The age-herald., 1899-01-08


 ty dollars a week to live on. wrote and told them had fine job in Chicago. They believe it all right. When I'm fairly in the swim, and twenty-one, then we three go for that old relation of ours"
 "H Hn-Meantime he sits back and spends your money?'
 "Oh, that's all right. He doesn't know what's become of me, don't you see? That's the beauty of it-keeps him guessing When you're stealing and don't know how long it will be before you're nabbed, it isn't much fun"
 All this time Samuel had not told me eithey the name of the town he came from or his own surname. It was then, in fact, that I got myself into the habit of calling him, to myself that boy Samuel" I could see a plausible and honest reason for his concealment Still I was not thoroughly convinced that Samuel was strictly accurate in all these statements, which he might easily have borrowed from popular melo- drama. Now comes the story of how I found the proof of his veracity.
 I had offered him little money, which he refused, and some rcfreshment, which he also refused, and he had said good night and walked out of the hotel door, inviting me, if convenient, to drop in on him next week at the freight yard, where I was to enquire for Samuel Waters-not his true name he told me. Ao turned back to SC to the elevator, noticed grizzly bearded man chewing the end of an unlit cigar and watching me. Why he was watching me had no idea, and therefore I was tempted to find out. So I walked towards the stran- ger with a smile which designed to invite conversation. As it turned out, the grizzly beard was as affable as could desire.
 Know that youngster?" he asked me.
 Well" said, q do and don't.''
 Same here,' said the grizzly beard, chewing his cigar meditatively. "I used to well, 1t beats all how ungrateful young- sters are-never even recognized me-been staring at him and you this last half hour Didn't l used to teach that boy to play checkers back in Skyatte? Haven't seen his father this eight years, since moved over to Rockford. Oh, yes, the boy has grown good deal, but I knew him the moment I saw him.
 "Of course you know his father Is dead?"
 "Dead?" the gray-beard exclaimed in gen. uine horror. You don't say Myron K. Gower is dead?"
 q don't know" I said "This boy tells me his name is Samuel. Is that right?'
 His name is Samuel Gower sure as you're born. And I suppose now he's up here blowing in all his money eh?"
 Not much" said. And then went on and told the stranger all I had heard of Samuel from Samuel himself.
 Well, now" said this providentially ar- rived witness to Samueps truth, ''if that ''9ii eiiS tAlAS ] Ne HedTQ yet on old Bella Hubbard-and we used to cali him old Beelzebub out there, too Yes. sir. Myron K. Gower married old Beelzebub's niece, and he used to say if it hadn't been for her goodness the other Beelzebub would come and fly away with that old twin brother of his. Now, look here young man." he marched me up to the clerks desk and turned the register about-"that's my name right there. I'm a state senator and no family to spend it on. Now you tell me where l can lay my hands on poor little sam Cover this night, and I'm your friend to the full extent of my power and pull. .' Not being able to earn the senator's grati- tude in this particular way, did what I could by directing him to inquire for Sam uel Waters at the freight yards. Then I gave him my card with a New York ad- dress and asked him to give 1t to Samuel which, I now know, he did. That ends the story proper But there is a sequel. Samuel called on me in New York year after l had met him in Chicago I'm working hard at the drawing now" he said. "Pve got all the senator's bank account at my back, so I can afford to study art. That's my serious occupation. My amusement is to scare the granduncle. He doesn't know where am get letters