The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1907-11-20


been employed, not merely because l
was young and exuberantly enthusiast
tic, but for the additional reason that
II presented features which even now,
when my hair is turning gray, invest
It with fascination (for mel peculiar
ly Its own.
The first alleged culprit in whose be-
half l ever appeared as an advocate
was valued-in fact, my dearest
personal friend. Let me conceal his
Identity by giving him a name as diff
ferent from his own as anything that
j can imagine; let me call him Jack
Scarborough.
Jack and / had many points of sym
patty, yet there was between us suf-
ficlent diversity of opinion and taste
TO prevent that mOnOtonous agreement
which so often renders nominal friend
ship wearisome IL not positively bane-
full. In my younger days | was fonder
Of gayety than could be expected of
an old man who walks with cane.
Perhaps [ was at times even inclined
toward recklessness. Jack was far
from being pharisaIcal, yet his sounder
common sense not infrequently acted
as a corrective to my caprice 10y rous-
ing my better judgment. Dear old
Jack! How l wish But perhaps |
had better tell the story in my own
prosalc way.
have said that our tastes were not
In absolute accord. My friend was in
terested in several branches Of re-
search which seemed to me to be an
utter WEAKNESS not only to the flesh,
but to the intellect as well. On the
other hand, / could never Induce him
TO listen to the simplest legal argu-
ment without yawning. Chief among
his various hobbies was numismatlcs.
Now, although from my youth up l
have ever taken a deep (even If not al
ways an abiding) interest in coins, it
has ceutered chiefly I'm those current in
my own day and generation-as, for
instance, the American double eagle.
Scarborough liked these well enough,
too, yet in his eyes they were but as
dross in comparison with the antiques
which gladden. the heart and tighten
the pocket of the collector. l believe
that he would have cheerfully parted
with his last gold coin of United States
mintage at any time for bit of COP
per sufficiently well authenticated as 4
specimen of rare and extinct issue.
To me this appeared the very acme Of
folly, yet my love for my friend forced
me. so to speak, to simulate an inter
est in his collection or fegn enthusi-
assn over some newly acquired addi-
ton thereto a species Of hypocrisy
which / reconciled to my conscience
by the plea that 1t was certainly not
harmful, ifAot positively amiable.
But IL our tastes lacked homogene-
ity, our financial circumstances pre-
scented contrast no less pronounced.
Jack, although not positively rich. was
at least well TO do, while l found 1t
no easy task to sustain myself In de
cent form until | should secure eli
cnts whose appreciation of real worth
might fill my purse. Yet we shared
a suit OF living rooms in common and
had few, If any. secrets from each
other.
Thus matters stood with us until
one June, now long ago. The weather
was preternaturally and unbearably
hot. The grass in the parks was
scorched to yellow almost golden.
The roses dropped and withered and
dropped their petals before the pas
slonate kiss OF n sun whose breath had
proved their undoing Even the tire !
some little sparrows ceased to chatter
or to quarrel and sat upon the
branches llfeless and respondent, seek
ing shelter beneath the dust laden
leaves which were beginning to fade
and curl as though shrivellng under
the blast of simeon. New York was
swelterlng under a temperature which
would have been lnsufferable even In
July, and the summer exodus had be-
gun earlier than usual.
"Old man." said Scarborough as he
came into our sitting room little
after o'clock one particularly sitting
evening, this Is a little more than
the average human organism can
stand. What do you say to a move
toward some latitude farther north?
I've Just heard OF the very place, up
in the Berkshire hills In Massachu-
sets. Let's pack up and be of early
In the mOrning-pure air, cool nights,
fresh milk and all that sort Of thing.
you know. Come, man, don't sit there
staring at the moon, but get up as
much enthusiasm as you can and |
make up your mind to start"
II am afraid it's out of the question
for me, Jack" l answered. you |
know that Pettibone versus Allison
ITO hades with PettibOne, and ALI |
sou, too for that matter! why can't |
you show an occasional gllmmer Of |
common sense2 A real good lazy rest |
will help your mind as much as your |
body AS for me, I shall not be good |
for anything until l get away from |
this Black Hole. They say there are
some tolerable trout streams and that |
the woods are charming. Then, l |
dare say, there are bucolic beauties |