Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1898-01-28
J0HNSON'S ROMANCE.

N@ANf 49, w NAHN $500
with hero 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.
It was q name handed down through
nan a generation of noble ancestors
that he carried across the channel when
no was nearing 80 years Of age. together
with the very small remnant Of fortune
which remained after one OF his friends
had swindled him.
johnson was exactly tho person to b9
swindled. His trustful, generous hoart
made him an easy prey.
II don't like leaving my native
land" he said to me a day or so before
his departure, "but the fact Is can no
longer afford to live in England, so l
must avail myself Of tho 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
moro than a year when / decided that
it was about time ! was looking him up.
He vas not good at correspondence,
neither was l.
We exchanged occasional %lottera
which seemed to be full Of nothing, so
l wanted to see with my eyes how
he was bearing his changed fortunes.
1t was in the small ''entresol" Of one
of the tall houses of the old Latin quar-
ter of the capital that / found my friend
established.
He declared that he was very jelly,
but l did not believe him. 1t was only
a sort Of logged determination to look
OH the sunny side of things in general
that made him say so.
How could u ma no longer in his
first youth be "jolly" in a stufTy little
lodging whore his head almost touched
the ceiling and where his frugal meals
were scnt in by a 'traiteurl"
johnson was just the fellow who
ought to be the head of an Gfllent Brit
ISL household, with SONS and daughters
growing up around him. Or Inc should
have been a wealthy bachelor uncle, alb
solutely adored by a 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, F." trctted me about
Paris with an air Of part ownership
which was infinitely comic-in fact, did
his level best to MAKE MY icrtnight's
stay a pleasant one.
He would have insisted on giving me
up his bed and migrating to an inlet
attic on the fifth floor, but l would not
hear of it.
Twas obliged to pretend that l should
certainly suffocate in the small closet
he dignifed by the title Of "chambre a
ters at one Of the nearest hotels on my
way from the railway station and before
! found him out.
Though we had known each other
during a 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 | had come ont ra-
Their sick and decidedly shuddering from
visiting the morgue.
Declaring it to be one of the sights
of the city, which q strong nerved man
ought to see once in his life, l had pre-
vailed on johnson to accompany me.
A group Of excited women and a man
or two were standing by the entrance.
They told us that the body of IA 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'n take your arm-my
dear fellow, " stammered johnson as WI
ctme out from this ghastly spectacle.
Then l felt sorry / had urged him
against his will. for his face was a:
white as chalk aud his manner was that
of a man walking in q dream.
''It reminded me" he said, after we
had walked some little way, and he
seemed better, ''of a girl who wa
drowned a good many years ago. Per
haps I'll tell you about it by and by"
/ did not question him. Tho little 70
nance of his life came out quito natu.
rally as we sat together in the stutfy
''entresol, waiting for dinner.
II am such a thorough fogy now, '
remarked Johnson from the depths o.
the big Voltaire chair into which | haC
forced him, "that / dare say. Frank
you could hardly imagine me young
and fairly good looking"
"You forget" l answered, ''tha.
we were both tolerably young wher
we first made acquaintance. And, il
my opinion, you are good looking now
"Oh. yes. to you. perhaps. But coulC
you imagine me a man with whom
girl-pretty and much sought after
would fall in love? Yet 50 it was, and
think / shall feel better If l tell yoI
about il this evening"
"Tell mo by all MEANS" | said -
never knew before you were a man witt
a story"
He smiled rather sadly.
"Who has not a story? Only we d.
not happen to know it. / don't suppos'
that we who have failed in life as re
CARDS happiness are in the minority.
Well, !, too. had my dreams Of a wifi
and a home. At first they were yagu'