Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1908-10-09

/ That doesn't count for felony IN Frisco.
And whatever you do they can't make
me pay when Pm penniless.'
with that he hurried from the place,
| leaving Rutherford, as he thought, brow
beaten and discounted
! rutherford went straight to the con-
sui. from whom he obtained an introduce
ton to Smiths employers A short in
tersiew with the head of the firm SUI
feed Within twenty four hours Smith,
TO his utter mystification, received u
weeks salary and instant dismissal.
| He was not long in finding another
billet with rival firm in a distant part
of The city-at a higher salary than Re-
/ fore, Three days later he Was paid off
in the same summary fashion, and he
went away deelaiming against the bad
luck that so unaecountably logged his
footsteps.
THAT night Rutherford looked him up
to ask if he had thought better vet of
his resolve not to pay his debt. He was
willing to De repaid by installments, he
said, and to wait a reasonable time, if
Smith would at least make an effort to
repay the money. For answer Smith
vowed that he would never pay a farth-
| ing That silly piece of bravado drove
the idSG trace Oh pity OF GOu puuCliO4
fIcm Rutherford's mind
"A month afterwards Smith was in
stalled as bookkeeper at a fruit farm a
hundred miles from San Francisco. where
he thought surely he was out of reach
of his enemy Curiously enough, it had
not dawned on him who that secret
enemy WAS. But one fine morning the
old story was repeated. ana again he
4 S,sc
a character, and with only his weeks
wages in his pocket
1T grew monotonous after that. From
place to place Smith wandered, getting
shabbier and more haggard as from each
fresh berth the mysterious fiuger of fate
| heckoned him forth to tramp ou,e mora
in search of the resting place he was
never to find till at leugth youth and
nope faded, and he saaK so low that
when a permanent Job offered itself as
stcyedore on the quay IT Frisco he was
only too thankful TO take it,
"Wel?o inquired Lynn, as Erslline
ceased speaking.
oh, that's all so far as am con-
cerned!" he replied But it's enough to
show how a man may consider himself
pursued by ill-luck when in reality he
is experiencing the result of his own
action in a time that is past and forgot
ten, | have no doubt that, wherever
Smith may be at present. he is still
raining off the tale of his bad luck on
some credulous person--the last thing
such victims Of fate ever 90 is to blame
themselves"
Lynn, somewhat bored by the story,
rose and went TO the door; he was i'm
patient to be off.
THE storm is over" he announced
1--WE shall be able to get on now. Well
Bradbury, l shall expect you early TO-
morrow morning, and, by the way, here
are your paper. Come along, or va
shall miss the moonlight
While Ford follow I'd the sub manager
ElrsICiDe fingered moment to relight his
pipe AS he passed Bradbury, the man
whispered hoarsely-
Say, stranger, who are your
ETskine stopped, felt III his pocket for
a card, and, with ironical politeness, laid
, it on the table and silently followed his
companions. Bradbury. picking up the
card, read without much surprise the
name
John Rutherford Erskme"
Then he seated himself by the fire and
buried lis head in his hands
The fire died out, and the night breeze
blew IN without disturbing him
Once more, on the eva of promotion
and happiness, relentless fate was abou;
to snatch from him the fruit of years OF
toll and patience. But this time he knew
whence the blow would come.
Long ago the sense Of his former base
ness had come home to him, and with all
the strength of somewhat weak nature
he had striven to reform, longed to make
amends. had even gone so far as to hoard
his savings with the hope of some day
finding opportunity of making restitu.
ton.
The girl he was going to marry knew
little of his old life TO her he was the
quiet, gentle hammered friend who stood
head and shoulders above his fellows in
that cough mining community. His FOR.
; mer misfortunes, at which he had oply
limited, had at the outset reused her
womanly compassion. and now that he
had tasted the sweets of her innocent
hero worship, he shrank from enlighten
ing her. They were to have been married
in a month.
What was to be done? Rutherford had
once more bounded him down. Tomor-
row he would be driven again from bis
fellowmen- worse still, from his prom
ised wife. Unless A new idea shot
suddenly across the dark chaos OF
thought and emotion in his mind
TO BE CONTINUED.
4 A Mixed Compliment.
Joseph Letter at a Washington din
ner party a few days before his mar
| rage said lac agreed with Iohn ID