The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-02-12
GRATITUDE'S OFFERING.
Story of n New York Soldier Who Was Sick
Unto Death in n Hospital.

Whether / know as much now az | did
many years ago l leave for my unprejudiced
critics to decide: but | know one thing better
than ! used to. and that is not to tell every
thing that happens to me-"
The speaker was so earnest in his manner
that he was encouraged to proceed. He did.
Il got hard up. 1t was of the utmost i'm
p%ortance that l should keep that fact under
cover. ] heard OF n man whu negotiated loans
for people In my situation He would lend to
no one unless the applicant had seen better
daye. He had a theory that II a man had been
successful and afterward failed he must have
been honest. personally or commercially. and
that he would be governed by that honesty in
any obligation he contracted. ! told him my
story and two DAYS later l had the amount for
which ! had asked. 1t enabled me to make
an appearance in a certain social affair. A
few months later one OF my associates had a
financial fall and he came TO me for advice. |
told MIN of the bridge that carried me over
and he made a satisfactory negotiation. lie
invested his loan on advancing stocks and in
a short time he was walking on velvet. He
hat a friend who was pursued bv n smash-up.
The friend appealed to the lucky man. who
Kicked up the cripple and put him on his feet.
He made q bee-line for the object | had been
approaching by easy stages.
Then the war came on. not the civil war.
u NIllS lhNA plIC u puIS. uUu i LOON u Witt III
that direction. Somewhere in the deal ! got
into tho hospital, One day a man and a woman
| did not realize who they we're. / don't know
how long they remained, but when | regained
SS0 onsinS m ;Is l ns WAS q 9l0 ON col ! . say ,s a lard a
enough strength 70 pull ii 10 me. On it were
my name. date q enlistment, company. regi-
about my burial. ! was e. have a place in the
LOT OF the donor in one of the cemeteries near
II managed 10 ring the bell ard n nurse re-
spondeI' 1 showed her the card, and asked
She informed me that had been. put on the
list, but she did not know my friend. She only
knew he zane With u woman; and that the doc;
by this time and sent for the house physician.
re knew nothing about any suGharranGement.
said he would look into tho matter. but | as
stired him IL was not necessary also that as
there could he no funeral without my con-
cent he night co~untermand any orders that
had been lent out t"T " n2X m.,s. "a.
card? asked the house ply siciun.
II had meyer heard of The name. conse.
not understand how or why he was interested
"EThen had better coIntermand his or
Il did not know What order had been left.
bur ] imagined. aud ! said with some earnest
ness for a, dying man that. il ANYBODY was dig
ginp n hole IN the, ground for me, work might
lie fuslended. or course ! got we'll; quicker.
had, ever had. The second night after / Icft
the hospitalI jumped into a Gao and was driven
3 TO the house oi the friend / iirst mentioned in
this story. lie was living IA high grass, Oi
showed him the card on which wa, written
the nnme ol my kind, unknown friend.
Don't Won know him? asked lhe man On
whom ] was calling, And when | replied that
] did not, ! was asked II knew d Miss -.
whose name. OF course. J don't give. Ger
tainlv knew a woman Of TINT nnInC Then
my. friend put his hands on M Knees Hlld
said.
, You helped me out of a financial hole once.
sam. and your INFORMATION enabled me ~
helm ont a friend, lie WAS next - suicidal
despair when he came to me. The very lay
lie got his loan things Iumpcd his way. and
they hnve been JumIrnE the sam" way ever
since. And you went TO the war, Fam. And
YOU are Il hero in IN" estimation al YOUR
friends. even, in hers, sam. for she Intended tn
bury you In her (umIlY Mot
If ] had Kept my mouth shut my. friend
might not have made the lHcky turn he did.
! A.d IT. he had not, his friend would not have
made his. and II the latter had not done so
I'm thinking he would not have married the
woman | intended to marry.
" BY the way" he added indiGerently. as he
pushed the button. Il was her partner in a
dance at her friends a few evenings since,
She didn't notice had written opposite the
number nv alias, The Corpse