The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-12-01
A Box of Old Friends
BY WINIFRED BLACK.

irrepressible life as ever, my old
friend, Alan Breek, and how glad
| was TO see him. tool
IL happened this way: II s time
10 settle down for fall. and the old
books must 90 on n long Journey 10
the new home in far away city.
and ] went 20 see how they had
Jared all the time they we been
packed.
] peered down into dusty box
and there nc was right on top Of
the pile. Brave Alan, with his
friend Davv back OF MIN, and
check by iowl was the gay st. Ives
and his Scotch sweetheart. Dear
friends, dear old friends every one
Of them-how good they did look TO
me.
I've been making new friends
this summer-pew acquaintances, |
mcan-aud some were in covers
and some were out OF them. and
the bookish fellows | thought prct-
ty fine some Of tbem-but where s
the equal OF the old friends, after
ALI
/ sat right down on the floor of
the basement and began to hear
Alan tell mis- adventures by flood
and field over the water Alan and
| went together and back 10 the
heather again, and the day grew
10 evening and the autumn sun
shine faded and still we walked
together, my old friend, Alan
Breck, and /.
Are there auy left anywhere so
gay as you, Alan, with the bit OF
song YOU hummed IN the very teeth
OF the enemy. "Charhe is ma daT
lin ma darlir -! What lit there
is 10 ii. No wonder the waiter
girl leaned across the table and
whispered secrets to you when YOU
hummed the dangerous old song.
And that cousin of yours who
could pipe so brayely when he
had wine enough, and the smell Of
the gorsc under foot, and the white
line of the blcakers on the shore,
where YOU just made the boat in
time. That was narrow squeeze,
Alan, YOU know it, you rogue, for
all YOU laughed so boisterously in
The teeth Of the gale. And that
French cousin of yours, st. Ives,
was there ever such another ad-
venturer born, with bis sideways
love making to the 'dour auld
wife, who was the guardian of his
true lovel
How true they were, all the low
ers in the book! Do they make
them like that nowadays in books
or out of them?
What s that making the clatter
there in the Scotch plaid book be-
hind you7 "Pieces Of Eight
Pieces of Eight" why, we're on
Treasure Island with the "Boys of
Courage, and there's Long John
Silver sneaking through the woods
right at tho boys back.
] spoke of Long John Silver to
2 man the other day, and he said
he didn' t know the gentleman.
Your loss said I to him, and I
never did tell him what I meant.
What was the usei He wouldn u
have understood, anyhow.
Lead! The man who called
all these beings into life by the
magic of his wondrous brain. No,
not dead, nor ever will be while
human hearts beat true and hu-
man eyes can sec to read-Robert
Louis Stevenson, the very name
spells mystery aud adventure 10
such as love his fancy.
Who is this stepping so demure-
" out of the little brown booki
Why, bless my heart, Lorna, where
did you come from, forgotten for
so lopgl
IL take you home with me. T
know pair Of blue eyes that will
soften and glow at making your
acquaintance. You and John Ridd
are Just about right for her just
now,
Up the Bagwortby with you,
John Ridd, cold or warm, steep or
soft the climb. up YOU go TO find
Lorna, soft.eyed Lorna, and bring
her home safe to Exmorc, all for
the delight of blue-eyed little
girl I know!
my Nellie's Blue Eyes"
Who g whistlinc that at this time
OF daY--who but the most charm
ing rascal of them all, Jack Ham
linz / thought you'd be some
where near the top, Jack, You rap
scaDion you, with your black eyes
and your pale, inscrutable face,
and those white hands of yours,
and those slim, well.shod feet, and,
ohi that tenor voice.
Every girl of my age ] knew was
in love with you. Jack, and small
"OuuCEe w udp Ol1 We cars IL NUu
were a gambler--didn t you wear
a mariposa lily in your coat and
couldn . you sing like an angel?
And what dead shot you were!
What was that you said to the
fellow who thought to Joke you
about certain encounter? IDEAL.
ing with YOUR left hand, Jacks"
said the rash stranger. "Ye-s."
YOU drawled; 81 shoot with it,
too
Oh, red, red dust OF the Califor-
MIA road, Oh, tall, wild lilies
springing wherever Miliss and her
friends of the Sierras steppedl oh,
moon of California. shining over
Red Dog or Lone Gulch as moon
never shone anywhere else on
earth What a silver-starred veil
YOU threw across the world, Bret
Harte, and how We who read your
words Of silver and pearl look
through it and arc full Of mysteri-
ous Joy,
Fall time, homo time, booktime
-hurrah. let IS get the old books
out one after another. even if only
to glance through the well-beloved
pages.
There YOU are, David, poor, lone
" David, and Murdstone, your
enemy. bad luck go with him. And
there's Pegotty-why. what would
the world be without Pegotty after
all9 And little Emily! Ny heart
is softcned TO all who love and