Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1902-11-17
HIS AWAKENING.

"A PENCER CLIFFORD was quite
~ too ready to admit that he was,
- just an average sort of fellow.
That was really all he cared to be. What
he could do he did fairly well, but
he did just as little as was decently
possible. At college he had gone in Il
little for athletics, and made very
anything really brilliant. He was a
good scholar, too, but was quite willing
to rank with the intellectual second
raters. When he left college he went
abroad and dawdled about in an aim
less way, and came home with .-,N i'm
pressons that he cared to mention.
Then he went in for society, and there
seemed to be reasonably contented. So
ciety amused him and wasn't too exact
ing. Society coddled him; he was
young, handsome, clever and rich.
And We he would admit that he felt
little conscience-stricken when Anna
Collie gravely asked him one dag about
his future hopes. There was look in
her eyes that he didn't like when he
laughed off the query. 1t set him to
thinking, and thinking was an Occupa-
ton he rarely INDUCED in. Thinking al
most disquieted him. He avoided Anna
Goldie for time, and found that was
still more disquieting. And then just
as he was thinking he would invite an
other talk with her on the original dis
quieting sub. ect she suddenly went
away. She went, they told him, to visit
an invalid aunt in the interior Of the
State. She might be gone some time. 1t
was more a visit of duty than of pleas
ure, and its continuance would depend
altogether upon the failing health of the
aunt. In what part of the State did
Miss Goldie's aunt live? Somewhere
near Palmyra.
Palmyra? That was where Jim Rob
bins lived. Good old Jim Robbins, whom
he hadn't seen since his last college
year. Jim was somebody down In Pal
myra. Member of the legislature, or
something. He saw Jims name in the
man.
AS the days wore along, the desire to
visit Jim grew upon him. He had Il
standing invitation to come down al
any time. There was pressing note
In his desk Of quite recent date in which
he was told of the great treat he was
missing in not making the acquaintance
of Jim's matchless wife and equally
matchless girls. He wondered if jim
would know the abiding place Of Anna
GOldie's aunt. If he was a politician
he probably knew everybody. He de-
cided to go down at once and make Jim
a visit, and he wrote to him to that
effect.
Then he went to the bank and called
on his father. And while he was there
his uncle Tom came in and the three
were closeted for long time in his
fathers private room. When they came
out, his uncle Tom shook hands with
him and patted him on the back in his
usual hearty fashion. And his father
shook hands with him in grave fash
ion. and both the elder men seemed
highly elated. Spencer shook his head Il
he braced up with swift stiffening of
his fingers and clinching of his hands
and accelerated his pace. He was GO
ing to his rooms to fill his dress suit case
for the visit to Jim.
He arrived in Palmyra early in the
evening. He had meant to reach there
in the afternoon, but the train was de-
layed. He hadn't told Jim Just what
day he would start, and so his old friend
wasn't bothering over his nOn-appear-
ance. Spencer concluded he would look
Jim up in the morning. He went to the
hotel and had his supper. After supper
he strolled up to the clerks desk and
inquired about his friend.
ooh, Jim RobbinsY' cried the clerk.
Eyes, yes. Jim is one Of our leading
citizens. Has a nice home up on the
West hill. He's great hustler, Jim is
Going to send him to the State Senate
next fall. Friend of yours?"
YES" said Spencer, IAN old friend
Game down to visit him."
Tell you what you d." said the
sclerk. Jim is the chairman, toastmas-
ter, whatever you call it, of the big ban.
quet at Raymond Hall tonight. It's a
complimentary feed given In honor of
Colonel Jack Speed, who Is home for IA
brief visit, and everybody, pretty much
l. ~