Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1904-03-11
I ask il as a favor from an old

please. I ask il as a favor from an old
friend"
He lives in Drury Lane-No. 100
at the ironmonger's.
An empty cab passed at~this moment,
and Sarah Eastbell raised her parasol.
The vehicle stopped, and Sarah and John
Jennings, the latter with evident reluc-
tance, got into it.
"Now, what has happened 2" said
Sarah, after the cabman had been told
his destination and had driven on; sit is
long story, but pray get it over before
we reach Reuben's house"
It's a short story" said John. "and
soon told. After you left Hope street
luck left it, too. The Saxe-Gotha Gar
dens burst up, and let me in for a lot of
money; we were all in trouble and in a
middle. and the brokers were in, when
Reuben thought Of the picture which his
father wanted to buy"
"Ahi remember" cried Sarah.
"He got an artist friend to see it, and
he said that it was worth two hundred
pounds as it was, and might be worth
more if restored-and he would bring a
purchaser in three days time. We were
all in high spirits, though Lucy and I
Lad a terrible row as to what we should
do with the money-but on the very day
the purchaser was coming we blew up. I
was mixing material when, bang! we
were all in the street or the back yard,
and everything left in the house was
burned or blown to cinders! The picture
-Reuben's books and papers, furniture
everything clean gone to smash, and not
farthing of insurance anywhere"
"And Reuben?" asked Sarah solicit
ously.
'He was out-when he came back the
place was a ruin. All his papers were
gone, the money that he had, the novel
that he was writing-but he came to see
me in the hospital that night, just as if
nothing had happened. The worst came
after the blow-up. had borrowed money
on the strength of selling the picture,
and Reuben had become my security; and
when 1 couldn't pay, he was dropped on,
and he has been working off my loan as
well as his own ever since-killing him
self with work, poor boy" and Jennings
began to weep again.
There, there, the worst is over, now
that 1 have come to help you," she said.
Eve will change all this"
HE changed by degrees-he became
more discontented and aggravating like,
after his awful bad luck. Then Lucy
went raving mad-had her call she says
and took to preaching, and bullied Reu-
ben and me about our souls, till one day
Reuben gave her a piece of his mind
and we all went different ways after that.
She spoke to me this morning-it was
the first time for six months. She passes
me like dirt-she-''
"There, don't begin to- cry again, -
Sarah adjured; 81 am sorry, but it might
have been worse. I'm very glad that
came to London, to lead the way to bet
ter timesp'
John remained silent till the cab stop
ped in the dingy thoroughfare of Drury
Lane, before small ironmonger's shop,
as shabby and rusty in its exterior as the
Jew-bolstered theaters for which the par
ish is famous.
"Here!" said Sarah in a low whisper.
"He is close to his work-he saves
omnibus hire and shoe leather-but he
loses the country air and cheerful society
of Hope street," explained John Jennings
with sigh.
The cabman was dismissed, and John
Jennings paused on the curbstone and
pointed to an open door on the left-hand
side of the shop.
'You go in there, and up to the very
top of all the stairs, and it's the back
room, Miss Eastbell.'
"Stop one moment" cried Sarah, as
John was about to beat a precipitate
retreat. "You will not mind this. You
are not proud, and I am indebted to you
you are poor, and I am friend with
too much money. Pray do," she said
very hurriedly, then a bank note was
thrust into his hand, and she disappeared
in the murky passage of the house, With
er he had not the courage to follow ter.
What dreadful place." she muttered
to herself as she went up the dirty, TN
covered stairs, glancing through the
landing window as she passed at the
wilderness of houseroofs stretching be-
yond it. Two years of affluence had set
her old life wonderfully apart from her.
She reached the top of the house, and
went with slow, dragging steps to the
back room door, on the panels of which
she knocked.
Not in!' she whispered to herself as
she knocked again, and again the deep
silence in the room beyond her warned
her of the fruitless sequel to her expedi-
ton. She tried the handle of the door,
which she found unlocked; there was an
other pause, then she opened the door and
entered the room with vacillating steps,
resolved to wait till he came back, as,
under different circumstances, and with
her in distress, he would have waited half
lifetime.
tTo be continued.l
Not Even Thinking Part.