The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1907-01-30

before and had left no word.
'fTell him when lie returns sait
| Wyndham. that l found it impossible
10 wait longer. but that l viii keep ths
appointment for tonight
He stood near until the clerk mad
the memorandum. and then. with knit
| ted brows and thoughtful mien, Id
| took his departure.
The relations between him and Pen
dleton were twofoid in character. They
had been intimate friends since the
! day OF their first meeting at college
and when years afterward Wyndham'>
fortunes had not proved to be all that
/ he expected he became by adaptation
more than through engagement sort
OF alter ego for his rich friend. Pendle-
/ ton was tall and dark and. as he fire.
/ quently admitted. lazy. Wyndham was
big and fair. somewhat uncouth when
i in juxtaposition with his more elegant
/ friend. possessed of prodigious strength
/ and tireless energy. Thus it naturally
came about that he did things for
PendIeton. and this relation grew
/ stronger between them as time went
on uatil the mana Cement of Pendle-
! tons affairs had fallen unconsciously.
| it seemed, almost entirely into Wynd-
| hams hands.
For these services there was no rec
ompense given or received = that is.
there was nothing in the shape of a
stated salary. AT times it was Pendle-
tons habit to deposit check for Il
considerable sum to Wyndham's credit
at the bank where he kept an account.
In hnd ~
alNays under protest from Wyndham.
pendleton had discovered a way out of
the dilemma.
LOOK here, Craig" he said to him
one day more than a year before his
departure for Mexico, Il wish that you
would DO me Il great favor"
TN try. Burr. WHAT'S it?' was the
reply.
You possess such an inexhaustible
surplus of energy that / wish / could
induce you to devote it all to me-"
How do you mean:"
"Why. just come regularly into my
employ as-what Is it that kings and
queens have about them?"
Fools principally. / think I'm not
np to that. Burr"
what | mean. Suppose you look out
for my accounts. pay my bills and, in
short. attend to everything for me. so
that l will not have to think Of any
th.,g Unless want to. Don't YIN see
sign my checks for me and attend 10
the small matters of life, so that I viii
not have them 10 think of? That is
what / want. You can do rs you please
concerning salary. You Ia fix the
amount, subject, of course. 10 ny aD-
proval''-he looked away while he S-Al
that-"or when you feel that you need
some money you can draw n check for
what you want and charge it to your
account
Wyndham raised his head in prepa
ration of a protest, but for once Pen
dleton's energy got the best of him.
81 won't hear of an objection he
said somewhat harshly. Either you
agree to my proposition or / engage
somebody else to do the work that /
have asked you to do. If you are my
friend. as you pretend to be, you Will
accept, bet if you have any more of |
your foolish ideas of pride standing in
the way it is time that we found it out /
Either you accept or we |
part here, Craig. You put me in the +
position of tie pleader. and | have ,
never pleaded for anything in my life.
If | did not want you. | certainly
should not ask you. If you will as
sumo the responsibility of my affairs
and relieve me of them entirely, in addi-
ton to the labor you will perform. you
Will confer a very great favor. You
ought to understand that | could not
place this responsibility upon any man
whom l do not know"
The discussion was ended. The mat
.er was arranged to the mutual salts
action of the contracting parties. and
Nyndham became to ali intents and
purposes the mentor of his friend. 1t
S true that Pendleton carried private
,heckbook of his own for personal
Use in case of emergency and that n
Tery comfortable sum was kept to that
ccount; but. nevertheless. it had to he
lrawn from the other one and over the
ignature of Wyndham.
This was the state of things when
he friends encountered each other on
he steps of the club on the afternoon
f the arrival of Pendleton from Next
o; and there were other things that
ad grown out of the arrangement
rhich Wyndham longed for an oppor-
unity to explain. but which the other
IAN never gave him the opportunity
} do.
There are men who carry burdens
rhich are never seen or suspected.
Vyndham was one of them. Burdens
-hich rightly belonged to him he did
OF mind. but burdens that he bore for
mother oppressed him really more than
e knew. He was the most undemon-
.ratiye fellow in the world. Persons
II whom he felt the most profound af-
,ction were the least likely OF all 9th
s to observe signs of 1t, and when he
TT the club that afternoon after the
nexplained departure, and in some ,
avs the inexcusable negligence. of ,
endleton 1t seemed to him that he
)re burden that it was next to inn ,
,ssible for him to carry. That was ;
by his brow was creased with ,
fought, and that was also why he did ,
IT see that a pair of dark skinned /.
rangers followed in his footsteps and ,