened that the two friends seldom
spoke ON that one subject, for it always
resulted in hard words and bitter feel
ings.
r Five years previous to the time of thu
opening of our story the two men hat
stood Gu the bank of the Rio Grand
river, in New Mexico, each holding il
. his hand a goblet Of water dipped from
the swift flowing stream at their feet.
! 1t was midnight OH the 31st of DE
cember, the hour when the year break
its letters and speeds away into eterni
;, ty. The bright moon shone above Their
2 in a faultless sky, its beams tenderl
kissing the golden locks upon the broN
of the younger man and mellowing tn
= tender depths in the brown eyes of tn
y other.
;, eve are tempting fate" laughe
: Ferris Friends who drink of the wa
; ters of the Rio Grande together wi
!, surely meet, no matter how they ma
try to avoid each other, even thong
- they become bitter enemies.
citizen here's to the speeding year an
: the parting friendp' laughed Ernes
y "May we meet each year to drink
- the new year and bid farewell to I'll
40 oldr
- Then, with careless laugh, the
- drained their glasses and threw Il
. empty goblets far out into the stream.
~ A year later, by appointment, the
met again. The next they met by acc
dent and laughed heartily at their
-, ~ most forgotten experience OF two yea
=, ~ before. The succeeding two years TIT
~ met by chance, and now, for the nj
= time, the dying hour of the old year ga
~ the two friends once more unexpected
;. thrown together, just little awed
- their experience and inclined to lo
y more seriously at what had hlther
"a been joke.
az Sitting comfortably in their ca
y, chairs in Dangerfield's room at the
~ hotel, they reviewed the past year al
ho talked of boyhood days.
no Il suppose IL Will pe e"ip
." you," said Ferris, calmly removing
~ 10 half smoked cigar from his lips o.
es watching the thin stream OF smoke nc
en inward in an almost unbroken coium
no then spread cloudlike above his hes
ns He paused. seeming lost for words
:, ~ "What will surprise me?' question
~ Dangerfield, lighting fresh cigaret
ne "To know that ] am contemplate
- matrimony."
~, "No, reallyG" he questioned.
po eyes" replied Ferris. I'm ~ a
III IL is time had settled down on the
rious side Of life. And how about you
!" "Oh, l shall never marry, ne
'as swered. "I'll be the sympathetic ba'
~ elor friend to whom you can come
90 your sorrows. :,
CIV az don't expect any sorrow.
p,n "It is the unexpected that aiw'
his happens.
nl' mot necessarily"
cv "Who's the fortunate fair one!
leo "You will meet her next New Yea