Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1902-05-07
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"NECK OR
, NOTHING"
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
The story Of a Reckless Man.
ey JESSE POPE.

arc
~ was ''Neck or Nothing" to his friends,
atbat laundering fool to his critics. He
,.d no enemies. In conversation he was
- teen sportsman as Drayton West.
30 led the county: in execution he hardly
rent mace with the rank and file. whose
arsrr he spoiled every time by his uncon-
tro1able energy. lie would start for
,onnd Of golf full OF joy and promise and
ro,urn within an hour 10 the clubhouse
,;,h hits OF clubs sticking out OF his
sockets and a badly ricked back. They
ssv that after one of his rounds they had
- practically remake the links. and
.ssra's an old story of ferocious swing
- bjs when be missed the ball, twirled
rorrd ike a teetotum and sat on the tee
A. billiards he would dig holes in the ia
Ma send his ball through the window and
,hen complain OF the light. while on the
Football field it was case of save himself
Who can. for he was like a roaring bull
let loose.
Those were exciting times. too, when
he made up his mind TO ride bicycle and
denuted Willy and stable boy to support
MIN. Willy was his smooth faced younger
brother, frail in health and slight In
buIld. His courage. however. was In
domItable. and he needed II. for the learn
er's struggles were simply superhuman.
One would have hardly thought IL posi-
HE for a mere man to twist metal tubes
into such weird shapes. and when he
made M his mind TO fall OF no power on
Garth could stop him. He always fell on
Willy. who would go under like snpling
before the avalanche. merely calculating
"Ohw as the breath was crushed out Of
his frail body. Willy never murmured.
hut il became evident that he was sinking
under the strain, and the pastime was
abandoned.
When Meek or Nothing" went 20 Mon
te Carlo no one was surprised that he lost
oil his money the first night. He took II
very much TO heart. refused to send for a
remittance or borrow from his friends,
tramped back across France and arrived
home one daybreak In magnificent health
and tatters. He brooded constantly over
his losses-though no one else did-and
spent one sleeplcss night trying TO hit on
some means Of curtaiing his expenses.
Mex. day he left off collars. for collars,
he argued. were an item of expense that
was never paid for. and be stuck to his
point There are not many men who can
relinquish collars and still stand as well
with the fair sex, but IL is n fact that.
after the firsa shock. meek or Nothings"
lady friends liked him better than ever.
They called him Achilles ii. and wrote
some verses on the subject. or course
the reduction of his washing bill hadn't
really anything to do with IL: but. TO
prove to the world the success of his ex-
pertinent. he shortly afterward invested
In III a. 81 h.
builders TO bring II home himself. What
happened on that journey no man knows.
The route was original. anyhow. for we
kept getting kilograms from all sorts Of
unexpected places. The start was pro-
pitious for Going strong" Absolutely
the very best" Faster and faster" were
the first messages we received. Then. aft
er silence lasting a day and half came
pitiful wire. Send help" followed in
couple Of hours by another, Send more
help" A relief party started in hot
haste, only to return apprehensive and
crestfallen. The career had been easy to
follow to certain point. then the clew
suddenly vanished. In many small towns
THAT ere motor car" formed the topic
OF street corner conversation. Al one
place II had been a resolute stand which
had led TO some friction between its Goad
ed driver and disrespectful rustic In
hay cart. The scene ended In a novel
manner, for while our friend was taking
frenzied headers into the complicated ma
chinery and hurling menaees at the same
time he received an electric shock OF such
violence that his opponent was bound in
common humanity to jump down from his
cart and help straighten him out.
At the next town the relief party be-
came aware OF such sour and thwaried
expression on the faces of the constables,
sueh nervousness about the horses and
such scarcity OF dogs that they wisely
RETAINED from further inquiry. How
ever, after half weeks suspense. came
the final telegram. Arrive at 4 o'clock
sharp and at that hour quite a gather
ing turned out to welcome the wanderer.
But the white highroad stretched before
US long and bare. with nothing 10 relieve
the monotohy but an old road member
Steering noisy track on his ancient tri-
cycle. So much for Meek or Nothing's"
Wanted punctuality. and we still gazed at
me point where the road disappears over
the hill when the creaking stopped. the
road mender dismounted. and there-wan.
grim, wear and disheveled-stood Neck
or Nothing" himself Some seized him
oy the hand, some. they say. fell upon his
neck, but all with one voice exclaimed:
But where's the motor carp
Neck or Nothing glanced at the rusty
structure at his side.
q, m sorry to disappoint you" he said.
out snapped it with an old road mend
er Tor this. The poor old chap seemed
wiling. Heaven knows | was"
MS voice sounded far away and unfa-
ihiliar, his face was refined by suffering.
Out he wore the grateful air of a man
freed from haunting care.
shortly after this there happened to
Meek or Nothing" what happens TO all
= uihing event to some. to him a catas-
t,Ophe. He fell In love IL was just
soout this time that Flora first appeared
upon the scene. and II was always poor
ioras fate to be a disturbing element.
Lue would have been so much more
peaceful and so much less interesting
mNhout her. Her face was like picture,
ner blue eyes melting and sympathetic
sns her voice so caressing that every
"ouy heart went out TO her at once.
H. .ssl, ssat