Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1904-12-26

} Only One !
; CHARLES ~ Love s
GARVICE


| u0 WO11 III WOAI Ou fCly WOAA WASAAOAS
Jack, and only two or three hearts
ached, really ached, at his absence
| Len, honest Len, in his den in Spider
Court; Lady Bell, in Park Lane; and
that other tender, loving, and tortured
heart in the old new house at Hurst.
Leonard often thought of that tender
heart, and sighed over it as he sighed
| for Jack 1t was still a mystery to
him, their separation; he knew that
Una was still at the Hurst, but that
was all. No news of her ever reached
him. At times he ran across Stephen
in London, and exchanged a word or
bow with him, and had noticed that
he was looking better and sleeker, and
less pale-more 1ourishing in fact
than he had done for some months.
He, too had come to Spider Court
and expressed profound grief at Jacks
disappearance, and had gone away
after wringing Leonard's hand SYM
pathetically.
Leonard sat thinking over this far
more than was good to the work he
had in hand, when he heard the door
open, and half starting, said absently:
Nothing more wanted tonight, Mrs
Brown
/ But a step, certainly not Mrs
Browns, crossed the room, and a
and looking up, he saw Jacks face
above him.
"Jack!" he exclaimed, clutching him
as if he expected to see him disap-
pear again. "It is you, really you?
Great Heaven"
There was reason for the exclama-
ton; for though it was Jack, he was
so altered as to have rendered the de-
scription of him in the advertisements
quite useless. Thin, pale, careworn,
it was no more the old Jack than the
living skeleton is Daniel Lambert.
Great Heaven! Is it really you,
Jack?
Eyes, it is I. what is left of me,
Len. You-you are looking well, old
man. And the old room: how CHEEKY
it seems
And he laughed-the shadow of the
old laugh-even more pitiable than
tears.
For Heavens sake be quiet; don't
speak just yet" said Len, with a
husky voice "Sit down. You've
frightened me, Jack. Have you been
ill?"
Slightly" said Jack, with a smile.
"And where have you been? Tell
me all about it-no, don't tell me any
thing yet"
And he went to the cupboard, and
brought out the whisky, and mixed
stiff glass.
Nov, then, old man, where's the
cigars? here-here's light. Now then
no; take off your boots. I'll tell
Mrs. Brown to air the bed and get
your dressing-gown. And what about
supper"
And with suspicious moisture in
his eyes, Len turned from the room.
fStaunch as a woman, tender as a
man." It was wise saying, whoever
wrote it.
Jack slipped his whisky and water
and smoked his cigar, and pulled him
self together, which was just what
Len wanted to get him to do; and then
Len came back.
Nov then, old man, out with it.
Where have you been?"
Give been to America said Jack.
Don't ask me any particulars, Len; l
wouldn't tell you much if you did. I've
been nearly out of my mind half the
time, and down with one of their
charming fevers the remainder. You
won't get enough information out of
me to write even a magazine article,
old man."
And he smiled, with faint attempt
at badinage.
Great Heavenf'' exclaimed Len,
again; "and-and is that all?"
chats ali it amounts to-" said Jack,
YEARLY. "You want to know how I
came back, and why? Well, I can
scarcely tell why. got so sick OF
trying to get knocked on the head, and
failing miserably, that | got disguised
with the country, weary of wandering
about, and resolved that it would be
better to come and give Levy Moss his
revenge. He's still alive, I hope?"
"And you got back?" said Len.
II worked my passage over" said
Jack, CURLY. II was a bad hand, and
caught cold on the top of the last af-
fair, and just managed to pull myself
together to reach London, and here l
am. Not very lucid, Len, is it? But
there's no more to tell.'
Leonard looked at him with infinite
pity, and mixed another glass of
whisky.
whisky.
poor old Jack" he murmured.
"And now it's your turn" said Jack,
another cigar. Tell me all
the news, Len, about yourself first.
How are Hetley, and Dalrymple, and
the rest of them? But yourself first, |
Len. You look well-better than when |
I left Things have gone right with |