The Worthington advance., 1900-11-30

ISNVS OVuA sAOIIlA UOIcsIA3N once u11U-
" told him that hi, greatest ambi-
| tion had been to lay upsstreasures II
Heaven? That to him the accumula-
tion Of . million or more dollars meant
the loss Of competence or hope, nay,
possibly, the lives Of hundreds Of hui
man beings; that q bottle Of cham
pagne represented tear wrHng from
as many. wretched, starving creatures
as il cost dollars; that from the can
vas, made worth the ransom Of = king
BY the painters art, peeped forth wan
faced little ones, wolf like, famished
faces of men and women; that from
rare, useless bits Of the potter's skill,
dripped drops Of blood wrung from toll
worn hands; from the anguished
brows Of the widowed, the fatherless
and orphaned?
widows and orphans, forsooth,"
thought Nathaniel Craft, as he recalled
these, to him, Quixotic notions, "why
should not women and children labor
for their daily bread? I labor! It's
more 10 their credit, I'm sure, than
waiting for dead mems shoes. Um!
Dead mems 81 ces."
His mind would revert to his own
children and the words he had over
heard-"He's too mean to die!" and
then he fell to wondering if the dead
were conscious of the rafting of the
clods upon their coffins; of the friend
ly tear, the sobs of grief, the .sigbs of
farewell from their loved ones.
"I'u not attend another funeral" he
resolved on his way to the Office. DE!
Why I have no intention of dying, no
symptoms of dying, nor have I time
for such thoughts. They distract me,
indeed, when my mind should be upon
business. Let me see! Homebreak
Central: closed at s7A. No doubt it
has advanced while have been vast
ing the morning. Twill more than
likely break before night. Good time
to sell" and in this way Mr.. Craft
became himself again.
The next and several succeeding
days saw a furry in the market" !"
and he forgot, in watching the "tick-
er," everything else but the rise and
fall of stocks. That document in his
safe, the unfilial speeches of his chill
dren, everything in the mad rush and
whirl of Wall street.
The furry was now over, Mr.. Nathan
iel Craft beamed-as near as a heart
less man can beam-with undisguised
satisfaction. Thousands upon thou
sands he had rolled up during the
storm-the storm which had wrecked
so many of his colleagues-andh hence
was he correspondingly happy.
Il can afford to indulge in little
extravaganza to-day" he mused, land
and at the same time show my ap-
probation of the mercies extended to-
ward me-" Nathaniel Craft some-
times felt that way when he had es-
capped the perils of the street." safely
landing as hostages many valuable
wreck. "1-let me see! think I shall
buy some simple flowers for John Nor
ris' grave. Ill have my card attached,
of course so it will not be money
thrown away. I was never one to
hide my light under bushel," he
chuckled, "as John was in the habit
of doing. They say he left most of
his money to the poor, and none to
relatives who did not need it. HIN,
we'll, my money, I'm determined, shall
serve to perpetuate the name 5of Ma
thanie1 Craft, Esq. A church, or in
stitution of some sort, far excelling any
structure of the kind in this city.
Why, bless mel" frown obscuring
the beaming smile upon his face, Il
had forgotten that little matter" and
the next moment he had opened the
safe and withdrawn that document
again. A chilling air from the interior
greeted him as he did so. He shivered
little, and fancied he detected an
earthly smell, such as a newly-made
grave gives forth. In imagination he
heard clods falling upon boards which
resounded hollowly, saw his own face
with ali exu!tant smile, mockingly
gazing upward upon the dry eyes of
his own children, upon the Indifferent
faces of the merely curious. The
thought was not pleasant one for
even such man as Nathaniel Craft.
'He's too mean to die" The remem-
brance of those words drove any soft
ened feelings from his heart, and a
few moments later certain parts of
that document lay in the waste bas-
ket torn into shreds. The remaining
portion he restored to the safe, with
grim smile upon his lips, and the
next morning he was on his way to
the florist.
His face wore it's usual cold express
sion, as awhile later, he entered the
cemetery of Greenwood. The solemn
tolling of the bell at the entrance dis
turbed him. "A piece of extrava-
gance,"' he muttered, "for the living
must pay the toller."
From toller to "ticker" went his
thoughts, from ticker to stocks, from
stocks TO- prospective millions, and
then-but here was the newly made
grave of his friend, John Morris.
| why, bless mel" he exclaimed. "a
headstone already! Well, must say
commend its simplicity. Suitable,
indeed, for a man who left his all to
the poor" I'm afraid Nathaniel Craft
sneered little just here.) Him, let
me see,'' reading, easily. the bold type
of name and dates, II must get out INV
glasses for what follows. A silly verse
by some driveling idiot, I presume
ali! TO live in hearts we leave behind
is not to die.'"
Twice, thrice, he repeated thu
words, slowly, thoughtfully. The bel
had ceased tolling, and presently h.
became aware of voice near by sol
emily repeating the words: -
II am the Resurrection and the Life
saith the Lord; he that believeth il