Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-09-15

some anecdotes of Towards earlier life
which he declared Walker had told
him. "E'd like to know whether Walker
is married or single, Ferguson thought.
"I've not a bully story l could tell
about him if l only knew. Doggone
him! wish / didn't have that letter
of introduction to him. He's getting to
be a kind of nuisance"
About the same time Walker, writ
ing to Howard, was saying how much
he was indebted to the western man for
the pleasure he had drawn from his
companionship with Ferguson, :
"Only I wish to heaven Harry hadn't
been SC fervent in his desire to have me
meet the fellow" he observed to him
self. II suppose that, as he says, this
man Ferguson is all right, but | haven't
time to go skating all over this town
looking him up. / presume | ought to
have gone and dug him out for Harry's
sake q long time ago, but I keep forget.
ting it, and now I've involved myself
in a foolish mesh Of lies about my ex,
periences with Ferguson, whom l have
not met, and whom, to tell the truth,
I'm getting so l don't want to meet.
Out in Pocatollo Harry Howard was
delighted with the tidings he received
from Chicago. "It's a great satisfac.
ton, y he told himself, "to bring two
good men together this way. It's really
a noteworthy thing to be the author OF
a firm friendship between two first class
people. Only l hardly think / under.
stand this last letter of F%erguson's. !
thought Walker had only two children,
and here Ferguson writes me about his
little girl. She must have been born in
the last year. There were certainly
only two boys when l passed through
Chicago last summer. III send Ben my
congratulations,
When Walker received the sheet con.
veying honest Harry Towards good
wishes for the best and brightest future
for little Miss Walker, he ran his fin.
gers through his hair and looked dazed.
when did I say anything about a new
baby?' he wondered. II must have
written him some lie about that fel.
low Ferguson's child. I think l have
described the mans wife and children
and father in. law and the mortgage on
his house in my communications with
Howard. Harry's always asking new
questions, and the chances are that Fer
guson has no family, and Howard thinks
it was a slip Of the pen and that | wrote
about my own new baby-which !
haven't got. Heavens, l wish this bust
ness had never startedl I wish I'd
promised to call on Ferguson. wish
Ferguson would get run over by a cable
car or come to some definite and perma-
nent end. I'm getting to hate the very
name of him. I'll bet he's a cheap
skate anyhow who has imposed upon
Towards good nature, Why should I
go drilling three miles into town just
to meet him and say: How are your |
know a friend Of yours l shan't do
it."
Ferguson had already come to a SINH
lar conclusion. "Howard's a first class
fellow, and he made things mighty
pleasant for me in Pocatello," he rea-
soned, "and it would have been no more
than white for me to call Oh that friend
of his at first, but I've got so blamed
tired of the very mention of the name
that it fills me with loathing. I believe
that if I were to meet that pirate of a
Walker I'd want to throw bricks at him.
I thought the first lie l told about him
would let me out, but the falsehoods
have multiplied upon themselves until
I don't remember half the faotsI have
reported concerning that outlaw whom
I have never seem"
Two weeks ago Ferguson and Walker
met. Ferguson, entering the library Of
his club, was accosted by a fellow mem.
Der, who introduced his visiting friend.
Walker. The two glared at each other,
and Ferguson hurried into the billiard
room.
II have changed my mind about pre-.
senting an application for member.
ship, said Walker to the man who was
escorting him. The next day Ferguson
met the member who had introduced
Walker and said, ''I'm sorry, old man.
but If it is your intention to offer that
fellows name for membership I'll Ger
tainly do my best to get him black.
balled."
And this was the contamination Of
Harry Towards kindly designs of re
viving Damon and Pythias. Chicago
Record.