The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1902-05-23

| Wdlheu SLOWLY dCfOss lHe ydIu, anu
just as he reached the gate, his eye lit
upon me. He came across the lane
and up the knoll, until he stood be-
side my box.
"What are you doing here?" he
asked, but not unkindly.
Resting few minutes" said I,
con my way to Springfield, O."
"Ohio, is it?" he cried. "That'sa
long road from here. Isuppose you're
tramp?"
I'm walking, these days." | re-
piled, 'but I've got friend out there
who'll look out for me, and get me a
job. I'm a printer"
"And you've got no friend nearer
than Ohio?" said he. "Well, well!
What do you live on MEANWHILE"
"0n the hope Of getting there
alive said |, with laugh; and he
seemed to see the point
"a man can always peg along" he
rejoined, IF he's really going any
where
@And getting nearer every day,"I
added, and then, to turn the subject.
I've been watching the people in
that house wondering which Of
them Id rather be. There's a sick
girl on thetop floor
eyes, poor child" said he; "and I
guess she'll never be any better But
she's cheerful; you'd be surprised.
She's studying music. You'll hear
her play the mandolin by and by. All
the family gather in her room in the
evening and she plays to them, Her
concert, she calls it; and hepractices
for it during the day as much as she
can. She's beginning to play Won
derfully we'll"
At this moment young man who
had been writing at a desk in the
room on the second floor, arose and
came to the window where he paused,
and lit cigar.
''That's Mr.. Sanford" said my ac-
quaintance, whom ! judged to be the
janitor Of the building whose occu-
pants we were discussing, 'He owns
that house, and l don't know how
many others, down in the city It's
queer that he should want to live up
here out of the way. Still, his rooms
are wonderful; / never saw such fur
niture; and there's things worth
fortune, from all over the world"
"What does he do?" asked.
Gle? Oh, he doesn't have to do
anything. He's worth a mint o
money, that fellow"
"And he's been all over the world"
said |, with a sigh for the many fair
lands should never see. "Why !
doesn't he travel some more"
"Says he's been everywhere was
the reply. "He spendsa lot of timein
his room, mostly alone; but often men
come to play cards. He gives them
wine by the cart load, and cigars that |
cost a quarter apiece, in lots of a
thousand. Girls come to see him, too,
in the afternoons, and he makes tea
for them in queer bronze thing that
used to- belong to a prince out in
China or Japan. They dom all drink
tea, either; some of 'em drink wine
as well as the men, They're summers,
l tell you; some Of them way up in So
ciety, I'm told, though Inever NEEDLE
with other peoples business. By jim
go" he said, suddenly-"1 can see
the diamond on his little finger
sparkle, all the way from here! It's
big as your thumb
Indeed 1t seemed to me that | could
see a flash Of light from the mans
hand. | sat up in my box and looked
at him. Instinct had told me that |
there was some one in that house
whom l should envy. We faced each
other across the dark; he in his fine
dress suit, looking out from his nest
Of riches; l with my torn clothes,
couched in box by thewayside.
"He wouldn't have to walk thou
sand miles to find a friend" said |.
"He has plenty, I guess" was the
reply. 'There's so many that it
seems TO me never see the same ones
twice, either men or women. Hello;
Mr.. and Mrs, Wayland are having an
other fuss. They're just like children
quarrel and make up. Lookat him
now, trying to get hold of her hand.
He'll kiss it. I've seen them end their
squabbles like that before"
His prophesy proved true Our
friends upon the lowest story had
grown tired Of quarreling He kissed