The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1911-12-09

crawled into New York only fifteen
minutes ahead of the limited itself.
But every minute was worth dollars
and cents TO the Office. Striving was
accustomed to fast trains and hated
slow ones besides he was not in a
very amiable frame of mind. He felt
overworkeu, below par
D Striving addressed the sta
tion porter whO carried his bag
"Sah7"
Striving regarded the man imper-
sonally. I'm tired. I'm sick of IT,"
"Yes, sab, what seat did you all
have, sah?'
Seventeen" snapped Striving
The negro led the way, deposited the
bag fussily and remained standing
nearby with the usual air of anxious
expectancy. HIS hopes gratifed. he
expressed his thanks by a grinning
display of white teeth and touched
his cap. Striving flung his coat and
hat up in the rack overhead and
dropped into seat number seventeen.
"Sick of It. sick OF IT," he MUIR
INJURED. "of the fight for money. |
never cared for It, anyhow
The train started Striving was due
in New York at eleven. That after
noon he was to try a disagreeahle and
respects at each hamlet and finally
of Appeals. No one knew IL better than
Striving. He didn't feel up 10 IT, but
he knew he would do Il well. Every
one said he would do q well. That was
why the office had sent him. What he
needed. he told himself, was a rest; a
good long rest out of doors. away
from the sight Of a desk
The train acquired speed and Striv-
ing watched the moving scene; ele-
waited trains that kept pace for awhile
and then little by little dropped be-
bind; smoke-begrimed tenements. with
wa5HAGs that swung in tho November
breeze, betwce= vs.nSows, from which
women scantily clad leaned. tals....ry &C
one another acroSS dark areas which
the sun never3sD,nerated: children
playing wildly at some game in the
streets and alleyways.
The city was left behind. A row of
cheap suburban cottages followed,
each with its quarter acre OF land.
Striving breathed more freely. They
we're getting into the country The
country He had almost forgotten
what It looked like. dog raced mad
ly toward the train. n.-pursued It bark
wall covered with huge letters in black
and white recommending a welll'nown
morning after" drug; then a corn
field. a meadow, a silver brook, a post
and-rail fence. a ditch an abandoned
race-track. the grand stand tumbling,
grass growing in the unused track
Striving noticed that scrub game Of
football was in progress In the ellipse
where once a steeplechase course had
fourished. His face cloudod he had
loved the sport once. He had done II
well they said Ii was the only thing
Striving thought that he had ever
done really we'll.
The speed OF the train increased. 1t
passed rumbling over a trestle strad-
ding a small stream. On the opposite
bank leaves were burning. They made
a great glare even in the morning
light. Striving watched indifferently.
He was thinking Of the Surrogate
Court OF Appeals. In meadow ahead
he saw a mare and foal drinking at a
tiny stream of clear water, who sud
denly, as the roar OF the train reached
them, tossed their heads high and went
galloping of, nostrils dilated, names
and tails flying. Striving imagined he
could almost hear the thoroughbred
snort OF mingled fear and rage. The
mare and foal were aristocrats any one
could see that at a glance. In an in
stant they were lost.
Striving knew he ought to be going
over and over the printed brief in the
green bag at his side. What Vas that
the senior partner had said Just as he
was leaving? What icdS Il? Striving
knitted his brows. Anyhow what DIFF
ference did It make? Oh, yes, now he
remembered
"Striving," the senior partner had
remarked, in that perfectly arid,
bloodless way of his. Striving, keep
one thing in mind and that is that
residuary devise, II II fails. goes in
testate. Hammer 'em. Make 'em see
II, dye hear?'
Oh, yes, he heard. OF course, he'd
hammer 'em. But he couldn't help
thinking OF that mare and foal by the
stream The mare reminded him Of
old Gypsy. How Gypsy could gallop!
They couldn't catch her once she got
we'll away.-and only fifteen one at
that,-hardly more than a pony.
The train passed into broad, open
country Striving leaned back more
comfortably 1t was good to see the
great rolling Helus cnetheIeu WIN Ntll
kept stone walls and fences. lie
1ammed his heavy carry-all bag TO one
side and stretched his long legs past
the chair in front Of him. Then he
yawned and continued 10 gaze at the
fact moving landscape a little visit
fully.
Striving was your hard-bitten tyne,
born for the saddle, nice depth OF
chest, narrow waist and lean, fiat
legs Even years at a desk where elec-
tric lights burned half the day had not
spoiled his gift OF birth. His skin, too,
was hard still, and II one looked close
ly,-most people did at Striving, -one
saw II had once been a deep reddish
bronze.
Striving yawned again. then opened
the leather case OF his side and ex'
tracted a bundle OF papers and print
ed brief some hundred and twenty
pages long He glanced az the latter
casually, disinterestedly at first, and
then gradually, with an effort, forced
himself 10 a final careful perusal
Suddenly he became aware that the
train was running more and mors