The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1906-12-29
MY DEAR OLD FRIEND.

OWu age, Will DIOuZCu ACdIuACo ain
a somewhat attenuated figure.
As I was trying to recall when ant
where I had seen him before our eyes
met, I Immediately perceived thai
our recognition had been mutual, fol
he came toward me with frank ex-
preston of pleasure and held out hi.
hand saying
''Halloa, old fellow, who'd have
thought of seeing you here?" I don't
know why he said this, and, oi
course, 1 don't attempt to defend it
but it is a style of address affected by
some men who are as profoundly
astonished if they meet you in res
taurant as if they had run across you
in the mines of Siberia. I felt little
bit annoyed at his want of original
ity, however. I smiled pleasantly,
and said, as I shook hands:
"Well, if you come to that, old
fellow, who'd have thought of see
ing you here 7"
We stood opposite each other for a
few seconds, I simpering somewhat
emptily at the nature of our greet
ing, and struggling to recall his name;
and he, with his head slightly on one
side, and an expression of courteous
ly suppressed amusement on his face,
as if my presence on the steps of the
postoHice was one of those inexplica-
Bile freaks of chance for which it is
hopeless to seek to assign any rea.
sonable law.
gave him few seconds to digest
his astonishment, and then, feeling
that the silence was becoming lit
tie embrassing, said inconsequently !:
"Well, what have you been doing
all this time 7"
"Well," he replied, "I've been in
Australia.
"Oh, ah ~ I calculated, as if it
had for a moment slipped my me-
mory "why, you went there"-and
I hesitated, as though calculating
within myself the exact day of his
unknown departure
"Three years ago" he put in short
ly, "and quite long enough it is,
too"
ran over in my mind my acquain-
tances of three years ago, but could
recall no trace of recollection of my
companion so. to gain time and to
gather fresh information, asked
"And what sort of a time have you
had 7"
ooh, much about the same as be-
FORE" he answered, with slightly
puzzled air.
He had slipped his arm through
mine, as we walked up town with an
easy sense of good fellowship, and
said: "Of course you'll dine with
me this evening. Now don't say you
are engaged" he added as I hesitated
for an instant between my desire to
have more of my companion and my
disinclination to dine under false pre-
tences ''you know they'll be awful
ly disappointed if they hear I have
met you and let you off without
long talk, and I join them tomor-
row."
I felt constrained to consent against
my better Judgment, and added, in a
playfully solicitious manner
'sAnd how are they all 2"
"Oh, they are all tip-top-all ex-
cept the Colonel - after pause and
with slightly subdued air-'I don't
think he has ever quite got over that
affair.""
"Ah," rejoined, shaking my
head sympathetically, Zone doesn't
get over that sort of thing in day,
you know, but the others? 7"
"What others he said, bluntly.
hesitated and rejoined vaguely
"Were there not some others ~
He pondered heavily for few Sec
onds before replying: "Yes, I be-
lieve there were some others, but
they made no difference"
was just murmuring, "Very like
~ not" when he turned to me abb
ruptly and said ''I hope you don't
think he came badly out of that busi-
ness 7"
His hand seemed to relax its pres
sure on my arm as if he was prepar-
ing himself for some censure or act
of coldness on my part.
felt touched by this little proof
of his sensitiveness to my good opin-
ion, and pressed his fingers as I re-
Joined, warmly: 81 never, never
heard any one speak otherwise than
highly Of his conduct in the matter. !"
He stopped aud said, shortly:
"Why, who knows anything.about
it? I thought you and I had it all
to ourselves
eyes, yes," faltered, and added,
"you know you have been away for
some time, old fellow"
It did not seem to fit in very well
but he accepted it as an argument,
and said /:
"There is something in that but
don't let people talk about it. I know
he relies upon you and me-"
There was something so touching
in the reliance of this unknown, that
glow of sympathetic affection warm
ed my heart, and 1 resolved on the
spot that his confidence should not be
misplaced. Come what might, the
secret of that old mans life should
never be betrayed by me. Others
might make it a subject of club gos-
sip or tea-table tittle-tattle, but no
word of mine should add one drop to
the cup of bitterness that had been
placed at his lips. There are passages
in the lives of all us which we would
wish to have buried in oblivion-the
thoughtless follies of youth, the un-
worthy ambitious of manhood, and
the selfish jealousies of old age who
is there that can stand up and say,
there is no episode in his life he would
not have expunged, forgotten or con-
doned?
We had turned into a restaurant