El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-05-19


round faced, little man, whose natural
mjit:ness of eye is gigantically exag-
ger:tted when you catch the beam
through his glasses and whose deep,
deliberate voice irritates irritable peo-
pie i certain elaborate clearness OF
eannciation has come with him to his
present vicarage from his scholastic
days, an elaborate clearness of enunci-
alton and a certain nervous determine
ton to be firm and correct upon all Is
sues, important and unimportant alike.
He Is a sacerdotalist and a chess play
er and suspected by many of the secret
practice of the higher mathematics
creditable rather than interesting
things. His conversation is copiQus
and given much to needless detail. By
many, indeed, his intercourse is con-
demned, to put it plainly, as boring,
and such have even done me the COM
pliment to wonder why 1 countenance
him. But, on the other hand, there Is
q large faction who marvel at his coun-
tenaHeing such q disheveled, discredit-
able acquaintance as myself. Few ap-
pear to regard our friendship with
eUuantmity But that is because they
DO not know of the link that binds us,
OF my amiable connection via Jamaica
with Mr.. Ledbetter's past.
About that past he displays an anx-
ious modesty. 81 do not know what
should do if it became known" he
SAYS and repeats impressively, 81 do
net know what 1 should do AS a
matter of fact, 1 doubt if he would do
a. O
ears. But that will appear later, nor
VIII / tell here of our encounter, since,
as a general rule-though I am prone
to break 1.-THE end of a story should
!con1e after rather than before the be-
1ginnihg And the beginning of the sto-
~ goes long way back. Indeed 1t is
now nearly 20 years since fate, by
series Of complicated and startling ma
neuvers, brought Mr.. Ledbetter, so to
speak. into my hands.
! In those days 1 was living in Jamat-
ca, ana Mr.. Ledbetter was a school
master IN England. He was in orders
and already recognizably the same
man that he is today, the same rotundi-
ty of yisage, the same or similar
glasses and the same faint shadow Of
was. Of course, aisheveled when saw
him and his collar less of collar than
wet bandage, and that may have
helped to bridge the natural gulf be-
tween US But of that, as I say, later.
The business began at Hithergate-on-
Sea and simultaneously with Mr.. Led
better'S summer vacation. Thither he
came for a greatly needed rest, with a
bright brown portmanteau, marked
IF. W. L." a new white and black
straw hat and two pairs of white fan
mel trousers. He was naturally exhil-
arated at his release from school, for
he was not very fond of the boys he
taught. After dinner he fell into a
discussion with a laxative person es-
tablisAed in the boarding house to
which, acting on the advice of his
aunt, he had resorted. This laxative
person was the only other man in the
house. Their discussion concerned the
melancholy disappearance Of wender
and adventure in these latter days, the
prevalence of globe trotting, the abo1-
ton Of distance by steam and electrici-
ty. the yulgarity of advertisement, the
degradation of men of civilization and
many such things. Particularly was
the laxative person eloquent on the
decay of human courage through Sc
curitX. security Mr.. Ledbetter rather
thoughuessly Joined him in deploring.
Mr.. Ledbetter, in the first delight Of
emaneipat ton from duty and being
anxious perhaps to establish d reputa-
ton for manly conviviality, partook
rather more freely than was advisable
of the excellent whisky the talkative
perseR produced. But he did not be-
int r.
simply eloquent beyond his sober wont
and with the finer edge gone from his
Judgment. And after that long talk
of the brave old days that were gone
forever he went out into moonlit Hith-
eraate alone and up the cliff road
where the villas cluster together.
He bad bewailed and now, as he
walked up the silent road he still be-
wafied, the fate that had called him to
such an uneventful life as a peda-
gegae's. What prosaic existence he
led, SO stagnant, so colorlessI Secure,
methedical, year in, year out, what call
was there for bravery? He thought
envieusiy of those rowing, medieval
days, SO near and SO remote, of quests
and spies and condottieri and many a
risky blade drawing business. And
suddenly came a doubt, a strange
doubt springing out of some chance
thought Of tortures and destructive al
together Of the position he had assum-
ed that evening. Was he-Mr. Led
better-really, after all, SO brave as he
assumed? Would he really be SO pleas
ed to have railways, policemen and Sc
cprfty vanish suddenly from the earth?
Phe laxative man had spoken .envious-
ly Of crime. THE burglar" he said,
lis the only true adventurer left on
earth. Think Of his single handed
aipSf tho UboJa oivil;,oa