The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1901-08-08
After Twenty Years
BY william wendham.
MAJ. GILLESPIE. was aistinctl
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HHAJ. GILLESPIE. was distinctly
N old-fas shioDed. "Old-fashioned nd
out of date and irritable and cranky.
by George, sir" said he to himself as
he watched the blue flames struggle
unsuccessfully to leap into some ething
like cheerfulness. Even my fire won't
burn. I've jawed every man in the
Office to-day. guarreled with every
client I have seen. bullied the janitor
and spent the intervening time in hat
ing myself. I guess Eastman is right.
] ought TO take "a vacation. and see IL
! can't get into some sort OF harmony
with things in general"
What was Il all worth, anyway
these days and nights of toll? To be
sure, he was successful. far beyond the
measure that comes TO the average
man. his reputation was high in the
profession--the greatest eases came
10 him. and he generally won them.
His name stood high in the communi-
ty, and honors on the bench or in po-
litical life waited him at any time he
would accept them. But these things
held no fascination for him. For 20
years his life had been centered in
this old-fashioned back Office. lie had
enjoyed no social life and little COM
panionship with his fellows. excepting
his relations with his partners, his
clients and his opponents in the court
room. lie trembled TO think of the
result should he lose interest in his
work.
And vet II had not been always so.
: gor was he by nature designed for a
life apart from his fellows. In his
younger days he had been a prince of
good fellows, and had numbered his
friends by the score.
B,r this was before IN, broken chap
ter in his life, and that broken chap
ter had changed all the ress of the
story. He thought as he tried to coay
some warmth out Of the CRATE how diff
fercnt IL all might have bsen. lie
arose and locked the door leading 10
the outer Office. and then he went to
the old-fashioned safe. and. unlocking
. drawer, took from II an old da-
gucrrotype. Going back to his seat.
he contemplated the portrait long and
earnestly. II was the face OF beauti-
full. high-spirited. impetuous girl.
This was the face which had caused
Che broken chapter. As he looked at
the old daguerro;ype his features soft
ened and he lived over again the old
days when all the horizon was rose
colored. This was away back when he
was boy. He was accounted smart
boy and was making strides in his pro-
fession, and every effort and every am
biiion was centered upon Amy Lester.
She liked him, too--there was no doubt
OF that. Even now, at distance OF 90
years and with the keenest knowledge
Of men and Affairs, he did not doubt
that she loved him in the old days.
They had been youthful sweethearts
and had built all the air castles of two
lives upon united future. Then came
the firing on Sumter and the call to
arms by President Lincoln. The blood
Of the major quickened n little even /
this distance of quarter Of n cen
tury as he recollected the thrill with
which that call had been received. A
delirious month or two and he had
found himself at the front. There
rolled before the memory Of the ma jor
all the excitement, the dangers, the
deprivations, the heroisms of those
dreadful four years; his steady ad-
vancement until he was mustered out
Q major of volunteers.
The perspiration rolled from his
face as he remembered his home
coming and found that Amy had
plighted her iroth 10 another one far
richer than he and the choice of her
family. He had never asked her Ia
marry him. He had always supposed
u 10 he understood. They had writ
ten continually, and although her let.
ters had grown more formal he had
been so engrossed In his soldierly pro-
fession that he had scarcely had the
time TO wonder what the cause was
So the full knowledge OF the truth,
when he arrived home, nearly took him
on his feet. His great pride KEEP; him
from doing anything TO prevent her
marriage, even had II been possible,
and so she had faded from his life. and
with her all the joy and all the hope
he had ever cherished. Then followed
the weary years In the profession 10
which he had turned.
A knock aroused the dreamer. and
hastily stuffing the picture In his
pocket he opened the door. II was a
card from one OF his most profitable
clients. for whom he had recently won
. hsrdly-contested lawsuit.
"show him In" grunted the major,
grudgingly.
Accordingly In hustled Peter Van
delmeier, prosperous, pushing, self
complacent,. but apparently somewhat
worried.
"You have got to get possession OF
that Fletcher property. that's all there
Is TO II, major" said vandelmeier. as
he seated himself and moppcd his
brow. "Oh, know you are not a
sheriff or a marshal or anything OF
that kind" he went on. as he observed
the majors rising Ire, "but what good
will our decision do us unless we get
possession of the property? There Is
. funny condition down there. A chit
of . girl--grandchild Of old man
fletcher--ls In possession, and she
seems TO be too much for the officers.
They have failed utterly 10 get her out
and have about given u up Al, . bad
4ok We hava hat two more dkvn. ac.