The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1910-11-10

and thankful to have escaped notice
I paid for my breakfast and left. At
the cabstand chose the least dilapi-
dated hanson could find, and giving
the driver the address of the Gilmore
residence. in the East end, got in.
/ was just In time. AS the cab
turned and rolled off, a slim young
man in straw hat separated himself
from a little group of men and hur-
ried toward us.
Hey! Wait minute there!" he
called, breaking into trot.
But the cabby did not hear. or per
haps did not care to- We logged com.
fortably along, to my relief, leaving
the young man far behind ] avoid
reporters on princir--, .4aving learned
long ago that am an easy mark for
a clever interviewer.
1t was perhaps nine o'clock when ]
left the station Our way was along
the boulevard which Rugged the side
of one of the city's great hills. Far
below, to the left, lay the railroad
tracks and the seventy times seven
looming stacks of the mills. The white
mist of the river, the grays and blacks
of the smoke blended into half-re-
vealing haze, dotted here and there
with fire. 1t was unlovely, tremen-
dous. Whistler might have painted it
with it's pathos, its majesty, but he
would have missed what made 1t in
fnitely suggestive-the rattle and
roar of iron on iron, the rumble of
wheels, the throbbing beat, against
the ears, of fire and heat and Drawn
Welding prosperity.
Something of this / voiced to the
grim old millionaire who was respon-
sible for at least part of it. He was
propped up in bed in his East end
home, listening to the market reports
| read by nurse, and he smiled little
| at my enthusiasm.
81 can't see much beauty in it my
SELF" he said But it's our badge OF
prosperity. The full dinner pail here
means a nose that looks like flue
Pittshurg without smoke wouldn't be
Pittsburg, any more than New York
prohibition would be New York. Sit
down for few minutes, Mr.. Blakeley,
Now, Miss Gardner, Westinghouse
Electric"
The nurse resumed her reading in
monotonous voice She read liter
ally and without understanding, using
initial and authorizations as they came
But the shrewd old man followed hel
easily.
AS the nurse droned along, found
myself looking curiously at photo
| graph in a silver frame on the bed.
side table 1t was the picture OF
girl in white, with her hands clasped
loosely before her. Against the dark
and young. Perhaps 1t was the rather
grim environment, possibly it was my
mood, but although as a general thing
photographs Of young girls make nc
appeal to me, this one did. ] found
my eyes straying back to 1t. By g
little finesse even made out the
name written across the corner, ALI
| SON."
Mr. Gilmore lay back among his
pillows and listened to the nurses
| listless voice. But he was watching
me from under his heavy eyebrows
for when the reading was over, and
we were alone, he indicated the pic
| ture with a gesture.
81 keep 1t there to remind myself
| that am an old man. he said. THAT
is my granddaughter, Alison West"
I expressed the customary polite
surprise, at which, finding me respon
sive, he told me his age with chuc
kle of pride. More surprise, this time
genuine. From that we went to what
he. ate for breakfast and did not cal
| for luncheon, and then to his reserve
power, which at IS became matter
| for thought. And so, in wide circle,
back to where we started, the picture.
Father was a rascal John Gil
more said, picking up the frame. "Tha
happiest day of my life was when
knew he was safely dead in bed and
not hanged. II the child had looked
like him, well, she doesn't. She's
a Gilmore, every inch. Supposed to
look like me-
Very noticeably," agreed soberly,
I had produced the notes by tina
time, and replacing the picture Mr.
Gilmore gathered his spectacles from
beside it. He went over the four notes
methodically, examining each care
| fully and putting it down before
he picked up the next. Then he
leaned back and took of his glasses
they're not so bad" he said
| thoughtfully. mot so bad But
never sew them before. That's my
unofficial signature am inclined to
think''-he was speaking partly td
himself-tsto think. that he has got
hold Of letter of mine. probably to
Alison Bronson was friend OF hei
rapscallion Of father"
took Mr.. Gilmore's deposition and
put It into my travelling bag with the
| forun<3 r,ofoc When r on N them again