Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1899-12-05
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:. HIS TEHRTIETH BIRTHDAY :
ON That Day He Decided to Re-
nounce Prcferment For the
Girl Hc Loved.
By Lloyd Osborne.

y - y s. S3Ss - Is e5 e? es e e
His thirtieth birthday! His first
youth was behind him. with all its
heartburninss, its failures, its mani
fold humiliations. What had he done
these years past but drift, forlorn, pen
niless ana unattached, over those shall
lows where others had stuck and pros
porcd?
IN the co!oaies lie had to:led unre-
mittingly IN Es..f beaded characters,
groom. cooi:. boundary rider steamer
roustabout. a!srags sin i2g, always
failing Had Iite nothing more for
him than m endless succession of not
empty t&.s e. tie fGF;hea, beach of
UpoIu. VII scarcely more - eat than
the co.lu,ou,-st IzaA;:lSa and no other
outlet for his energies tAan the barter
ing Of SAT- Heef Tor copiah and an oc-
casional nights fishing oE the reef?
The noise of aa incoming boat drew
him to the door. ANA he looked out to
see the pastors old whaier heading
through the pass. a half grown girl
leaped into the water and FASTENED up
to the store with something fastened
in Il banana leaf, 1t was n letter.
which she shyly handed to the trader.
Walter Kinross looked at it with sur
prise, for it was the first he had re-
ceived for four years. and the sight Of
its English stamp ana familiar hand
writing filed him with something like
awe:
My Dear Nephew-I know you're pretty old to
come back and start life afrcsh here, but il YOU
had he tnd IN
out there and tied by the leg forever IN help
you to make Ecw start. if you have the grit to
do 1t. You shan't starye il Sl.5JD n year will
keep you, and If you will try and turn a
new leaf and make OF yourself in good car
nest am prepared to mark you down suhstau-
tally in my viii.
But, mind. no promises; payment strictly by
results. You're no longer a boy, and this is prob
civilized life again and meeting respectable folk.
nclose you draft at sight on sydney for 1850,
for you will DOUBTLESS need clothes, ctc, as well
your passage money, and il you decide not to
return you can accept il present from your
ALFRED BAysock.
The house could not contain him and
his eager thoughts; he must needs feel
the sky overhead and the trades
against his cheek, and take all nature
into his puny confidence. Besides,
Vaiala had now Il new charm for him,
one he had never counted on to find.
Hard and lonely though his life had
been, this Samoan bay was endeared to
him by n thousand pleasant memories
and even by the recollection of his past
unhappiness. Here he had found peace
and love, freedom from taskmasters,
scenes more beautiful than any picture,
and, not least, sutliciency to eat.
4 little money, and his life might
have been tolerable. even happy;
enough money-for good sized boat, n
cow or two, and those six acres of the
Pascoe estate he lad so often Ionged to
buy How often lad lie talked of it
with Leata, who had been 10 less eager
than himself To harness their quarter
acre to the six and make them all his
little paradise. Poor Leata, whom he
had taken so lightly from her fathers
house and paid for in gunpowder and
kegs Of beef; his smiling. soft eyed
Leata. who would have died for hfml
What was to become of ber in this new
arrangement OF things.
BY this time lie had worked quite
round the bay, and almost without
knowing ii he found himself in front Of
Paul Euglebert's store. Englebert was
the other trader in Nai2ll, peppery,
middle aged Frussian. who had been a
good friend OF his before those seven
| breadfruit trees had come between
them.
lie recalled Englebert's rough, jovial
Kindness, remembered how Paul had
cared for liinl through the fever, and
helped bi.n aftcrgard with money and
trade. How could he have been so petty
as 20 make n quarrel CT these bread
fruit trees? Poor old Paul! 1t was n
shame they hadn't spoken these two
years.
On the veranda, barefoot and In
striped pyjamas. was Englebert. pre-
tending not to see him. To Kinross. as
he walked up the path and mounted
the veranda stairs. the man looked old
and sick. and not a little changed.
How do you do. Englebert?" he said.
The German looked at him with
smoldering eyes. Cant you see I'm
busy? q he said
You might offer a man chair" ("
said Kfnross. seating himself on the
tool chest
"'Dere is no jare for dem dat isn't vel
come, said the German.
II used to be welcome here" said
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