The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1913-10-22

kim.
Matt had no conception or what
picturesque figure he was to those wa
terry. bleared old eyes, nor how sin
cerely Hunter Hoyt adored him. AS
for his own looks. he had long ceased
to give them much thought. AT thirty
one most men have outgrown that He
was scarcely aware that his fine. senSi.
tive face was recovering the color 1t
had lost in the tropics or that his Wig.
OrOus frame and broad shoulders and
wavy, clustering black hair were like
" to attract favorable attention. The
key to his whole character and the I'M
DERIVING cause of his charming man
ners could be found in the modest es-
Innate he had OF himself The princi.
pal endeavor of the naval academy Is
to teach the midShipman he is a per
son OF very small Importance, who IL
to do what he il told. keep his mouth
smut and respect the flag, and Matt
had not wholly dutived t, is youthful
training which had been put tn his
bones to stay.
In contrast to Hunter IIoyt the rest
of Mrs Sattanp's boarherS seemed
commonplace indeed One Of them
was too humble creature TO call HIM
Golf n hoarder at all. Matt lived a
week at Mrs Suttanes before he even
discovered the mans existence =
grave. elderly mulatto Of Il kindly, open
face and ingratlating manners, VINO
WAS something III the nature OF the
boarding house skeleton His name
wis Daggancourt. Il possible corrnp-
ton of De Guncourt- Victor DagSan-
court-who. although he paid 81 a
week, while the Others paid only 50.
bad what might be called furtive pc
,ition In the house. He would Wait
nnobtrusively about the porch until
Che rest had finished their meal. when
4 second tinkle Of the bell would sum
mon him to the diSordered table. Here
color prejudice forbade that he should
be served by Bridget. who placed the
dishes near his plate and left him to
shift for himself The sitting room
was. of course. forbidden to him.
though he might inger for a moment
In the doorway without impropriety
and listen to the superior race. lie
was the owner of a small garage ana
machine shop-"Victor'> garage" II wis
callei-and was u widower without
children.
This is q hard world for colored
man. sir" he said once to Matt. spe-
cally If he's better educated than the
most of his race and is given to think
ing little. like | do The ma iority
Of them are no company for me. with
their common ways and cheap ideas;
and, of course. ain perSonum non
grata To white folks Here | am. stuck
| mi,lllrwiSe between the two"
Matt conceived Il sincere regard fol
the old fellow. whose lowly. eifacing
| life was not without II certain tragedy
There was fine strain in the mllattt
aud an innate dignity and kindness
that commanded respect, not tn Speal
% a whimsical humOr that CLEANED
ont even in his most earnest moments
~ u're a man." he once said IT, Matt
"while have the misfortune to be {
problem. That's bigger difference
between us than color Itself Tit
darby can't go anywhere aud do any
thing. but right ~. he's a problem
When we eat we're n problem; whci
We - to hospital. we're problem
We can't hop on n train, hut Their
again we're Il problem: when we die
we're problem. for. Lord save us
hlats homes mustn't Ivy next t. white
Nathin. c,rnld he rot from the hoard
ers except warnings. Each one raj
down his own business. On Matt
appealing to Victor the latter fnretoh
the swift finish of the garage business
"Owners are getting TO know to
MUCH he said. "Yon can't sell a Eel