The Press., 1905-05-24
Rich Man, <. Poor Man! N
 By KEITH GORDON
cspyishs. 1904. by Frances WasOn

Copyright 1904, by Frances Whso0
 Before they ,eached the first ledg'
 overlooking Sausalito a mist like float
 ing globules of crushed pearl rollec
 noiselessly through the Assures of th'
 hills and plotted out the village, th'
 bay and the towers and chimneys oi
 San Francisco-in other words, tho world. In the damp air the girls hail curled more distractingly than ever Never had he seen it when it framed the low forehead in so bewilderine an arabesQue of rings and curves and waves
 "You look rather swell yourself" she laughed in response to his eloquent glance of approval. "Knickers and a Norfolk cap and the jacket aren't half bad on you. Taken in connection with your cleft chin" she went on, throw. ing her head back and screwing up heI eyes critically, "they make you very presentable youth indeed"
 'We won't talk about that" was the terse reply. ''This walk to Point Boni' ta has an object"
 l She opened her eyes wide. Certainly" she assented politely "Point Bonita, for instance. If it has any other object" she went on sternly, '.if you're going back to that old sub- feet, I won't go step farther"
 By this time they were moving in the midst of a cloud.
 ] It was his turn to be innocent. "You mean-oh," with a fine imita- tion of impatience. doesn't girl ever forget it if a fellow has once happened to fancy himself in love with her and said sop
 The pink of the girls cheeks-it had the soft, furred look that is responsi- ble for the slang adjective ''peachy''- deepened suddenly, unaccountably. Out of the tail of his eye the youth observed this interesting fact with cruel glee, rehecting with pang that he should have chosen diplomacy as a vocation instead of engineering.
 You should forgive and forget the sins of my youth," he resumed. You know you insisted that you would al ways be the best of friends, and that's what need now"
 "You change quickly enough, I must sayP' she remarked with some heat. ''It isn't six months since"-
 Since whatY' he challenged. But she turned away and did not reply, while the walls of mist lazily closed in nearer and nearer.
 What do you want to tell me" she questioned at last in an oddly subdued manner. He did not answer imme- diately, but swung on ahead of her in the narrow path as If he were making a way for her through the mist. So he had got over his love for her. She felt a shuddering sense of desolation. Still, she argued, she could scarcely have supposed he would go on caring, es- pecially since she had explained to him with judicial carefulness that she must marry a man with money on account of her mother and the younger girls.
 Strangely enough, though she had pictured herself as married to another, there had always been a somber, in- teresting figure lowering in the back ground of that picture, one to whom
 
 all sweet, that his regret should become like beautiful, sad song-to be wept over and enjoyed. And now the brute was asking her to forgive and forget" that he had ever told her that he loved heri
 They had reached the summit of a hill, and he proposed that they sit down upon a convenient powder to rest be fore attempting the next one. Ap- parently her silence was unnoticed.
 You see, fate's been telling off my buttons lately" he began in business like tone, ''and the decree is that it has got to be moneyT
 What do you mean?"
 "Rtch woman, poor woman, beggar woman, squaw," he elucidated, touch ing the buttons on his jacket, and the lot falls to rich woman every time. It seems beastly thing to think of marrying for money. would be cad enough to do 1t, but the thing is that there's a girl-a mighty fine girl-and really-I-hang 1t, like her! But how am to tell whether it's the real thing or whether her money has some, thing to do with it? You see, there are reasons why should have money right away, long before I can hope to gain 1t by my own efforts. The governor is breaking down, and his affairs are in bad shape, and there are the two kids and mother to provide for"
 The girls heart was sinking as the mercury does in a falling temperature. All the joy of living seemed to be ooz- ing away through her finger tips, leav- ing her cold and inert He turned to- ward her curiously.
 "Of course you don't think I'd con- slider such thing if were not forced to 1t by dutyW he went on fervently. "And I came to you because thought you'd understand, because circum- stances are forcing you into the same thing. They say you're going to mar ry Bradshaw. You'll be a rich wom- an and happy one, hope; but, wheth- CT you are or not, you will have done your duty by the family. That will be your consolation, and that's why come to you in my difficulty. What do you think-can decently ask the girl to marry me? Remember, I like her, but I'm not sure love herp'
 The fog, which had seemed about to crush them softly few moments be- fore, was now falling back, but they were still in a remote world. With the very sight of habitations cut of from their view 1t was hard to believe in the reality of purple and fine linen, horses and carriages and gold. Suddenly the scales fell from the giri'S eyes, though she realized with a pang that 1t was too late. She had put the only thing that mattered out of her life as thoughtlessly and carelessly as she would toss a pebble from her path. She had not even realized what she was doing. Down below, where the