The suburban citizen., 1901-03-02
ERHAPS Jones accepted life
in too serious a spirit; per-

/ overmOdest; perhaps lie at
/ tached an undue importance to certain
emotions which in the breast of ordi.
nary men are transitory. but certain
it is that the days of his early man
hood were deeply tinged with blue;
that he fell backward in the fight for
place, and permitted bitterness to en-
ter his heart, although it passed not
his lips that he loved sincerely and
with constancy unwavering.
Those who knew Jones in his early
days found In him a source of merr-
ment. Poor chap! Every shaft Of
cheap village wit found him vulnera-
BILE, and when he struck back, which
was not often, he did it with such gen
tleness and awkwardness that he 0p-
peared quite ridiculous. His love al
fair with Mary Brown furnished
amusement for two summers and two
winters. 1t was not much Of q love
affair. Beyond the fact that he was
smitten by the girls charms, which
We're many, both of mind and body, it
was not outwardly love affair at all.
There are reasons for thinking that
had the girl not sickened he would have
asked her to marry him. and would
have been refused. But the sickness
came while the words were yet un-
spoken, and one day he was missed.
He had gone West, his moth
or said vaguely to those who
inquired. She was afraid he
would never return. He was n
good boy. she added, her voice break
Ing slightly, but he had never seemed
able to get along with the people. He
was not understood She had hoped
10 see him and Mary Brown married,
but he had spoken to the doctor about
It, and the doctor had discouraged
him 1t was not right, the doctor said,
for folks with consumption to marry.
She was glad he had not proposed to
the girl it would have made it so
much moro painful for the girl, poor
dear!
More than one young man left the
village that year 20 seek his fortune,
as the saying is. 1t was like other vii
lages-a place to be born in and to be
reared in; that is all. 1t offered no
encouragement to the ambitious. Oc-
casionally one Of its sons, battered
and bruised by the outside world,
came back, haltingly and trembingly,
to die; but few returned to live Some
Of these young men went into the mar
ket places, and some into the gold
fields, some here and some there, but
two of them enlisted in the service Of
their country. And it came to pass,
not strangely at all, but naturally,
that they met St an army post in the
Far West, and accosted each other
feryently and with joyousness. One
Of them bore the red cross on his
sleeve, and the other touched it lightly
with his finger when the long hand
shake was over.
Glow did you come to get into ii,
Jones?" he asked.
There was the slightest Of uniuten-
tional emphasis upon the prOnoun,
and Jones's sensitive lips quiyered for
an instant.
Il don't really know" he replied;
"it just happened So When l left
home seven years ago | went to work
In a drug store at Davenport. 1t was
not a very good job. The druggist
laughed when l applied for it. He
said he wanted boy. Still, he would
rather have big chap like me If
would be satisfied with the pay. l
didn't promise 10 be satisfied. but
took the place l was tired Of looking
for work, and the little money | had
was getting alarmingly less. That
was the beginning In two years, by
bard study, / was registered phar-
macist, and getting fair wages, but |
wasn't happy. | aon't suppose I'll
ever be regularly happy, although I've
been nearer that way since l gor into
this than l ever was before, l never
know before what it was to have any
ones race light up with welcome when
they saw me coming. l never knew
before what it was to have my fellow
men cling to me and depend on me;
jts sweet-sWeetw
He drew a long breath, as II inhal-
ing a pleasant fragrance, and there
was far away look in his eyes, akin
TO rapture
Il studied medicine after l received
my degree in pharmacy" he went or,
suddenly recalling himself. 81 COW
cred the course in two years. and got
my permit to practice; but somehow
the same old reason, | suppose-no
one seemed to care whether / prac-
tced or not For a few months
drlfted around looking for a location.
or course l didn't find 1t. Young doc
tors have TO push in these days. and
couldn't push. ! wanted to settle
down. but l wouldn't settle in any
place where the people weren't glad to
see me. Finally chance took me IN
hand I saw a placard a: the door OF
O recruiting office and | went IN. 1t