The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1904-11-17

Moreover he had absolutely no interest
IN railroading and did I.Jt care 10 rise.
although he might have done 50 easily.
Cor he was man so thoroughly re
liable by nature that not even strong
drink could destroy this quality in him,
and. besides he had the immense ad-
! vantage of splendid personality,
which made him known and remember
ed by his superiors.
After he had been in Carlton about
six months he began 10 receive regular
letters from his father. His mother
was long since dead. | Saw some of
the letters. The earlier ones were full
of Il stubborn pride and an offended
authority. They gave the boy an op-
ton of complete submission To the pa
ternal viii and were more than vague
in regard to the rewards that would
follow. Then | began to detect an IN
dercurrent of anxiety and an old mans
longing for his son. The feeling was
sternly repressed. only phrase here
and there revealed it. There were
quaint, almost laughable, hints of pecu-
MARY assistance in case the young man
should be in difficulties. but no money
ever came.
Whitley" always replied to these
epistleS, but with distressing brcyity.
The tone was always perfectly respect
full, but ii must have been direful for
an anxious father to read those deadly
short sentences. Three or four Of them
penned in an enormous hand covered
half sheet Of paper and conveyed as
little information rs ever | saw in Il
letter.
BY and by the elder Bowen began to
hint at illness, and then indeed the son
showed an increasing anxiety. but it
did him no good. There WAS some
thing which he wanted his father to
say in one of those letters. something
which would have called the boy home.
but ii was not said and never found
out what it was
1t became obvious to me after little
while that the old farmer was really
failing toward his grave and that he
knew ii right well. | began to urge
Whitley" TO go home, but without sue
NNN''"
lines OF those letters He was not old
enough TO recognize that preSentiment
which comes to man of advanced
years when the end of the long jour
ney really draws near
There was. however one letter which
moved Whitley" more than the others.
1t contained bit of news about girl
in IN
though of no more consequence than Il
new gown-SO little, in fact, that |
have entirely forgotten what ii was
had been expressed with crude and
simple tenderness. The sentence was
one of those which an experienced
writer of romance would give much TO
be able to pen. yet the like of II will
come TO him only when he forgets ibis
art. 1t showed that this girl was dear
To the father because lie always
thought of his son when lie looked at
her Then indeed | had strong hope
of sending Whitley" home. but Mrs.
LOrne appeared in Carlton and spoiled
the chance
From the first meeting between them
this woman eXerted Il strange and con
Trajectory influence. Whatever she
said to him seemed TO produce I'M eff
feet exactly opposite TO that which
would have been the ordinary sense OF
the words. She showed no great liking
for him and did not encourage him To
seek her society. Yet he was drawn 10
her not as Il man may he tantalizcd
into striving after that which is diff
ficult of attainment, but because he
felt from the very beginning that she
was his friend
Mrs Lorne is the most sympathetic
woman I've ever met" said he to me
after conversation to which we three
had been parties.
remember staring at him in amaze
ment, for of all the cold bloOded, cyn-
ical talk that ever / heard in this world
Mrs. Lorne's upon that occasion was
easily the chief. What element Of sym
patty with anybody or anything
Whitley had been able to find in it
was unable TO discover. He felt her
sympathy. he declared and that was
the end of It.
l ought TO say here that Mrs. Lorne'S
conduct while in Carlton was severely
circumspect. For instance, she had a
private parlor at the hotel. but neither
Bowen nor any other man was re
ceiyed in ii, though there was nothing
TO prevent. In the public parlor or
upon the veranda Mrs. Lorne enter
famed all her male acquaintances. and.
though she took the wrong side of
every moral question and applauded
every sinner who was mentioned in her
presence, she preserved certain deli
cacy Of language and theme and re-
quired it from all with whom she con
verscd. Therefore her utterly wrong
hearted view of life was the more dan
gerouS. An exultant sympathy with
evil may be expected Of coarse and
rude transgrcssor. and It's influence is
discounted but when woman of eX-
terror refinement takes 1t upon herself
90 be the devils advocate she stands a
| chance TO carry her case in the courts
| Of this world
"Nrs. Lorne stirs NJ all the good
/ that's In me- said 'cy" to me
one day. THAT wont. ...l be my sal