The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1898-06-10

them all impatiently away. "Consid-
ering it takes thousands of dollars to
get them out, my boy, something a
little more striking and original than
that will have to be invented before |
try the venture"
"And yet, hang 1t ALL" said Davidson,
rising and walking up and down his
office, his hands in his pockets, 1.-THE road
must have the cards out in a months
time for the spring traffic. There are
those prairie lands out in Texas. It's
got to be shown in a clever and novel
way, what are the sections the road
covers. Who would glance then at
those things?"
Dick had stirred the fire, and was
making it burn more brightly, by
means of the discarded sketches he had
twisted and turned between the bars
of the CRATE.
Dick was placid. He shared only to
very mild degree the disappointment
| of the head of the department.
"a man wants to see you, sir" said
G clerk, opening the office door.
"What for?" queried Davidson.
"Don't know, but he says it's impor-
tant."
"How does he look?" asked Davidson,
sitting down.
"Pretty seedy. Big, tall fellow, but
seems to have been ILL.,"
"Show him i'm
John Van Styver, gaunt, poorly clad,
with bloodshot eyes and tumbled hair,
1only ,,f loc o-,1 hoJ l., =.
worn face, his hand trembling from
weakness and anxiety, was not pre-
possessing figure. Nor did Davidson
distinguish between the ravages of ty-
phoid fever on his once splendid ply
sique, or those which long habits of in
ebriety would have produced.
What do you want, my MANI" he
asked, scanning the wan appearance of
the figure before him with growing dis
favor.
"To work my passage from New York
to San Francisco on your road" said
Van Styver.
ever been connected with rail-
road?" asked Davidson.
"Never.'
'The road don't take tramps. It has
all the men it needs, and only employs
honest, sober fellows" said Davidson,
turning and taking up letter to end
the interview.
John staggered a little, and sat down
on stool.
The vision of wan little face tossing
on pillow, of dark curls falling around
two sweet brown eyes, of little voice
calling incessantly for one who could
not come, while the shadow of death
was stealing steadily on, brought the
dew out on his forehead.
Hello! This one looks all right, sir.
This ones good" said Dick, pausing
before consigning one of the condemned
sketches to the flame. "Why, it's fine"
Lets see," said Davidson, interest
edly, leaning over to look at it. Dick
spread it out On the desk before him,
with one other his youthful inexperi-
enee thought good.
"Bosh!" was Davidson's contemptu-
Gus criticism. "Why, its old as the hills.
I want a design which will show the
line stretching from the dawning east
to the setting sun in the west, without
all this rubbish, with, the light so ar
ranged as to produce a novel and stril-
ing effect, a chariot driven by Progress,
Development and Wealth, and"
John Van Styver's eye had been me-
chanically arrested by the sight of the
drawings, and the explanation given by
Davidson, not SO much to Dick as to
ease off some of his disappointed irrita-
tion at the apparent impossibility to OBJ
tain in all that big town anyone capable
of seizing and executing his idea.
The drawing was the best of those
submitted. Davidson turned it from
side to side, to see if anything could be
done with it.
During the pause which ensued John
Van Styver, taking a blank sheet from
his pocket and a pencil, dashed off a
design, weird and bold and beautiful.
A vast fair country, over a continent,
the stars and moon glimmering in the
west, and resplendent burst of the ris-
ing sun in the dawning east; a chariot
driven by three figures, magnificent in
lightness and grace of pose, horses
whose mad and superb rush was the en-
bodiment of his own wild desire to reach
that land where the waves of the great
Pacific laved the seashore, stood out in
splendid lines, and great rush of pros
perity was pictured, as following the
straight line of the great road as it ran
from the one ocean brink to the other.
Slipping the drawing over Davidson's
shoulder, John placed it silently before
him on the desk.
'Phew!" exclaimed Dick, with vio-
lent start, looking on in astonishment
at Van Styver.
Davidson said nothing, but looked
long and hard at the splendid drawing
before him. Getting up, he held out his
hand TO John.
II don know your name, but you are
n great artist" he said, with energy.
"And what's more, you are the only one
who could come near interpreting my
idea, and you have executed it splendid
ly, far finer than had thought it out
myself I'm very much indebted to you.
I'll be glad o>give you a pass to San
Francisco, and ~ buy your sketch for
$500.
A mist came before AJohn's eyes, and
without one word he 3Nyung the hand
hard which extended him a check and
went out.
"Be hopeful. Leave on train in hours
time, bringing money" he telegraphed.
Rushing to his forlorn room, John be-
han m Uotbar biS fay beIOp uin orS and