Arizona republican., 1898-06-25
HY WII,I.IHM T. NICHOLS. Copyright. 1893. by J. B. Lippincott Company,

of an immediate matter. You will par don me my slowness of speech in Eng fish"
 ''But you speak it well.'' I broke in.
 ''I lived in England several years,' he answered. but no sooner was the explanation made than he appeared to regret its for he added: "But 10 our. subject. Permit me to lay before you a pian."
 ''Pray proceed" said I. somewhat | puzzled as to what was to come.
 .'This it is That you, having this afternoon to do with as you may, re- turn to the city and there conclude such affairs as are pressing. It IS most probable that another opportunity so excellent may not present i,self.'
 His meaning was sufficiently patent. Once we should have reached cur desti- nation he would prefer to have me without an excuse for revisiting my old haunts. Nothing. though, would suit me better than to fall in with his desire. So I said:
 sIf you will allow me until nine o'clock this evening, I promise to be free in every way to accompany you wherever you choose to go. My busi- ness can be closed in short order You may rest satisfied that shall say noth- ing of Inc change of my plans. In fact. ] don't expect to excite any lively c,fri- osity: it will be merely a. case os an other man dropping out of siyi,t: tn, city is too accustomed to suc;, disar- pcarGnces 10 worry about another add ed to the list. Believe me, don't regret our arrangeuent.''
 Regret it. indeed! The salary offered was ten times as large as my incon. fer the last year. It would n,ear. q least plenty to eat and plenty to vo al.. 8 comfortable ,>elne and freedom frol. the cares which had made life bur dcn- The ~olf of poverty that h:t. haunted my door would be driven C. to howl about the dwelling of .ke ncx. poor hoTil. At an earlier stage of Fl, career l night have hesitated, have paused i;efofc conscnting to bury r,v- self in the country; but ii IS rarely vigorous ambition that tllrires oi. grinding moHotony ard grows strcar through years of seni-sta.5at ton: na T, U;-s Tt s>adc of such sturdy stuff Had Lamar sprouted horns ard displayed a cloren hoof I might have experienced qualms. but scarcely well-defined re- grets. -Fvss
 Three hours later I was again in the city. and the few ties which had bound me to it were severed. The landlord took my departure philosophically; payment of the arrears of rent seemed to reconcile him to losing the tenant nearby practitioner gladly agreed to give room to my books until they should be sent for, and a junkman drove an easy bargain for my furniture. A valise was capacious enough to receive the few effects I cared to take away. and even it's contents might have been parted with without great sorrow. There were no patients to worry about. and few questions to answer. To such as were put I replied that had secured an appointment in the country; and even my professional brother did not think it worth while to push the in quiry further. In short, my neighbors manifested no more curiosity about me than about the vanished builder of last years birds nest still swinging on bough of the half-dead tree at the corner.
 It would have been easy to return to Merton long before the appointed time, but I tarried in town to enjoy a luxury which had charmed my fancy on many a day when the cravings ot hunger possessed me. There was a res taurant, famous far and near. gas tronomic Mecca to which many pill grims journeyed joyously, under whose roof l was determined to dine. Otter had l surveyed it's glories from tn, pavement without, prowling about tn, 9,lace in fascination at the picture O good cheer visible through it's windows Now 1 was privileged to enter. strona in the consciousness that a roll of hills; still of goodly size in spite of the pay ments made from it, nestled in my pocket. Let it be confessed. how doorway my hand was clutched about the money. as if in fear that it might vanish. Not until I had dined and tn. account had been liquldated did the dread of an awakening from so pleas ant a dream disappear. The renem- brance of that solitary feast will be always with me; for it brought the first convincing proof that the old period of stress was at an end.
 CONTINUED TOMORROW.)