The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1913-10-21

6ftv twcnty-dollar gold pieces weigh
ing down his pockets and the follow
ing memorandum pinned careluiiy III
side his waiStcNht:
san Francisco Jan "a. 1904
Messrs Snoo & Harg, eavfs herepy ac-
knowledge the receipt " 4 soltaIt Tuoy
ring of an antique. oriental srllihs' !io'"
its owner Captain Matthew iro"Eh'o''.
Who in consideration OF one thousaho
~ CON- dollars advanced TO MIN toaay py
Messrs 8 & H. on security OF saio r'ns'
ard receipt by Captain BroughtoE hereby
acknowledged agrees to pay n. per
cent Interest semiannually on SAID loan.
GEORGE II SNOOD
For Snood & Hargreavea
MATTHEW BRCUGHTON.
Matt returned to the windy street IN
fsr hotter spirits than he had 'eft 1t.
He had $1,000 In his p""kets: M.5OO
more 10 draw on II need he: and best
Of al, 10 could now go home" II was
. strange instinct that called him hack
20 Manaswan. In the east. for there
was not 4 single tie that bound MN
10 the place unless 1t We're his parelts
graves. But after years Of wandering.
Of contented exile. Of acQuiescence IN
the life be had made for himself.
something within him had at last re-
volted. Honest L. heartsick. weary OF
palms and reefs and naked savages.
Manaswan appeared to him as the So
luton Of this subtle ma'ady Of the
soul. At ManaswAn a miracle would
happen. and he would be happy. The
first use be made Of his money was
to buy his ticket.
He gave the clergyman $500 to as
sure the safe return Of the natives p
their various islands: and that after
noon the honest. devoted fellows. in
charge Of nine-year-old Master Thomp-
son. accompanied him across the bay
to cheer his departure on the Overland.
Standing there In Il line OF nine. mar.
shaded by that little white boy, they
presented Il singular spectacle on the
platform. what with the earrings in
their ears. two with tattOoed faces.
and all weeping copiously. Nor was
the effect diminished by their singing
Y reSOunding hymn. and then listening.
with bowed heads. to the prayer Ia
nielu. the Tongan, offered up amid the
jostle Of trunks and passengers. Mats
own eyes We're dim as the train moved
away. and there was a very real lump
in his throat. Why was he going 10
ManaSwHn while everything he va.ued
lay behind him? Why was he leaving
tried and true friends for strangers?
An island fairyland for a prim little
Connecticut town! Yet his resolution
did not wavtr. ami he was inSprilcd
by the thought That In five days he
would be 'hoale."
Matt WAS less diSilnSinnrd by his
thitlAcrtilE N -lt have been expect
ed Tile snowy landscape. the slu--i II
river. with rs iio%en shadows. the
icicird al,! silent pines. the d light Of
herring sleigh bells and wat hing the
bright animation Of seem, : so long un a.
niiiar nli We're satisfying to the crIv-
H.. thai p,Ss, $ cd him. On thu human
side. however. ManaSwan was diS;lp-
pointing. No one seemed to care par
tl,ularly whether he had come back or
not. The most cordial greeting be re.
reiyed came from an old gentleman
who nlistook him for some one else.
In fact. Matt remembered ManaSwan
Il great deal better than Manaswan re-
membered him. and when he wrote to
Washington and learned that both his
uncle and aunt had long been dead lie
felt loneIier than ever.
Matt took up his quarters In Mrs.
Sattane's boarding house on jefferson
avenue and fell into an aimless, drift
ing sort of life, in which the dinner
bell was the most important part Of
the day. He took long trampS. assiu-
uOusly read the daily paper. Interested
himself IN the other boar,ers and
vaguely turned over schemes for his
future. With $4.:liO he could surely
make sOme kind of start somewhere.
But what precise form Of start" and
what ''sOmewhere?''
Meanwhile he smoked his pine and
made friends with the other boarders.
The principal Of these was Hunter
HOyt. a genial. fat cd scamp of fifty.
never altogether sober. though vary.
ingly drunk. who In his palmy DAYS
had been II sensational journalist of
some celebrity In the newspaper world
OF New York and San Francisco.
Drink had been his ruin. and he was
now doing reporter work for the local
ManaSwan paper. the Banner. Shah.
by. jolly and always with a flower In
his buttOnhole and pleasant III often
inarticnlate' word for everybody. loyt
was one Of those irresistible nuisancps
who are popular when better men are
not. He never paid Mrs. Sattane more
than half his bill; his engagement with
the Banner was almost In the nature
or aims to fallen greatness: the liouor
dealers allowed him to fine them an
incalculable number Of bottles of wills.
KY. Even the flower he was 80 mar.
tlcnlar about was never paid for. tx.
cept by an amiahle contiescension that
signor Tony Frendu perforce accented
In lieu of cash There was everywhere
n contemptnous affection for the old