Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1899-07-13

made by Western railway president in
in 1896, Mr.. Kipling's description shows o
singular knowledge of American railway
men and methods. as we'll as of American
character. By permission Of The Century
Company, we print herewith the passage
in question, from Chapter TX. OF "Cap-
tains Courageous
Whatever his private sorrows may
be, q multimillionaire, like any other
workingman, should keep abreast O.
his business. Harvey Cheyne, senior,
woman broken down, half mad, who
dreamed day and night of her son
drowning in the gray seas. He had
surrounded her with doctors, trained
nurses, massage-women, and even
faith-cure companions, but they were
useless. Mrs. Cheyne lay still and
moaned, or talked of her boy by the
hour together to any one who would
listen. Hope she had none, and who
could offer it? All she needed was as
surance that drowning did not hurt;
and her husband watched to guard lest
she should make the experiment. OF
his own sorrow he spoke little-hard-
Iy realized the depth o. it till he
caught himself asking the calendar on
his writing-desk, "Whats the use of
going on?"
There had always lain a pleasant
notion at the back of his head that,
some day, when he had rounded off
everything and the boy had left col
lege, he would take his son to his
heart and lead him into his pos
sessions. Then that boy, he argued,
as busy fathers do, would instantly
become his companion, partner and
ally, and there would follow splendid
years OF great works carried out to-
gether-the old head backing the
young fire. Now this boy was dead
lost ct sea, as it might have been q
Swede sailor from one of Cheyne's
big teaships; the wife was dying, or
worse; he himself was trodden down
by platoons of women and doctors and
maids and attendants; worried almost
beyond endurance by the shift and
change of her poor restless whims; !;
hopeless, with no heart to meet his
many enemies.
He had taken the wife to his raw
new palace in San Diego, where she
and her people occupied q wing of
great price, and Cheyne, in veranda
room, between secretary and type
writer, who was also a telegraphist,
toiled about wearily from day to day.
There was war of rates among four
Western railroads in which he was
supposed to be interested; devastat-
ing strike had developed in his lumber
camps in Oregon, and the Legislature
OF the State of California, which has
no love for its makers, was preparing
open war against him.
Ordinarily he would have accepted
battle ere it was offered, and have
waged a pleasant and unscrupulous
campaign. But now he sat Imply,
his soft black hat pushed forward on
his nose, his big body shrunk inside
his loose clothes, staring at his boots
or the Chinese iunks in the bay. and
asserting absently to the secretary's
questions as he opened the Saturday
mail.
Cheyne was wondering how much
it would cost to drop everything and
pull out. He carried huge assurances,
could buy himself royal annuities, and
between one of his places in Colorado
and little society (that would do the
wife good), say in Washington and in
the South Carolina Islands, man
might forget plans that had come to
nothing. On the other hand
The click OF the typewriter stopped; /;
the girl was looking at the secretary,
who had turned white.
He passed Cheyne telegram re-
peated from San Francisco,
"Picked up by fishing schooner
We're Here having fallen offboat great
times on Banks fishing all well wait
ing Gloucester Mass care Disko Troop
for money OF orders wire what shall do
and how is mama Harvey N Cheyne. !"
The father let it fall, laid his head
down on the roller-top of the shut
desk, and breathed heavily. The Sec
retary ran for Mrs. Cheyne's doctor,
who found Cneyne pacing TO ana ITO.
What-what d. you think of it? Is
it possible? Is there any meaning to
it? I can't quite make it out" he
cried.
81 can," said the doctor. IT lose
seven thousand a year-that's all. +"
lie thought of the struggling New
York practice he had dropped at
Cheyne's imperious bidding, and re-
turned the telegram with sigh.
"You mean you'd tell her? May
be fraud?"
"What's the motive?" said the doc
tor, coolly. "Detection's too certain.
It's the boy sure enough.
Enter French maid, impudently,
as ansndispensable one who is kept on
only by large wages.
''Alrs. Cheyne she say you must