River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-08-11
The Salvation
of Dennisorl ~
Copyright. 1904, by Daily Story Pub. Col

cheeks hot, his heart faint He glanced
toward the cool water in the river
with a sigh almost wistful.
Why not end it all anyway. Was
the fight worth the candle? 1t was
ten years since he had enjoyed any ra-
tional pleasure Day and night, night
and day of urending and re-
lentless worry and strain-that
had been the history Of a dec
ade. OF course, he had played for big
stakes with little or no capital to start
on But he had not been altogether
unsuccessful. He had jumped from
goal to goal with marvellous rapidity.
No sooner had one point been achieved
than the proceeds, moral as we'll as
physical had been staked on further
achievement The world looked upon
him as a marvelously successful young
man, but the world did not behold the
precipice over which he perennially
hung.
1t seemed now that the end certain
ly must come. A slip here-not his
fault-a disaster in distant state, a
tightening of the money market-all
things Impossible to foresee, and he
was pushed hard against the wall. 1t
was not so much the thought of losing
all he had gained in a financial way.
He felt he had the strength and cour-
age to begin over and he knew he
could make better living than he had
ever had time to take. 1t was not
that 1t was the bitter thought of fail
ure, the sneers and criticism Of the
men on the street-that was what he
shrank from.
He gritted HIS teeth as he often had
done before in supreme moments. 1t
was not all over yet. He had yet time
to make a turn before Wednesday
week. when he must face his banker,
his principal creditors and the men who
had backed him in his enterprise And
he had card or two left to play. He
walked on unheeding place or time,
his eyes set and retrospective, his
face drawn and haggard. His poor,
tired, forced brain was trying its best
to heed the lash he applied.
Then a strange phenomena oc
Cured Coming out of his trance for a
moment he looked straight into the
flashing, jet-black eyes of rOllicking,
saucy schoolgirl, who was regarding
him mischievously. The eyes were full
of life, intelligence, vitality and were
were framed by the daintiest oval
face, the dainty red on the olive skin
telling of perfect health. Dennison
had been so absorbed in his thoughts
that he had not been conscious of his
surroundings and consequently when
he looked up was bearing down direct
ly upon the girl She had noted his
absorption and had planned, mischiev-
ously, to give him little shock. But
he had looked up just in time and
found himself looking into those
splendid black eyes. A strange thrill
went through him. The physical eff
feet of the face he saw and especially
the eyes, was most definite and power
full. For an instant he was paralyzed,
then sheered rapidly to the right to
avoid a collision. But alas for the best
laid plans, theg girl had planned all along
to dodge him on that same side, so
the result was disastrous. He sue
ceeded in preventing a head-end col
lision, but brushed so violently against
her that he knocked her books from
her hand and scraped her watch from
the bosom of her dress where it was
pinned.
He sprang quickly to pick up this
books.
"a thousand pardons, he exclaimed.
flushing deeply. There is really no
20
public street in a trance. l am an
idiot Pray forgive me-"
She stood demurely watching him
struggle with loose leaves and scat
tered papers and all the debris to be
found in a school book, while he sput-
tered away at himself. Then he found
that the watch was broken and had
stopped and insisted on taking it to
a nearby jeweler to ascertain the ex
tent of the damage. 1t was found to
be slight. and while the jeweler wasr re-
pairing it he remained and talked to
the girl His business cares had rolled
from him and he found his brain en-
gagged in new and delightful problems.
How was he to further his acquaint-
ance with the girl; how prevent the
episode to end his contact with those
brilliant eyes.
Girls had bothered him little during
the past decade. He tried to conjure
from the memories of his youth, aid
and resources for his present plight.
For he felt that he simply must not
let the girl get away from him. He
did not know why. He did not stop
to analyze the matter at all. He sim
ply felt it was physical fact. The
first effect of the eyes and face had
been deepened when she opened her
full, red lips and spoke, showing two
rows of unbroken pearls in her mouth.
The watch being repaired, he insist
ed on walking with her, carrying her
books.
'Is it quite proper, sir?" she asked.
Indeed it is" he replied, earnestly.
Then he went on desperately telling
her his name and business-a name he
knew was we'll known throughout the
city. She accepted the situation with
the careless abandon of the schoolgirl
Her feminine intuition told her that
he was a gentleman and his blunder-
ing earnestness amused her. She saw,
too. that her charms had impressed
him, which she could not help but
like. being a woman.
He learned that she was from a
small town in the west and was stav-