Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-11-04

YOUNG Why
and the wherefore of his prospective move
ment, and added in crude and ine!esant
terms, solemnly and with respect or ia
miilarly like Kirby flor it was pay night
an expression of their surprise and regret
and hope that they would meet on some
other job of the COmpany's Stewart
Trough. stonesetter. stumbled around on
ms nat feet, getting his long and skinny
body in the way of the file of men while
this was going on, and finally grasped In
rie's hand in his own mortar-crusted paw
He shook it heavily and tapped the sllper-
tntehoeh{ coat with the end of his bony
niger while he said: "WeeI guild luck tn
ye lad. and mind what Alive always tell
We ABOUT discriminating between the guild
ana the bad. Night and day the de'iPs
abroad on the highway, ven mind"
And no one knows ii better than YOU
Stewart. for you have met him often and
succumbed.' said Imrie with a laugh.
III ne DON meet him tonight l don
know began Cusack: with the coin in
his pocket an his bowels cryin' out so Won
can near their sufferin' cries for a little
drop that they have n had since last nav
an me oeautlful-' He continued on in
a low humble, getting no attention to mis-
words and expecting none. and perfectly
satisfied thus. 'Wee gud-bye and guild
luck TO Sc" he blurted out at last, pump
ing lmrie 5 arm again.
m not going for five or six days. Stew
art. said Imr:e
SO ye're not. WeeI. guid-bye if All don't
see ye again Considering that he was
Iidb' 70 see the superintendent every time
ne cared to look up from his work during
the ten hours of working day the remark
was SuDeTfluous.
Taking their cue from Stewart Brough
the rest OF those who We're hanging around
stepped up and shook hands with Imrie,
with a word or two or saying nothing at
all Other employees, as they came in and
fingered for minute, caught the gist of
me proceeding. and they also shuffied up to
the young man and added their well wishes
10 what had already been expressed The
transient hands, not understanding looked
on in wonder.
This your reception dav?" ousried the
bOokkeeper.
In fact. the assistant superintendent was
holding a leyee in the little office. and in a
quiet, gOod-natured way returned the kindly
and sincere good wishes of the uncouLh but
good-hearted workers. 1T is not an every
day occurrence for a mans popularity
among his workmen to be shown so I'M
mistakably, and MCKeon felt proud both
of his protege and of the fact that such
sentiment was possible on a job in his
charge.
But though outwardIy Imrie was pleased
and gTatihed at the kind feljCitatiCpS, there
was ever running through his mind a cur
rent of thought that tainted the sweetness
Of the occasion. And what To a young man
should have been welcome and agreeable
was al the more bitter and ironicaI by its
order in the succession of events.
matter of two weeks ago he had stood
at the gate Of an Old-fashioned homestead
had asked the girl he loved to be his wife
1t was in the cleaning of a summers even
ing in the shadow of the house which set
back but few feet from the picket fence,
nesting in a cluster of half-groWn eIms
was the home Of Barbara ElweH. You can
see from the top of the cantileyer convey
ors on the cana, or from the crest of the
spoil bank It's white walls cleaning among
the green of its surroundings There trem-
bhngly, but with confidence born of hope,
ne had whispered the words that had lain
on his tongue for a long time.
And she had given him his answer. He
was forewarned by laugh. a laugh ap-
parently sincere, but what there was to af-
ford merriment is beyond mans capacity
for guessing. She was no more than a
child, and il was the answer of a child
and of spoiled child She drew away
quickly in a fieeting moment of surprise at
the unexpectedness of il, and then a rip
ping laugh sounded the death knel of his
hopes. He had better taken that as final
cutting though it was. But he must know
the why and wherefore, and she had given
MIN cause to hope and all that, and was
there another?
Miss Barbara Elwell was a very pretty
girl. of a breezy, fresh western brand of
prettiness, and SWANS of LemOnt and of
the neighbOrtng big metropolis had told her
so IN terms of varying frankness. Finish
Ing school ideas still fiOated through her
brain, and she looked upon worldly mat
tiers from the standpoint of a nineteen-year-
Cd, nOYel-reading girl. To her the good
clothes OF man Were the index of his
WOrthlneSS, or at least such sentiment did
IN some degree, at this period of her life
mold her opinions of the other Sex
She put 1t in this way to Imrie: Marry a
man whose duties require him to assoc-
ate with those dreadful canal men? oh.
really, l could not think of it. And then
your work is sO-sO-well, dirty you know
Besides. Mr.. Imrie. I'm sure | do not love
you. The last sentence was uttered with
a marked effort to bring it out in a tone
that would carry conviction with it,
Crushed and sore in heart the unsuccess-
iuI sutton left her and wended his way to
his lonesome and cheer ess room in the
hotel. there to make himself more rnisera-
bic with bitter thoughts.
but do not allow yourself to become pref
udlced against her for she is the heroine
OF TINS story and is a brave little girl
SO lmrie was furnished with one woman's
view of his calling, and spent many min
utes IN the following days in wondering
whether ne had been wrong in liking a
trade that built railroads and canals and
such mean things and required him to roiy
up with able-bodied, strong men who wore
OEeraliS ten hours out of the twenty-four
IL oelns the only business he was con-
Eersaht with, and as he had been fairly
successful al ii for man of his age he
dld not contemplate a change in his line of
work; but the next day he did write TO the
nome office asking to be transferred To an
other Job, preferably the Memphis work
where the climate would not be as severe
on MS health. Such was the reason he Of
Iefeu' ana nobody knew that he wanted tn
get away from the vicinity of Lemont he
cause 1t was the scene of his djsanno
Iheht In woman he had instated in bis
heaft as an idol fit for his worshfp He
wanted 10 obiiterate all recollection of her
ehtlTely-to forget her as though she had
not been always in his thoughts ever since
ms ADVENT on the canal. He wanted 70
forget the solitary walks the buggy ridee
atone together over shady roads of Thai
part OF the unchaperoned west which ha
could not do while he was Obliged, 70 ms
ner mouse four times a day to and fron
tne motel where he stopped
With a cold, stiff lifting Of bis no. =,
greeted her when she happened to be in the
garden when he passed. and in the same
sPIrit was MS salutation returned In her
innermost heart, however, she Ioneed Tor
MN TO stop and speak, and yet that same
heart was all a-flutter with fear lest he
should do so as his steps brought hin,
nearer the gate. Her eyes, when his hacl.
was turned. looked shyly out from under
their iashes, and, wistfuI and nlesdtng
they followed him down the graveled waif
could he, on that evening have been In.
ouced TO subdue his mental upbraidinp of
al. womankind and look back he nnigbt
nave seen her standing on the porch With
an arm encircling the post, looking Ions-
ingly in his direction. For moment tba11
ms name was on her tongue to call hin,
back, but 1t remained unuttered untjI his
figure was lost in the gathering darkness