Willmar tribune., 1910-03-16
JOHN !. VANDYKE,. !
BY N. QUAD.


Of sixty-seven years without having
had romance in his life. From boy
hood up he had been u hard worker.
For thes'ti thirty years of his life
he had been compelled to practice
economy. and when bachelorhoOd came
he had seen little Of society aud found
himself sort of machine. His days
were spent in his warehouse aud his
nights in his den. a. His office was a
dreary old landmark. He arrived at
such an hour and departed ut such an
hour Old Roberts. his assistant. did
the same. His half dozen workmen
did the same.
Time may 20 on and on. but some
day the routine Of things takes a
change. 1t is 50 even with the mead
ows and the mountains. The change
came to John Vandyke. He entered
his Office one morning to find old Rob-
erts dead Oh the floor. 1t was case
Of heart disease. For three or four
days Vandyke was bewildered. Then
a business friend of long standing
dared to talk to him as he had never
been talked to before.
Get a young man for your book
keeper, and get a young woman for
stenography aud typewriting," was the
advice OF the friend.
The words fairly frightened the old
man at first. What an innovation!
He had always written his own let
ters. He had not spoken to female
for years-no wife, no home, no chill
dren. no amusement. no sentiment.
Was this to continue? No. He had
paved the way for. more changes.
They frightened him. but yet he was
determined.
Why not get married?
Married; He get married? To
whom? He was sixty-seven years old.
Women would sneer and laugh ut him.
He had come part way out Of his shell,
and he was glad he had. But mar
riage-no. no! He dismissed the sub
ject from his mind. but it returned.
1t annoyed him; it provoked him; it
would not down. Well. why not? he
asked himself after week. He was
sixty-seven. but every day he read in
the papers of older men than that en-
tering into the bonds Of matrimony.
But where was the woman? He
thought over that for a day, and then
the answer came-his stenographer.
| She was a young woman OF about
twenty-three: she was Of a respecta-
BILE family: her demeanor was quiet.
He could give her a good home and
leave her money. and bis money would
lift her family up. He had got over
his fear of her. and he thought she
rather liked him as an employer. He
had always spoken gently to her, and
her pay had been good and her work
not too hard. Yes. he would ask her
to be his wife. and he would seek for
happiness and comfort the rest Ut his
days.
A week went by before John Van
dyke had settled in his mind just how
he ought to approach the young lady.
He had not studied the conventions.
Should he enter her room as If on
business and ask for her hand? Should
he make call at her home Of an
evening? Should he buy her books
and flowers as preliminary? Must
he at his age spend months in court
ship? These queries make you smile.
but they bothered the old man. He
finally came to the decision that the
business way-the only way he was
used to-was the best. The bookkeep-
er was to have day off. and he would
call Miss Wheeler in and say he wished
her to become his wife. Yes, that was
the best way. and he felt relieved
when he made his decision. But 1t
was not to be.
On the forenoon of the day his fate
was to be- decided John Eandyke STEP
ned out on an errand. He returned In
bis noiseless way and found the Ste
nographer and the bookkeeper talking
together with their backs to him.
"Queer old chap. isn't he? querled
the young man.
"YeS, very." was the answer.
,:.Been sprucing up lately"
"And how silly Ut him"
"Oh. | don't, know. Maybe he's think
| Ing OI Eet(lnS II1drE'eu'
"What. he! Why, he's over seventy .
."Hardly as old as that. and he's got
the money. you know. If he is after d
wife | bet he gets Il young One.
1.-THE girl who would link herself to
him ought to be sent to prison.
"He may ask you-ha. ha. ha:'
LET him try it,"
John Vandyke softly retreated and
walked the streets for half al hour
Then be returned with noisy steps and
sat down at his desk and leaned bis
head on his hand. By and by the ste
pographer came out for some instruc'
tions and found him softly weeping.
"You-you are ill:" she said:
mo. Miss Wheeler"
''But you-you"-
''Oh. it's nothing serious. Perhaps l
walked TOO fast. Perhaps the sun was
too hot. Perhaps I've lived too long
and grown too old"
"Shall l call Il doctor? Will you &c
home: Can do anything?"
"Thanks. but III be better soon
Foolish Of me-very foolish. Yes. you
may tell them that the warehousine
will be % cents barrel In small lots
Two weeks later when the old mar
lay on his bed in the place he had
called his home for SO many years
lay there. looking pinched and drawn
and his lamp of life Pickering low
the doctor looked at him long time
and then said:
You have not lived as the worl(
hvea"