The sun., 1901-03-09
A GATE MANS STORY.
BY HARRISON s. NORRIS.

least, is the name have been known by as !
long as can remember to have been known
at all; but nevertheless, believe that it |
was my good fathers purpose to give me |
middle name. He was knowing man, was |
my father, and the usefulness OF middle |
name must have been quite plain to him |
at the time Of my birth. IL had been |
named, for instance, Samuel Archimedes !!
Diggles or Samuel Moses Diggles, the inn !
posing appearance Of the abbreviated name,
s. Archimedes or s. Moses Diggles, must
have been a great aid to my advertisement
in life.
As it is, am only the gatehouse man
of the "Asylum for Decayed Gentlemen"-
decayed, j may say, only III fortune, for
some of them is still vow it with all
frankness-the best and heartiest of gents.
cannot recollect when / turned gate house
man Of this asylum. The thing was born
| with me, like. The first remembrances ]
| have are of the little square room where ]
| now sit, with the high-backed rockers, the
portrait of my respected father done in oils
| which never done him any credit, for he
was handsome man enough-and the
| little balf-round window over there opposite
| the asylum gate, where the gatemen sit
on the watch for decayed gents going or
| coming Ny mother, she was an angel, ii
ever the earth held one. | am glad they
never done her in oils-they'd have spoiled
| her. No artist could do her credit-at
least me and my father thought so, and he
| was a man Of pretty taste in the arts.
As for Inc, well, think, that print OF
Gen. Washington, surrounded by his family
there, amt a bad taste of mans eye for
the beautiful. But was going to tell You
how came to have my little darling here
on my knee. Ho! sweeting, 'tis OF thee,
child! Wake up, tits not bed time yet.
Wake up, pretty!
Ali it was wicked night-that Christ.
mas eve of five years agone! 1t had
showed all day, till the asylum wall was
nigh out of sight in places where the
drifts were deepest, and the windows OF
our little gate house-a good yard from the
ground, you see?--were almost covered IN.
Sounds outside were muff1ed and aIar of,
and the coziness of the fire in here was
something amazing. We, had bit o.
cake and wine that night, and father was so
lively / fell a-rallying Of him and achaff-
ing Of him about his youthful spirits
though, in truth, he was always Of a cheer.
ful disposition, even in the depressing
company of the decayed gents who made
him sort of coniidant in their msfol.
tune.
Well, we were sitting here, father and
and Mr.. Holidge, a-talking and a-sipping
our wine, and--who Mr.. Hollidge was? Oh
; he was one of tine gents who often came
down to the gate house O. nights, but he
was a very silent man, and never joined
much in the talk. He would sit over there
in the corner by the stove an hour at a
time and never speak word, but he tool
a fancy to my father and seemed to want
to be with him, like He was tall, statel,
looking gent, with bald head edged by
, dark hair, that turned just over his eari
and neck. He always dressed in black, ant
though twas but poorly, yet he made hi
clothes look handsome on him by the wa,
, he carried 'em. He was q true gent,
:. think.
: "Well," says father, "here's to Mr.
I Hollidge," and he lifted his glass towar'
him in the corner, and then motioned M
! to fill up and drink. The gent took i
: kind, and thanked us with a sad sort o
u smile, and think he was a-going to get ol
o his feet and say something. However, Jus
! then came a gentle knocking at the dooi
u and / got up to see who was there, Tor W
!, didn't expect any other company, and a
d the gents was in for the night. opene
the door soft like, for didn't want to il
- | CefrupC Hill spcthiue, ohu ""''pNAN,
ID whats wanted?"
s, There was no answer, but light kind {
3, pressure against the door, so just opene
l. it enough to step out, when woman wit
d a child in her arms walked in front OF m'
N and then, as retrsated, came into the room
:. She was benumbed with the cold and snow
IN and could not speak for many minutes. M
sr father brought her near the fire, and, takin
II the child in his own arms, chafed its lltt
t. hands asd warmed it's face at the ope
stove.
]" "Oh, my man, twas pitiful sight to sc
4. how wretched thing shed fallen to! Thel
n. had been once a pride in her. Part OF
fingered still in her very walk, but she wa
sunk very, very low. The child (H
pretty, open eyes and look at the gentl
!. man!) was but twelvemonth old, and
was well-nigh dead with hard exposure
such a night. We did what we could f'
them both with our bachelor housekeepin
and, little by little, brought the woman
T. say some words. They were words
gratitude, but spoken very low and vel
!, brokenly, and then my father set about ma
ing some hot coffee and preparing mors
for her to eat.
ie The gent on the other side OF Il
stove did not move while we were atten
10 | Ing 10 HtT. uoI SNSh nhO" "'eehN'
looked at her; but | am sure she did n
80 know that anybody else was present.
:. and by, when she had eaten and drunk al
ef became warm enough to move about, s
walked over to the settee where my faith
re had wrapped up the child, and, taking I
IN the coverlet, looked mournfully in its ia
n. and then kissed it. She turned from
anon toward my father and me, and wi
clasped hands and an imploring look begg
- us to think no i'll Of her. We tried to paci
her, and led her toward her seat at t
stove, and then / knew she had seen n
| Hollidge She started from our help
| grasp and took step or two back with bo
J hands at her temples. But she made
sound. The shock was more than she COT
endure. and her overwrought body sank l
der it to the ground.
There was dead silence for mini
| most-it seemed an hour-then Mr.. Hollid
4 arose sternly and silently from his Sc
=, He was white as death, but his grace
Z bearing never forsook him. He wall,
around her, as if it had been pollution
touch her, and stepped close to the chi
N He uncovered its face and looked at
n curiously but tenderly-it was such a lc
\ as mortal agony should cast on a lit