Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1903-07-25
CHAPTER XIN.

SuhI <NlN.
The necessity of earning bread forced
me to seek labor. My money was oil
spent, and a day arrived when l was
pennilcss. The ring and the cord were
still In my possession. j do not know
how 1t was that I was tempted to keep
them about me; perhaps 1t was as pun
ishment which obstinately inflicted up.
on myself. When ! was penniless l
could have twisted the diamond out OF
the ring and sold the gold for n few shil.
lings, which really would have enabled
me to live without labor for some consid-
cradle time. did not. however. put 1t to
this use. 1t did not belong to me; 1t
belonged to the dead.
The labor I obtained was Of the lowest
and most mental kind. and thus 1t was
that, being far away north. l found my
self working in the hop gardens. The
pay was bad. but that mattered not; 1t
sufficed for bread. The danger was that
herded with men and women Of a de.
graded stamp. and that. like them, l was
fast becoming brutalizcd.
This enforced contact with degrade
tion caused In me kind of revulsion.
Hitherto I had kept mostly to myself
and the gloomy thoughts In which in.
dulged were created by my own lack
OF moral strength; but now that l was
Drought face to face with things l ab'
horred, ! saw. as 1t were, the reflection
OF my own moral image. and the thoughts
It engendcrcd had salutary erect upon
me. 1t was this better phase Of expert
ence which led me into the companion
chip Of man Of higher grade than the
other hop pickers The name OF this man
was Stanmore. lie must have recognize
Cd In me. as i recognized In him, a man
OF superior stamp. and he confded to
me that he wa' not hop-picking from ne.
cessity.
The fact Is. Gnskcll." he said to me
mad to bear some name, and l chose
shat, Il am killing two birds with one
stone. One bird Is with me; the other l
am waiting for"
This. of course. was cnigmatical to me.
but did not ask for an explanation. He
gave me one of his own prompting.
The bird that Is here Is In my port
folio; the bird ! am waiting for Is n
woman
l knew what he meant by his reference
70 his portfolio. which contained mum.
Der Of sketches he had been making of
the hop.pickers. selecting for choice the
most squalid and disrcputable subjects.
'e hnu 'hrowh our nihts that ! might
Iook over 'hese ske'ches. put had not
sVamed m!sei or the oner.
Inc hop-picRihg was now over. ana we
were PAID OH. pom stanmores invi'
sat'oh l accompanied MIN 10 respecta-
D'e hotei ohu agreed 10 remain win MN
tor Two OF three DAYS. we engaged TWO
tooHs-a sitting room ana another win
TWO oeds III ". Ihus tar ne had persuad'
60 me- put ne couid not induce me 10
JON MN NJ meas. ! stu adhered TO my
humble rare, OK which l partook In Sc.
cret.
On the frst night OF our stopping nj
the hotei we were In the sitting room,
which was liz with gas. Stanmore was
ousy with his sketches, with paints and
brushes peiorc hih' he was engaged III
per,ect"g ,nem'
u"skei. nc saia. you are strange
tenow; ana that, 1 dare say' Is the rea'
son why nave taken 10 you. IKE ev
erythihg thht ~ strange. But you are
moreover IN enigma. Locked III your
oreast IL story II would entertain me
70 near; :,
star''ed' ga%ed AZ him' ana haii
arose.
"Pshaw" he said. sit down again
do not ask you to tell me your story
unless In n moment Of confidence yor
choose to unbend. Now. am In the hu
NOR to be more frank and open. Let mt
give you a piece Of advice. Don't take
life too seriously; 1t Is not worth while
Those eSjoy the most who accept 1t ~
comedy. Tragedy or comedy, 1t Is be
fore you to take your choice. The sam,
thing that will make you cry will max,
you laugh. II all depends upon the view
you take. Some people nre annoyed n
being tickled; l enjoy 1t. II n man give
me a slap In the face laugh and Civ,
him one In return. The laugh Is an en-
joyable condimcnt In the dish; the frowi
imparts an Objectionable flavor to tn,
meat"
could have argued with him that !
was q matter of temperament, but II wa
not my cue to say anything that nigh
enlarge the field Of conversation; and
therefore hid my tongue.
IAN right" continued Stanmore, an,
] understood him to allude to my silence
1t suits me. ! was ever voluble Eel
low, and my tongue bids fair to grow
rusty with the company ! have KEEP
these last two or three weeks. Now you
Gaskell. are a man OK education-nO dis
suising It, old man-and ! must let OF
steam, gratifed that ! have the oppoE
tunity OF doing 80 IN good company.
come back to what ! was saying-yol
lean toward Tragedy III your views. ! ia