Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-05-17
THE LOST A

AoIh iIOhAud lCouhulduu anu, Walking
through the succession of small rooms,
saw only one vacant seat.
He sat down opposite a mar whose face
was hidden behind a newspaper. The
waiter brought a bottle of wine and a sar-
dine for the newcomer and a roast spar
row for the other man, who now folded
his newspaper and dropped 1t on the floor.
Then he looked across at his vis-a-vis, and
his hand fell to his side and hung limp.
The other man, having poured the thin
claret over the Jumps of ice in his glass,
lifted it to his lips and glanced up over the
rim. Then he set the glass down without
tasting, splitting a little claret.
"Dalton! ' he said indistinctly.
"Well, Holloway" said the other.
~ thought you were dead"
$50 I am-so far as you're concerned.
Who'd have thought you'd turn up herep"
eyes, what luck! l thought New York
was big enough to turn around in without
stumbling over some COMPOUNDED old ac-
quaintance."
sold acquaintance-well, that's pretty
cool. However, l shan't bother you. You
needn't be afraid of me. I'm not going
back out there, and if you ever do I'll
trouble you to keep a still tongue. You
needn't say you saw me. Understand"
"Oh, yes!" said the other man. "But l
don't bank much OH going back myself.
I'm about sick of this country. don't
blame you for wanting to keep out, but, I
say, that was a funny thing, you dropping
out the way you did. Everybody thinks
xyo,,J,,n lnol M looo and cI,,+ ~, =,
where. They had no end of a time look
ing for you-dragged the river and took a
posse through Sonora town. All the news
papers renovated you into a prominent
citizen, but | suppose you saw 'em."
"No, I didn't. I was down in Mexico.
How long ago did you leave Calif-beg
your pardon, l withdraw the question,
unless it happens to be-
sob, it doesn't matter! l left eight
months ago. I'm only here for-for-a
few days-just passing through"
"Yesf Let's see, it's two, three years
since l came away. Do you know what
this reminds me of? Two hurrying shapes,
don't you know, in No Mans Land, met
each other face to %face-very awkward
sometimes-and babe each other stand"
Sounds like footpads," suggested the
nervous man.
"No; it's poetry. Well, they asked each
others name"-
Here the two men looked at one anoth.
er, and the nervous ma broke into a gig
gle.
EXACTLY, We won't do that" He
emptied his glass and set it down. "They
call this stuff California %claret," he said.
look here, don't you want some news?"
News" The quiet mar blinked IN
certainly for a moment and then said:
eyes, I suppose SO. What Is it?"
swell, l meant-you know Sharpless is
mayor now. We got him in last year, and
1t was the biggest fight the town ever saw.
Jim Luke got the city attorneyship. He's
in the new city hall with velvet carpets
and hand painted spittoons. oh, the boys
are all right. And you wouldn't know
the place. Brick blocks going up every
where and cable cars on Main street"
The quiet nan began to eat his sparrow
and stringy salad. II suppose so," he
said.
"And, say-well, Of course it's O Of
my business. I suppose you hear from
out there, anyway"
"Not a word,'' said the quiet man.
"But go ahead, if you've got anything to
tell"
swell, it's only about-confound It'll
your wife. Say, Dalton, why in thunder
its none of my business, but it's pretty
hard on her."
"She must think I'm dead-I am dead
swell, she doesn't. She's still looking
for you. When they didn't find you in
the river, you know, she had detectives.
They oombed San Francisco for YOU"
The quiet a moved uneasily. "De-
~tectives cost money!" he said.
"They do. She's teaching now in the
public schools. The boys put that through.
She gets S95 a month, and that about
feeds the five young ones"
II left her enough. l left her half the
money l had. If l could have fixed it SO,
she could have got my life Insurance.
swell, why didn't you? There was the
river. Excuse me, old man, but is this
any better?"
ooh, yes!" said Dalton dreamily. Il
have a quiet life; all day in the library
If I like. You've no idea what a racket
five children can make in a small house.
And then out there l never could get the
books / wanted-the Latinists of the fourth
century, for instance. And then, you
know, a woman-a woman who's fond Of
you. 1t explains why the philosophers
were monks. But I'm getting pretty
close to bedrock, F" he added, frowning. II
don't like to eat in these places. And to
see you here!'
Eyes, I know" said Holloway hastily,
''but I've got just enough to take me
where I'm going. I pulled out with about
.$600-though the boys wouldn't believe
you If you told 'em. I suppose they think
I'm living in cotton-Monte Carlo orr
"Six hundred! Why, you used to have
your fist In deep. What's the matter lost
your pull?"
"Nellie's got Tiny wife, you know
that is, oil I could pull out. Say, Dalton,
l don't mind telling you'll don't suppose
you'd give me away, and If you did l.
the police
''The law can't touch me" said Dalton.
Holloway face flushed duly.
Perhaps not, but I wouldn't change
places with you. My wife's living in Eu-
r~ope-been there for a year. She's living
we'll too. She was always crazy to go.
She's got enough to make her comfortable
for some time, and I'm going-well, never
mind. I'd do 1t over again. l tell you,
Dalton, for a m you're fond of-but
what's the use Of talking to your Might
as we'll talk to a Lain grammar"
Dalton contemplated his cheese and
withered pears and thin coffee resignedly.
'If I didn't have to eat," he said, "I'd
be all right. l want few things, God
knows"
H." said Holloway under his breath,
tswant only ne."'-New York Advertiser.
An Unfortunate Wish.
The chaplain of a certain hospital, going