The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1905-01-18
His-Mysterious Friend
toriginal.]

felt great deal Of sympathy for him
that did not express. Neither he nor
Flora had penny in the world, and
I looked forward to period in their
lives when, the romance having worn
away, they would find themselves in
hard, unideal struggle. However, they
were typical lovers, sitting up till near
morning cooling and when parted spend
ing all their spare time writing letters
to each other Eliot was capable fell
low, but opportunity did not seem to
come to him, and he didn't possess the
faculty Of making opportunity.
For a few months the couple were
entirely taken up with the novelty Of
being engaged. Then the fact that
they We're not and not likely to be in
position to be married began to pail
on them-that is, Eliot became de-
spondent, while Flora fought her own
battle with the grim outlook in silence
besides bolstering her lover. Eliot was
at work on q salary of $500 a year,
without any prospect Of promotion.
Flora, realizing that her marriage was
far in the distance, secured position
as teacher.
One day Eliot came to me in wild
state of excitement with letter he
had just received. "Look!" he said, all
in a-quiver. I read the letter, type
written on an engraved business letter
head of railroad company:
Eliot Kirkland, Esq.
Dear Sir-Iou are appointed to the po-
sition of assistant auditor of this road
with sald-y Of $500 year. Please
state at your earliest convenience wheth-
er you accept. Yours truly.
"Well," said, looking up amazed,
where does the appointment come
from? To whom are you indebted for
it,"
THAT'S the conundrum,'' he replied.
cts as much q surprise to me as to
you"
questioned him with view to help
ing him find clew as to who had be-
friended him, but he seemed to know
no one connected with the road, and
advised him when he replied to the let
ter to ask the question Of his CORE
spondent. He did SO, but received no
reply to his question. The general Of
fee Of the road was in the east, and he
babe me goodby to go and enter upon
his duties, leaving the cause of his APP
pointment still unexplained. On his ar
rival he wrote me that it had been
made during meeting of the directors
and that was all that was known about
the matter.
Five years passed. Eliot Kirkland
and Flora Stenhouse had been married,
and l, having occasion to make trip
to the east, visited them at their hSme,
beautiful place in the suburbs. They
had little children and Were leading
very happy lives indeed, my forecast
Of what they would experience had
been.~hullifed in every respect. Eliot
had been promoted within six months
after his entry into the company's
service to higher position, and later
the chief auditor was depcsed and
Eliot put in his place. asked him il
he considered that his ability to dis
charge his duties had anything to do
with his good fortune, and he said that
he did not. In the different positions he
had accepted he had always been fur
| nished With fright hand man" who
knew more about his duties than he
did himself.
At the time of my visit Eliot was re
ceiving $4,000 a year. He was nc
nearer to a knowledge of the cause OF
| his good fortune than when he re
ceived his first appointment. Indeed
| the mystery thickened, as did his ad
| yantages, for one morning on going tc
| his office he found on his desk a type
written, unsigned note advising him t.
buy the stock Of the road at a given
figure and sell it at another given fig
| ure. He did not take advantage of the
tip, but watched the sale Of the stock
which fulfilled the conditions, anG
when more notes to the same purpose
were left with him he followed theii
suggestions. Ip this way he became
independently rich.
One day the managing director ant
! virtual owner of the road died. A few
| months later, when his estate was be
ing settled, n paragraph appeared in t
| newspaper stating that his real estate
had all been decided in a different name
from the one by which he was known
Then it leaked out that he had beer
large operator in his younger days
had become involved and his methods
had landed him in prison. Eliot wrote
me of this, and l replied asking hin
If he could not in some way connec
this singular development with hi
good fortune. but before my lette
| reached him / received from him full
explanation.
In his youth Eliot had lived in tn
country near a state prison. One da.
a man suddenly appeared at his hom
clad only in his shirt and drawers. FL
1 told Eliot that he had been taking
bath in the river below and some boy
had stolen his clothes. If Eliot woul'
furnish him with an old suit he woult
Abe much obliged and would return al