The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-01-22

consider typically American. Eye.
brows that curved far down along the
temples and eyelashes of darkness in
contrast to the prevailing note of his
complexion combined to lend him a
rather brooding, soft and melancholy
air which a very cursory second ex-
animation showed to be fictitious. His
eyes, like the woodlands, were steady,
but inquiring. His jaw was square and
settled, his mouth straight. Unlike the
other inmates of the car he wore an
ordinary business suit, somewhat worn,
but of good cut and style that showed
even over the soft flannel shirt. The
trousers were, however, bound inside
the usual socks and rubbers.
The two seat mates had occupied
their time each in his own fashion. The
elder stared straight before him and
spat with certain periodicity into the
center of the aisle. The younger
stretched back lazily in an attitdue of
ease. Sometimes he smoked a pipe.
Thrice he read over letter. 1t was
from his sister and announced her ar
rival at the little rural village in which
he had made arrangements for her to
stay. "It is interesting now" she
wrote. Though the resources do not
look as though they would wear we'll.
I am learning under Mrs. Renwick to
sweep and dust and bake and stew and
do multitude of other things which
always vaguely supposed came ready
made. 1 like it, but after l have learn
ed it all l do not believe the practice
will appeal to me much. However,
can stand it well enough for a year or
two or three, for am young, and then
you will have made your everlasting
fortune, of course"
"Shes trump" said Thorpe to him
self. land she shall have her everlast-
ing fortune if there's such a thing in
the country"
He jingled the $500 in his pocket and
smiled. That was the extent of his ev-
erlasting fortune at present
The letter had been answered from
Detroit.
81 am glad youIare settled" he wrote.
"At least 1 know you have enough to
eat and a roof over you. l hope sin
cerely that you will do your best to fit
yourself to your new conditions. l
know it is hard, but with my lack Of
experience and my ignorance as to
where to take hold it may be good
many years before we can do any
better"
When Helen Thorpe read this she
cried. Things had gone wrong that
morning, and an encouraging word
would have helped her. The somber
tone of her brothers communication
threw her into a fit of the blues from
which for the first time she saw her
surroundings in depressing and dis
tasteful light. And yet he had writ
ten as he did with the kindest possible
motives
Thorpe had the misfortune to be one
of those individuals who, though care
less of what people in general may
think of them, are in a corresponding
/ degree sensitive to the opinion of the
few they love. This feeling was fur
Their exaggerated by a constitutional
Oil ihhiuS iIolu any OulWdIu uudLlltS-
. tation of the emotions. Perhaps for
this reason he was never entirely sim
cere with those be loved.
After the disgrace of his father Har-
ry Thorpe had done a great deal of
thinking and planning which he kept
carefully to himself. He considered
in turn the different occupations to
which he could turn his hand and neg
atived them one by one. Few business
firms would care to employ the son of
as shrewd an embeZzler as Henry
| Thorpe. Finally he came to decision.
He communicated this decision to his
sister. 1t would have commended it
self more logically to her had she been
able to follow step by step the consid-
Grafton that had led her brother to it.
As the event turned. she was forced to
accept it blindly. She knew that her
brother intended going west. but as to
his hopes and plans she was in igno-
! rance. A LITTLE svmpathy little. mu-
! tual understanding, would have meant
great deal to her, for girl whose
mother she but dimly remembers turns
naturally to her next of kin. Helen
Thorpe had always admired her broth
er. but had never before needed him.
She had looked upon him as strong,
self contained. little moody