The daily Alaskan., 1905-02-11
THE APPOINTMENTS OF YOUTH
LorIgInaLl

I M teal and intellectual endowments, could find to bind him to Brownell, a retcent, | cynical man. without an element of popularlty in him, no one could dis cover. Douglas was the pet of the pet ticoats and invited everywhere. Brownell was considered very dull by the fair sex and seldom invited any where. If he had been invited he would not have accepted. However, there was one surprise concerning Brownell. Though he stood quite low in his class, when he was graduated one of his classmates, who was an "honor" man, said that he wished he had Brownelrs mind.
 The friends studied law and prac- ticed in partnership. They were still young when the more showy endOw- ments constitute prominence, and ey- cry one, at least in society, wondered how Douglas could have taken up with such an ordinary partner. Douglas was courted by the social world, every one striving to secure him for cn- tertainments. He tried to drag Brow nell out with him, but failed both on account of the dislnclination of socie- ty for BrOwnell and Brownelps dis inclination for society.
 Douglas married a belle. She was a member of the smart set and a very smart member. There was nothing she would have considered more out of place than attention in public from her husband, and there was nothing she considered more in place than to have some prominent society man dancing attendance upon her. Finally cotillon leader, Ernest Rackle, became 20 de- voted to her that the intimacy became the town talk. As usual in such cases, no one talked of 1t to the husband.
 One night Brownell went into fash ionable hotel restaurant where the smart set were used to taking supper after the opera. He had never been there before and went for purpose, Presently a gay party sailed in like a fleet of yachts under spanking breeze, among them Rackle and Mrs. Douglas. They passed directly by the table at which BrOwnell sat, and as RUCkle passed Brownell put out his foot, and Rackle tripped. He didn't fall, but came very near lt. Turning, he glared at the man who had ripped him, then went on. BrOwnell tOyed with wine glass and waited. Racklc as soon as seated gave him threatening and con temptuous glance. BrownelI took bit of paper from his pocket, wrote some thing on it, folded it and gave il to a waiter to take to RaCkle. Rackle opened it, glanced at it and put it in his vest pocket without any of the par ty having noticed anything unusual.
 At o'clock the two men met in the cafe.
 "weu, sir" said Rackle, what do you want?"
 "To fight you"
 ''For tripping me up"
 "No; Ostensibly for scowllng at me; really for a matter which it concerns you and a certain lady to keep dark"
 "Who are you?" asked Rackle, nery- ously pulling his mustache.
 Allan Douglas law partner"
 'Indeed. l am surprised that you wish to bring trouble on him.
 q don't. I wish to save him from trouble"
 By q public alteration"
 "No; by a private fight to the death"
 There was something so calm in Brownelrs tone and eye, yet so deter. mined, that Rackle paled,
 "When and where|
 "Now, in an upper room of this ho. tel"
 Rackle stood looking in different di' rections like a cornered rat seeking an outlet.
 What will obviate the necessity for this meetingE"
 Your pledge never to communicate with Mrs. Douglas again"
 Rackle thought 1t over, still pulling his mustache Finally he said:
 ''To avoid bringing a lady's name into unpleasant nOtorlety I shall have to submit. promise"
 "Write it."
 A paper was drawn and signed, which Brownell put in his pocketboOk, and the two separated.
 In less than a week Douglas came to his friend and announced that he must dissolve the partnership, Mrs. Doug las had taken an inConCeivable dislike to Brownell and had made the dissolu- | ton sine qua non. BrOwnell pressed his friends hand fervently and assent ed.
 Two years passed. Douglas endow- ments had not gained him any promi. hence except in society, and. though be did not know the cause, his wife's inti- macy with Rackle had detracted from even this. Certain prominent judges said that Brownell possessed the tinesS legal mind at the bar, and if he haC ambition he might be the foremost lawyer in the city. This got spread abroad, and there was good deal Of curiosity with reference to Brownel.
 One day Douglas told his old friend that Mrs. Douglas had recovered from her prejudice and wished him to come to dinner. Brownell accepted. Then Mrs. Douglas went and sat by her guest and whispered in his ear:
 "You were just in time to save me. I was fool. From this time as well as Allan will be devoted to you.'