The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-03-22

respects at each hamlet, and finally
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
oyerworked, below par.
D Striving addressed the sta
ton porter who carried his bag.
"Sah?'
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 gratified, 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 il, sick of it." he MUIR
INJURED, "of the fight for money. I
never cared for 1t, anyhow"
nO lIdlu OIIINluS was uuC
in New York at eleven That after
noon he was to try a disagreeable and
respects at each hamlet, and finally
of Appeals. No one knew 1t better than
Striving. He didn't feel up to it, but
he knew he would do it we'll Every
one said he would do it well. That was
why the Office had sent him. What he
needed, he told himself, was a rest;
r1nnd nf dnnTG
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-
hind; smoke-begrimed tenements, with
washings that swung in the November
breeze, between windows, from which
women scantily clad leaned, calling to
one another across dark areas which
the sun never penetrated; children
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
were getting into the country. The
country! He had almost forgotten
what it looked like. A dog raced mad
ly toward the train,-pursued it bark
ing. A factory came next, one entire
wall covered with huge letters in black
and white recommending well-known
morning after" drug; then a corn
field. meadow, silver brook, post
and-rail fence, q ditch, an abandoned
race-track, the grand stand tumbling,
grass growing in the unused track.
Striving noticed that a scrub game of
football was in progress in the ellipse
where once a steeplechase course had
fourished. His face clouded; he had
loved the sport once. He had done it
well they said. 1t was the only thing
Striving thought that he had ever
done really well.
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 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 off, 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
slant they we're lost.
Striving knew he ought to be going
over and over the printed brief in the
green bag at his side. What was that
the senior partner had said just as he
was leaving? What tCdS 1t? 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 a
residuary devise, If it fails, goes in
testate. Hammer 'em. Make 'em see
IL, dye hear?"
oh, yes, he heard. OF course, he'd
hammer EN-. 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 pony.
The train passed into broad, open
country. Striving leaned back more
comfortably. 1t was good 10 see the
great rolling fields checkered with well
kept stone walls and fences. He
damned 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 to gaze at the
fast moving landscape a little wist
fully
Striving was your hard-bitten type
porn Tor the saddle. nice depth OIL
chest, narrow waist and lean. fla
legs Even years at d. where cleo
trio lights burned half ay had no
spoiled his gift of brit, ) skin, too
was hard still. and If o. ~ )oked close
ly.-most people did at Striving,-ont
saw II had once been g. deep reddish
bronze
Striving yawned again. then opened
the leather case at his side and ex
tracted bundle of papers and a print
cd brief some hundred and twent.
pages long. He glanced at the latte
casually. disinterestedly at FIRST. ant
then gradually, with an effort. force,
himself 70 final careful perusal.
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