The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1907-04-04

will come when your conscience may
seem to revile you, hours and days Of
dependency, dejectedness, will almost
crush the fiber of manhood slumbering
within your frame-and then you will
seek for, perhaps implore, the aid of
the moody, tickle Dame. Her caprices
may lead you into strange paths, from
which you will be unable to extricate
yourself. l am not your keeper, but
stray from those paths outlined by the
Sovereign Ruler, and you are headed
for Perdition's fateful shores
Ellis visible mental perturbation con-
duced to inveigle me into thinking that
my words, resembling an arrow, had
penetrated his MUD. He stood with
the ill-wOng gold in his hand while de-
livered volleys of exhOrtations OH the
conscience, sins of wealth, and tickle
ness of minds. He admitted the truths
of my contentious, and then l left him.
said the mind is like the weather, and
so, two hours later, saw Billy again
bucking the tiger. stood, unobserved
by him, a few feet away watching the
play. No artist could portray that
scene, graphical pen pictures would
fail to depict it. At one of the wheels
stood Billy; his face was wreathed with
smiles; he was winning at every turn
of the wheel; his eyes were gleamy;
fascinated he stood raking in the chips,
apparently happy, for Dame Fortune
was smiling on him.
| "Three or four weeks later as ] was
passing thru the states prison at x,
l noted young fellow working at
lathing wheel; and, as he raised his head,
l recognized Billy Horner. l was
granted permission to talk with him
before leaving the prison. We sat in
the visitors room, talking. How long
did you get?' l asked. Well, to be
short, he had two years. While lam
gushing in the county Jail he had be-
come acquainted with the jailer's
daughter, young, modest and pretty.
You may draw your own conclusions,
suffice it to say Dame Fortune had de-
serted the boy while Fate placed into
his clutches an innocent maiden. 'Tis
sad to depict llfe's tragedies, but we
cannot prevent them. l will but lightly
touch on HOrner's subsequent career.
He had an ambition-an unworthy one.
"As soon as released, Billy welded
the girl-then obtaining her money,
deserted her. He might have reformed,
after serving time, but following the
: example of the great Napoleon, he was
to suffer like consequences. What
, monstrous thing is an unworthy ambi-
tionl There was no secluded island
where Billy could repent at leisure, but
, the Great White Way was open to him.
E "About twenty years later l was Wis
i. iting with the chief of police of y
$ Western city. We were sitting in his
, office when the patrol wagon drew up
at the door, A white haired man, with
i unkempt beard, disheveled hair, and
g tattered clothes, was carried into the
y chiefs office. He was suffering from a
o stroke of paralysis and the chief or
n dered him taken to the city hospital.
}. However, a doctor had been sent for
i and having just arrived, looked at the
o old man and said: The man will die
O before you could get him to the bospit-
a all An emergency cot was hastily
g brought and the man was placed on it.
J. AS they raised him up he exclaimed;
J. 'Ha, ha! boys; said I'd get it; did!'
n Those present looked at each other
$. wondering at the dying mans words
e The end was nearing; the chief endeav-
d ored to find out the mans name, but
d the above words were all he said-not
e. all, for as the spark was burning low
n the old man shouted: 'Ohl could but
r live it over! such suffering! But
n wanted a crown of goldl It's in my
,e grip! Give it to herr
y 81 felt myself growing faint, so
:, went out doors. l knew the man wa.
70 Billy Horner; but should l reveal ths
- fact? concluded to do so, and efforts
were made to find her-his wife. Alas
!. she, too, was dead. What became o
- !, the crown of gold? Among Billy's ef
!, fects was note which read: 4 CAV
Z. = my life, sacrificed mans dearest ties
= all-for the crown Of gold, so bury
Ao with me- Now, tell me: who know
go anything about the mind, except tha
I'D it is as peculiar as the weather 2"
es ER1D.