The Opelousas courier., 1898-12-17

shall reap,
> Resting awhile after work is done,
Till the sunbeams CLINT where tn
shadows creep.
New York Sun.
/ How Bingham missed His ClaQC|
you are working too hard, oil
man," said Jack Bingham's friends
one after another, as they saw hi.
rudy cheeks turn pale, his springy
elastic tread become dull and drag
glng, and heard less and less often hi
CHEEKY If not exactly tuneful whistle
But to all their good advice anu ear
nest protests Jack turned a deaf ear
smiled a little, and kept at his tasks
the steadier.
None Of his friends properly appre'
ciated Jacks unusual devotion to la.
Dor, for none of them knew it's incen.
tive-that he was in love. She was q
dainty little thing, always admired by
men and rather looked down upon aud
at the same time envied by her own
sex; at home the pet of her parents
and in society an imperious and ex-
acting young belle. Just the kim Of
girl, In short, with whom it waS the
height of folly for Jack to be in love,
and consequently the object, of. the
most ardent alteration on his part.
Preserving a measure of clear-head-
edness even in his worship, Jack plain
~ realized that IS the head Of. a
household where economy was neces-
sary his idol would prove a melan-
choly failure. Resolving, therefore, to
earn enough. money to prevent. her
from worrying as to ways and means,
he worked early and late, steadily and
hopefully. Tho copy he turned out
was good in spite Of Its volume; his
regular salary from his paper was in
creased, together with his duties; and
his income from outside work reached
an astonishing figure.
Still, the money did not come fast
enough to suit the impatient lover,
who %thereupon began to worry and
fret. Now the man who works with
his brain sixteen hours a day, and
worries and frets in addition, has not
a long career Of usefulness before
him, be his motives what they may.
Jacks eyes gave way first. Specks
and blurs foated in them, and through
them jumped pains that drew his head
down on his folded arms in spite of |
himself. His feet and hands grew
heavy, as if his blood had turned t.
lead. Six months before he had gone
up or down the Office stairs in three
jumps. Now they seemed to grow
longer every day, and often he stop
ped half way with asqueer. little caten
in his side. Presently the pain that
gnawed at the back of his eyeballs re-
fused to yield even to. sleep. Then
Jack grew afraid, but did not let his
fear keep him from his work.
He was not sure Of himself III those
days, and adopted the precaution Of
reading over aloud whatever of i'm
p%ortance he had written. One day it
about that as e4eyread, his
seemed suddenly tswiollen and
useless, and he could not: utter the
words his mind framed. He turned
to his typewriter and placed, as he
thought, the heading he desired on
The article he had written but could
aot read. II
When the foreman in the. composing
room saw 'The Love of Ethel" intro
lucing a column of interviews O the
Tariff, he laughed at. first, and then;
Jacks looks of :. late,
grew grave. Soon he made a pretext
consulting Jack-but- not -abeut3
he tariff article-and saw in a mo-
nent that the mischief was not caused
~ whiskey. :.
Soon the managing, editor came and
c was LED away to a cab. babbling
about Ethel, his work. and tile
money he had saved; money that
proved a godsend in the long months
hat followed. For Jack was an or
'han, his friends were careless, happy
bohemians, and brain. fever
$ an Illness that demands the mos,
Of physicians and the most
'areful of nurses So when Jack
anne to himself again, very. pale and
hin and quiet, he knew that his pre-
.ious store must be drained low. (
That troubled him little, however. ,
'ompared with his torturing doubt of {
ethel. Why did he. not hear from {
Ter? Why did not she come to him |
low that he was so much better? The S
indy doctor had noticed, Jacks trou- q
lie; by a quiet inquiry had discovered t
THAT probably Jay at the hcttosn Of il: t
nd so had an ansWe ready for Jack t
when the latter screwed up his ccur- y
sge to ask for Ethel. She had been &
$ i'll as he, they told him, and like
was now SLOWLY but surely recov- e
ring. And Jack must rot worry t
bout her IN the least, for the, doctor I
you'd bring him news from her every
+
So Jack kept obediantly quiet amon / i
is pillows, listening intenty for the {
oetors footsteps. and flushing like a
II when the Gews was good. as. 4
oa,eaow, i alwass was, One day $