The San Francisco call., 1904-02-21

He turned his back to the boy. and
opened the note; continuing to stand in
that position while he read the two
messages. 1t struck the messenger that
after this there need be no great
shame in his own lack of this much
vaunted art of reading. since it took
so famous a man as Mr.. Carewe such
a length of time to peruse a little note
But perhaps the great gentleman was
III. for it appeared to the boy that he
lurched several times, once so far that
he would have gone over If he had not
saved himself by a lucky stagger. And
once. except for the fact that the face
that had turned away had worn an ex-
preston of such genial humor, the boy
would have believed that from it issued
a sound like the gnashing of teeth
But when it was turned to him again,
it bore the same amiable joccsity Of
mouth and eye, and nothing seemed to
be the matter, except that those fin
gers still shook so wildly, too wildly,
indeed, to restore the note to it's en-
velope.
There" said Mr.. Carewe. put 1t
back, laddie, put it back yourself. Take
it to the gentleman who sent you. 1
see he's even disguised his hand a
trife-ha. ha!-and I suppose he may
not have expected the young lady to
write his name quite so boldly on the
envelopel What do you suppose?"
Il d'know," returned the boy. II
reckon 1 don't hardly understand"
mo, of course not" said Mr.. Carewe.
laughing rather madly. ''Ha. ha, ha!
OF course you wouldn't. And how
much did he give you?"
"Yay!" cried the other. joyously.
Didn't he go and hand me dollar!"
"How much will you take not to tell
him that 1 stopped you and read 1t;
how much not to speak of me at all?"
"What?''
Its a foolish kind of joke. nothing
more. I'll give you five dollars never
to tell any one that you saw me to-
day"
'Don't shoot. Colonel exclaimed the
youth. with a riotous fling of bare feet
in the air, "In come down!"
You'll do it?"
"Fivel" he shouted, dancing upon the
boards. Five! I'll cross my heart to
die 1 never hear tell of you, or ever
knew they was sich a man in the
world.'
Carewe bent over him. ''No! Say:
God strike me dead and condemn me
eternally to the everlasting flames Of
hell If ever teIl!'"
This entailed quick sobriety, though
only benevolence was in the face above
him. The jig-step stopped, and the boy
pondered, frightened.
Have 1 got to say that?"
Mr.. Carewe produced a bank-bill
about which the boy beheld a halo
Clearly this was his day; heaven
showed it's approval Of his conduct by
an outpouring of imperishable riches.
And yet the oath misliked him; there
was SAVIOR of the demoniacal contract; /;
still that was to be borne and the
plunge taken, for there fiuttered the
huge sum before his dazzIed eyes. He
took a deep breath. God strike me
dead - he began, slowly =" If I
ever"
''No. And condemn me to the ever
lasting flames of hell
Have got to-"
"Yes."
Anu COnuSuiH Ile tO-lO the ever
lasting flames of-of hell, if I ever
tell!'"
He ran off. pale with the fear that he
might grow up, take to drink and some
day tell in his cups, but so resolved
not to coquet with temptation that he
went around a block to avoid the door
of the Rouen House bar. Nevertheless.
the note was in his hand and the for
tune in his pocket.
And Mr.. Carewe was safe. He knew
that the boy would never tell. and he
knew another thing, for he read the
Journal, though it came no more to
his house; he knew that Tom Vanrevel
wore his uniform that evening. and that
even in the dusk the brass buttons on