The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1905-01-12

he was dull. At the best he had not
much chance, for his health failed. and
he began to fight Il losing battle Will
physical weakness. BY and by the
doctors told him that he must go to an
other climate, and he went to south
ern California. The engagement con
tinued. There would have been mar
riage but for the mans nobility OF
spirit, which would not accept the sac
rifice.
Yet, upon the other hand. Miss Ken
dali would not break the engagement
and so she remained bound to him. and
they were thousands of miles apart
and the years drifted away. Twenty
two, twenty three, twenty-four-I tell
you, those birthdays meant something
to Sylvia Kendall. All her glorious
youth was ebbing away; her beauty
was wasted; her toll and self denial
seemed to benefit nobody for it is very
hard to give ones youth and beauty
and strength to those one loves and YET
to see them ever less hopeful and
happy.
THAT was what Miss Kendall had tC
bear, and 1 judge she bore it well, yet
not without the mark. In her twenty
fifth year her mother, her father and
that poor fellow out in California died
and l think it must have been Il release
for them ALL and not a thing to grieve
for. Yet, of course, it left her dread
fully alone, because the incessant labor
of the home had held her to the mar
rowest sort of life, and her love had
been the sorriest tragedy.
''To cap the climax, unexpected debts
against her fathers estate appeared
and swallowed up her home and every
thing upon which she might have de
pended for a new start in life. | un-
derstand that she had about $50 and
no prospect of more-nothing, indeed,
that could be called a means of liveli-
hood-one year ago this night.
There was a man in Chicago who
was running little weekly paper-ad-
vanced thought and that sort of thing.
Somehow a copy of it had drifted out
to Miss Kendalrs home, and she had
taken an interest in it, writing gratui-
tous contributions, which had been
thankfully received. A correspondence
had sprung up between her and the
Chicago editor, and in her emergency
she wrote to him and asked whether
he could pay her a living salary If she
would go to work regularly upon his
staff. He offered her 500 a week, and
it looked to her like wealth.
''She went TO Chicago at once and be-
gan to work for that paper. and some
times she got her 500 and sometimes
she didn't
''She must have been direfully I'M
happy during those months in Chi
cago, yet she wrote the cheerfulest
stuff for that little paper. 1t was her
forte Her writings had the ring of
laughter. Really the girl was a genius
in her way.
'By and by the paper began to fOun-
der in its past obligations. 1t prom
Used to do fairly well, but the man who
ran it did not know how to make prom
Use pay old debts, and, to make long
story short. he went under. He owed
Miss Kendall quite bit of salary, but
of course she could have no hope of
getting it. She tried to secure work
on the daily papers, and l think she
might have succeeded, but the emer-
gency was too pressing She was alb
solutely without money. She was face
to face with actual starvation.
"At this crisis she received letter
from Curtis Graham. You know him.
He wrote as managing editor of the
Chronicle and offered Miss Kendall a
small sum for a certain number of par
agraphs every week for the Sunday
edition. He had noticed her work in
the little weekly paper and obtained
her address from the editor. Miss Ken
dali sent some paragraphs Immediate
ly, with letter disclosing her utter
poverty. Graham promptly telegraph
ed her some money, for which may
heaven forgive him all his sins. He
also raised the rate for the paragraphs.
THUS encouraged. Miss Kendall
saved her pennies until she had enough
money to come to New York, and then
she came And what joy do you sup
pose it was that awaited her here?"
Gordon" said l, Il know what it
might have been, but l hope it wasn't.
Somehow you've stirred up my inter
est in this poor girl. Don't, for PHYS
sake, tell me that she fell in love with
Curtis Graham"
Graham has improved since you
knew him." said Palmer HE is much
Steadier"
HE is the most erratic, unreliable
unbalanced creature that ever existed
said l; brilliant, l grant you, and
quite the sort of man to win wo-
mans love. Yet I'd rather see Sylvia
Kendall without penny or a hope of
one than married to Curtis Graham"
81 think you do him an injustice,
said Palmer, land yet he is erratic
And my story will prove it. Wher
Miss Kendall reached New York she
found that Graham had had row or
the Chronicle and had resigned, anC
his successor calmly Informed the
young lady that her services were nj
longer required
'That girl and | must have beer