The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-07-13

| SOpy IiSiil, 15Vo, ny 1Idlly OtOIy TuU ".
The days work was done The last
| Of his clerks had joyfully banged down
the lid of his desk and departed, and
| Jack Allison sat alone in his Office in
| one of the upper stories of great sky
scraper. Far down below the street
lamps had begun to glimmer, while the
| electric cars, with their myriads of
lights, flashed in and out like firefiies
tangled in silver braid, but the mans
| eyes were turned from the panorama
without to d photograph he held in his
! hands
| 1t was the picture of a beautiful
| woman, with the broad brow and
dreamy eyes of an ideailst, butt with a
mouth that. in curious contrast, was
sfngularly firm and rigid. The face
was lovely enough to have melted an
anchorite, but Allison sighed with help
less anger as he looked at it, and re-
! called the conversation of the previous
night, when the gray-blue eyes had
flashed fire at him, and the scarlet lips
| had set themselves into that infiexible
! line that he knew so well, as he flung
| himself out of the house after bitter
quarrel.
There is nothing fine and high, and
| chivalrous left in the world any more,
/ the girl had declared, holly, land no
men-only manikins. There are no
! men now who have the high courage to
| do and dare, or who would risk their
] lives for a woman. Why, they don't
| even know how to love. Men used to
slay the rival who took from them the
woman they loved. Now they sue him
| for damages and a check heals the hurt
! to their honor"
| Murder has rather gone out OF
fashion of late he had sneered, and
| at that the girl had cried out that she
/ would marry no man who fell so far
beneath her ideal of manhood, and had
flung his ring at his feet, and almost
| without knowing it he had found him
self IN the street, the glittering little
bauble that had been their pledge ol
troth clasped tightly in his palm.
Il wonder" he thought, as his gaze
Travelled slowly over the photograph
again, IF Marian is going to let that
fool notion wreck our lives? Thinks the
world is decadent, and that there is nc
more chivalry or heroism? Well, hero
| ism isn't as spectacular as it used to be
when people went rafting around in
boiler plate armor, but, by George, I've
seen Sir Gallahad in a dress suit in a
swell club, and Eve watched men meet
their Waterloo in the street with an
unfiinching courage a Napoleon might
have envied. But" and his eyes rest
ed once more on the firm, strong mouth
of the picture, but Marian is simply
| obsessed by that idea, and of all hope
less undertakings commend me to con-
vincing a good woman that she is
wrong, and he flung the picture on the
| desk with something like a groan
To his surprise, he heard his sigh
echoed, and, turning around, behelC
| Mickey, his office boy, staring at hin
with sympathy written in every line
of his ugly, wizened face.
| Say, boss" broke in the boy, with
out giving Allison time to speak, Eyer
| amt got no crouch 'gainst me comine
business. I'm on de level but see(
you was down on your luck, an
wanted to pass you de glad hand
cause OATS de way you did me when
hit de Stag pile. Say, maybe I've go
another guess comm, but de way
frames it up. your steady is done
trowed you down. Mickey, me boy,
says l to meself, it's dat swell dol
whut de boss has got de picture of ir
his desk, an she's done him de marble
| heart. an he's dead sore Am | next?'
Allison looked at the lad curiously
| Technically Mickey was a "boy," but
the stunted, wiry little figure might
have been mans, and the shrewd
ferret-like face, old with immemorial
wisdom Of the street, might belong
to any age. but there was more in il
now than that-there was honest pity
and gratitude and Hiking, and comrade-
ship, and it was this that Allison an
| swered.
you're on he said, speaking Mick
ey's tongue, and finding a sort o.
| whimsical pleasure in confding to his
office boy what he could not have tolC
his dearest friend.
Where do you lose out?" inquired
Mickey, with unabashed directness.
"Oh, she has high ideals" replied AL
lison. and l do not measure up to hel
| standard"
"Hullygee!" exclaimed the boy, will
whistle, but, say, she's got another
bunch of thinks comm to her for fair
| amt she? Say, | guess she don't know
you are the whole works down here
does she? Say, she amt heard of da
time you treated me mother on d,
grand when I was in de hospital, die
She? Or dat time you risked you
whole wad to save a friend on d.
street, did she?"
Allison shook his head, and Mickey
reflected for few minutes.
Say" he inquired, "how does sh,
dope out dis nifty fellow, anyhow"
oh returned Allison, she has
| contempt for men who spend theil
time making money, and she want.
somebody who leads charge on tn,