Hutchinson gazette., 1902-01-23
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EEJK OR NOTHING.
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by JESSE POPE,


-r-=--==-=
They had chrlstened him Sidney, but
even hls godmother found II iniurQuate,
He was Meek or Nothing" 10 II, lriunus
that laundering fool''--to hIs critics
He had no enemies, In conversation he
was ~ keen a sportsman AZ DlaytoI
West, who led the country; In execution
he hardly kept pace with the rank ana
file, whose order he spoiled every time
by his uncomfortable energy
When "Neck or Nothing went u
Monte Carlo, no one was surprted tina.
he lost all his money the first nlgli, He
took II very much to heart--lefused tO
send for a remittance or borrow from
his friends, tramped back across France,
and arrived home one daybreaR In mac
nilcent health and tatters, He hrooded
constantly over his losses-though no
one else did--and spent one seeplesl
night tying TO hit on somo means OF
curtallIag his expenses Next cay he
left of collars for collars, he argued,
were an Item OF expense that was never
paid FOR; and he stuck to his point
There are not many men who caA relin-
qulsh collars and still stand ~ we'll with
the fair sex, but 1t Is a fact that, aftdr
the first shock, "Neck or N5lhngs'
lady friends liked him better tam ever,
they called him Achilles II, and wrote
some verses on the subject, OF course
the reduction Of hid washing bill hadn't
really onythlng to do with It, iut, to
prove to the world success OF hjq expert
ment, he shortly afterward invested In a
big racing motor car, and went to the
builders to bring 1t home hims}l
What happened on thai journey no
man knows, The route was original,
anyhow, for we kept getting telegram
from all sorts of unexpected places The
start was propItious, for Going strong
Absolutely the very best" "FdSIer and
faster" were the first messages we re-
celved. Then, after silence lasting n
day and half, came pitlfIl wire
Send help!" followed in a cWple OF
hours by another, Send more help!"
A relief party started In ne. haste,
only 20 return apprehensive and crest
fallen. The career had been easy 10
follow up to a certain point, thtn the
clue suddenly vanished
In many small towns THAT ere
Motor Car" formed the topic OF street.
corner conversation.
However, after half weeks suspense
came the final telegram, Arrive at 4
o'clock sharp" and at that hour quit"
a gathering turned out to welcome the
wanderer, But the white hlgn roaC
stretched before us long and bare, with
nothing to relieve the monotony but All
old roll-mendcr steering a noisy track
on his ancient tricycle.. So much for
"Neck or NothIngs' yaunted punctuaI'
lty, and we still gazed at the point where
the road-mender dlsmounted and there
wan, grlmy, weary, and dIshevelled--
stood "Neck Of Nothing" hlmse,s Some
seized him by the hand; some, ihey say,
fell upon his neck; but all win one
voice exclaimed;
"But where's tho motor car
meek or Nothing glanced at the
rusty structure at ais side.
Im sorry to dlsappoint you" he said,
"but swappcd 1t with an Old road
mender for this. The poor Old char
seemed Wiling Heaven knows was"
His voice sounded far away aud un-
familiar, his face was refined by suffer
ing, but he wore tae grateful air OF a
man freea from haunting Gaze,
- Shortly after this there nappehrd 10
meek or Nothing" what happens to all;
trIAlng event to some to him a catas-
trophe. He fell In love. 1t was just
about this time that Flora first appeared
upon the scene, and Id was always poor
Flora's fate to be q disturbing element.
Life would have been so much more
peaceful and so much less interesting
without her. Her face was like o. pic
ture, her blue eyes melting and Sympa
thetlc, and her voice so caressng thai
eyerybody's heart went out to her at
once. At first all went well; the girls
took II in turn to sit next to her and
hold her hand; the men stood Iy and
looked on. Gradually, however, this
order Of thing became reversed, and
then, of course local politics grew COM
pllcated. II really wasn't Flora's fault
at least she told us II wasn't She al
ways felt the need Of affection, and II
people did love her. how could she pre-
vent them telling her so? II was no;
very long, as may be imagined, before
her attention was turned to our hero,
She was very gentle with him. and tooG
him so seriously that he took bcr SER
| iously. too. And one night at a danca,
when he had torn her train and broken
| her fan. hu was lust going to tell her al!