The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-04-21
THE ONLY ONE.
uy NELLIE CRAvEY GILMORE. ff,onvright 1905, by Daily Story Pup 1;.hiu o ComDauy.)

(Copyright. 1905, Dy Dahy o'oi'
 fishing Companyo
 Colin. Sherwick and myself were meeting again after six years.
 our first acquaintance dated back 10 vaio days The three of us took onr respective degrees the same year, anu shortly afterward, when the war orohe out-the Spanish American war-We enlisted, by common consent "ith Roosevelt. At the end or hosIllI.ieS' Colin went home to Calitornia' ohet ,viclx struck a Government job In Porto p;oa and I made an ecstatic dash for nv old quarters in New York. As luck yo,,ld have it, we all came out without a scratch. -, h.;-
 Colin was East on some legal busi- ness. and Sherwick, having thrown up his position in the West lndies' nao come to New York on prospecIins tour. ..az.o and nothing would do but they must corhe home to luncheon with me. co lin was one of those distinctly amiaple men YOU meet with occasionally-a fel- low perfectly willing to make hlmseit agreeable whatever the circumstances situation or company. He went into instant raptures over my house my servants, my pictures-everytn'h told him just to walt until he saw my ,,,;fa Sherwick was less demonstra-
 
 tive. but I could see that he was im- pressed.
 Ry the time the salad was served our conversation had somehow veered round from college days and Santiago nights, to the all-potent subject ol matrimony For some reason the topic seemed to affect Colin unpleas- antly. Once or twice, he opened his lips as though to speak, then closed them again-apparently reconsidering
 Out with it!" I insisted, seeing that he had something to relate, and needed just a little encouragement. SherWick, too, bent his forces upon him, and to- gether we listened to his story.
 She was the only one in the world to me-" he went on to say, waving preliminaries, and like a dam fool, l didn't have the common sense and de- cency to keep her love when l had it. 1 offended her, stupid jackass that l was, and would not apologize-not even when she threw the chance at my head. One thing led to another, till finally there wasn't anything left for her to do but let me go. And she did, notwithstanding the fact that she never loved anyone but me-and never would care for anyone again. Such was the substance of her last words to me How well I remember them, and her, as she spoke them: You have been the One Man. she said, her sweet lips quivering. her pearless eyes drowned in tears, but you have broken my heart and I shall never be the same again. Goodbye. I have made my ar engagements. Next week I enter the convent I did not see her again." he Finished sadly.
 6herwick and I exchanged glances of compassion for our unhappy friend. seeing that he was deeply and terribly in earnest.
 50 that is why you are a bachelor" ] observed gravely. 'Sherwick? turned to him interrogatively. It's up to you"
 Sherwick cleared his throat, flushed and tried to change the subject. Colin gave him a reproachful stare. You'll have to do it, he said. It's not fair for you to back out. you know. Re- member the compact" He made a se- cret sign and we all laughed. Then Sherwick pulled his face straight and began:
 After all, there's not much to be said that's new. It's the same old story of a poor mans love and a rich mans money; a weak daughter and a stern father. We were-practically- engaged to be married, although there had not been any actual betrothal. You know how those things are. When he found 1t out, he rushed her off here to New York, and despite the fact that l wrote her at least a dozen letters, there was never the shadow of a re- sponse. Six months later I learned of her marriage to a wealthy stock brok- er's son. It was her fathers doing every bit of 1t. He never had any use for me. and knowing that his daughter had irrevocably given her heart to me- was determined to end things between us with as little delay as possible
 Colin stretched an involuntary hand across the table and grasped that of our friend in sympathetic pressure. ''The wonder is that you've stood it." he said.
 The waiter was clearing away the dishes, and I fancied I heard a sup pressed groan from Sherwick Tt was