The Negro world., 1900-04-21

- utss yer Rltin mouse wArmlfi
amt VI? ." he asked. smiling in as re.
assuring a manner as possible i've
been Logging it fer Is hours, and I'm
fit to DROP
Rhoda would never have encouu-
tered all of those embarrassments
which had made him an outcast If he
had not been of a whimsical tempera-
ment-- Now, suddenly. his fear de-
serted him. He desired an adventure
1t certainly had been devoid of ad-
venture in the place of his residence
for the last two years.
He held out his hand.
Come in." said he. There are two
chairs and fire enough for forty. II Is
a pity | cannot give you something to
eat and drink"
He was smiling, and actually. for a
moment, glow went through him
like that which comes from the exer-
else of hospitality. The other man
advanced almost jauntily.
well, l call this white" he said.
in commendation. You're n gentle
man, l ken see that, il you are down
on your luck"
Don't speak Of that, please" said
Rhoda, lightly. 81 was just making
up my mind to forget it for time
"Eh? Well, that's good idee.
Something to eat and drink, did yeh
say? Man. I've got i'll"
mol"
Here yeh are" He took two slices
of dried bread out of his pocket
That's the eatin'"
He produced flask in which there
was, perhaps. four mouthfuls of am
Der liquid, And that's the drinkin',
and there might he more"
I'VE can toast the bread" suggest
ed Rhoda. His guest drew formid-
able knife from his pocket and opened
its one terrible blade slowly Rhoda
smiled with infantile grace and seat
ed himself cross-legged before the
fire. He was not entirely sure of the
purpose of that unsheathing of the
weapon, but he determined to make
light of it. However, he had appnr-
emily no cause for apprehension. His
companion stuck slice of bread on
the point of the blade and held IL up
before the fire.
''It smells good" remarked Rhoda.
~ wish TO heaven there was a smell
of hot coffee going with IT,"
The other man looked pensively
into the fire.
"Yes," he said, rehectively. 81 wish
so. too" He got TO the second slice
of bread and toasted IL to a warm
brown. Then they began TO eat. 1t
was quite ceremony. The men
talked of going 10 climate where
there was no winter, and they were
truly magnificent. No one listening
would have doubted their ability TO
visit such a place If they had pleased.
Afterward they made the fire safe aud
laid down with their feet toward the
glowing ashes and slept.
Maybe I'll be | when wake up
and maybe l WON'T" thought Rhoda,
humorously. as sleep came over him.
But 1t doesn't matter, really. That
knife, however, is an ugly sleeping
companion. / dare say | shall know
more about IL by morning than | do
now"
He fell asleep easily for all of that,
and he dreamt of walking under
palms with the man by his side, and
of sailing with him over summer seas,
He dreamt of fighting by his side,
and of struggling to defend him from
some danger; and then, suddenly. he
sat up and saw the dawn peepiug
about the edges of the curtain.
$50 the knife isn't in me. after all,
he commented, and looked about for
his companion. But he was not TO
be found. Inc room was unoccupetl
save by himself Instinctively he felt
for his money. IL was safe. And on
the floor by his side lay the knife.
Rhoda lifted IL and stared at IL stu
pidly Then, by degrees. the signif-
cance of ii came over him. IL was a
gift for remembrance, and all that
it's owner had to bestow. II was the
first evidence Of friendship that the
man who held IL in his trembling
hand had received for years. Some
thing that he had thought dead
stirred in him. He put the gift in his
pocket and arose 10 his feet. Obscure
~ it came across him that the hos
pitality had been worth while, the
confidence had been worth while~-it
had been worth while to dream those
dreams of comradeship. He went out
of the murky building and down on
the street. As he walked along be
held his head like a man who has a
purpose in his mind. The skulking
attitude of the night before was gone.
He walked into a newspaper Office
and bent over the desk where the ad-
yertisements for workers were dis
played. and, as he looked at them,
writing down a number Of addresses,
he ranked himself once more in the
mighty file OF honest men. Dimly,
like an evil vision, away into the OBJ
livion of the past, wound that other
procession Of which he had once been
a part-that procession Of dark fig-
ures with averted gaze. with mischiey-
Gus hands. with vain thoughts!-Chi-
eago Tribune.
How PoIiy Knew.
A "befo -de-war" matron WAS teach
ing one OF the little darkies on her