The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-05-07
%. THE TANBARK ROAD.
by WALTER L. HAwLEY.

plans Tor spending portion OF the great
fortune that would be his as soon as he
struck tanbark. With her he talked freely
Of leisurely journeys In the far east, the
delights of life in Paris, the construction
of home in upper Fifth avenue where tho
extent of true Kentucky hospitality should
be limited only by the dividends of the tan
bark road.
Miss Aggle had reached that stage of life
where women are prone to magnify the at
tentons Of men, and the condolences of Col
onel Dockery pleased and hattered her very
much. She believed in him and did not
for one moment doubt the success of his
enterprise. When the colonel, in the recess
of the bay window of the boarding house
parlor, grew sentimental and eonf1ded to
her that as soon as the company was or
gained he hoped to find time for a matter
that was very near his heart, the taking OF
a partner for life to share his good fortune,
Miss Aggie as she later confessed to Mrs.
Wiley, felt all in flutter" However, she
was herself something of a promoter whore
her own interests seemed to be at stake,
and with half suppressed signs and much
dropping of the eyelids she told the colonel
that such a gallant and noble gentleman
deserved the best woman in the world, and
that a queen might be proud to share his
heart and fortune.
Colonel Dockery was, indeed, too gallant
to ignore the impression he had made, and
proposed then and there, with much pro-
testing of his own weaknesses and shf
comings as he stood revealed in the ligf
his great love for such a noble VIZ nan,
whose soul scared above the common clay
of earth. Miss Buchanan stammered,
blushed, pretended to hesitate and finished
with her head on the eolonePs shoulder aid
her heart almost bursting her stays beating
tattoo of triumph.
For a month Mrs. WiIey's guests talked
of nothing but tanbark. The colonel was
all devotion, but Wall street failed to
awake to its opportunity and the Ohio
River and Tanbark Railway and Transpor-
tation company remained unorganized. The
wedding was not to take place until he had
concluded his business arrangements
struck tanbark, as he expressed 1t. At the
end of six weeks the other boarders began
to talk in whispers about rumor that
Colonel Dockery was unable to pay his
board and that Wall street brokers had de-
nounced his tanbark railroad as an absurd
dream in which no sane man would invest
money. A few days later the boarders De-
gan to eat breakfast in silence while they
cast plying glances at Miss Buchanan.
Some of the young men were rude enough
to smile openly when Mrs. Wiley, in her
pay day voice, asked Colonel Dockery, as
she poured his second cup of coffee, how
soon he expected to strike tanbark.
Very soon, Mrs. Wiley, very soon," the
colonel replied in a cheerful tone. Great
enterprises move slowly at the beginning.
but my negotiations have now reached a
stage when 1 feel justified in saying to Hhy
fellow stockholders (glancing at the other
boarders) that l shall strike tanbark with
in week.
The climax came on the following Mon
day morning when Mrs Wiley came down
to the dining room with tears in her eyes
and announced that Coloner Dockery had
gone away owing her for eight weeks board
a
much worn trunk.
II don't care SO much for the loss of my
BILL" she sobbed, but the man has broken
the heart of poor Miss Aggie and scandaliz-
ed my house. 1 never had such a thing
happen before in all my experience, and to
think she loved him SO, and had actually
planned her wedding gown. Poor girl, I'm
so sorry for her, and know I'll never get
cent of what the man owes me. Who
ever heard of a tanbark railroad, anyway?
almost believe that Colonel Dockery Is a
fraud"
For week or more Miss Aggie Buchanan
did not appear in the dining room. The dis
appointment and humiliation of having lost
the only man to whom she had ever been
actually engaged crushed her spirit and she
began to pine and grow thin. The other
boarders sent messages of sympathy and
coincidence, and once they contributed
enough to purchase flowers, but Miss Ag-
Mrs. Wiley took her in hand and told her
very emphatically that she must get out
into the world and forget the miserable
wretch who had so deceived every one in
the house.
"Come, my poor child. 1 am going to the
horse show this afternoon and you shall go
with me-"
After a brief spell of crying Miss Aggie
consented and three hours later the two
women forgot disappointments While they
eagerly watched the great panorama of
wealth and fashion at the horse show. Af-
ter they had carefully inspected the gowns
and bonnets of all the other women pres
ent they glanced towards the ring where a
man standing on platform was making an
announcement about horses. moment
later a magnificent specimen of the Ken
lucky thoroughbred came prancing into the
ring, led by an elderly groom, who seemed
to understand perfectly how to manage his
charge so as to show the animaps pest
points to advantage.
Miss Aggie Buchanan leaned froward in
her seat with a gasp and her fact turned
pale.
Look, lookl Oh. Mrs. Wiley, that I
should have lived to see this day. she cried
as she caught her companion by the arm
"Where? What is it?' the old woman
asked.
1T is he! oh, to think what a fool
wasn'
"Who is it?"
'That man, look, The one leading the
horse"
Mrs Wiley adjusted her glasses and look
ed closely at the whitehaired groom.
"Sakes alive, it's Colonel Dockery!' she
exclaimed
"oh, Mrs. Wiley, take me home" moaned
the young woman
Don't you worry, my dear. Just think
what you have escaped said Mrs. Wiley,
as she gathered up tho wraps 1.-THE col
onel working as a horse jockey! Did you
ever hear of such thing? He has struck
tanbsrk at lasty'
PAP AfR eHyHf4rAK