The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1914-01-19

You've been pretty quiet about 1t.
1t hasn't seemed to worry you much!"
Hasn't worried me?" Broadway's
voice was bitter. We'll, | don't mind
telling you that / have just come out
of the first sound sleep I've had in
weeks. I'll bet | walked to Chicago
and back every night the first month
| was broke
Il don't understand?
Il e II you had measured up my
carpet by the mile. thought so much
and worried so much that | didn't dare
trust myself alone. | had the weird.
est ideas; | did the craziest things. Do
YOU know that / belong to the Saliva
ton Army?"
What"
"on the level. I went to Newark
md Joined one night"
What was the idea?"
Il thought Ii might help me forget
my troubles. | played the bass drum
'or two nights and couldn't stand Il
my longer. Er-have you ever been
n Newark
I've been through there on the
rain"
That's bad enough. Guess what |
suffered! l got off the trainl Oh, you
amt realize what I've been through,
Bob! I've made a bluff and pretended
20 be happy all the time: but, believe
ne, old pal, there have been times
when I've started for the Brooklyn
oridge-and | won't tell you about a
bottle of poison and a gun full of leai
which | considered using. | didn't care
about the money I'd spent; what wor-
ried me vas that running in debt, day
after day, with no chance of repay
ing"
but you kept on accepting credit"
"And it was wrong-dead wrong!
But-well, / guess it must be in my
blood. couldn't help it."
How about your uncle?"
Broadway laughed, a cackling, scorn-
ful laugh.
Hes a rich man. Have you tried
him?"
Yes; tried him and found him
guilty. wrote and told him I was
short of ready cash, after I had spent
the p~ittance that he paid me for my
interest in the Jones' gum. l asked
him II he wouldn't lend me, say, ten
thousand dollars"
did he answer"
Sure, he answered. Sent me a pack
age of the gum and the advice: Chew
this and forget your troubles He's In
Europe now. He's worth a million, II
he's worth a nickel, and he bought me
out for practically nothing!"
"Stingy?"
"Stingy? He's SO mean that every
time he's asked to have a drink he
takes a cigar and then saves UP the
cigars, puts them In old boxes, and
gives them away for Christmas pres
ents.'
Where have you been getting
enough for tips and pocket money!
Il sold that big French car | said
was in dead storage. And do you re-
member that | said I'd lost a lot of
jewelry? | hadn't. | had pawned 1t.
How's my work, eh?"
You're a wonder! I've got to hand
1t to you. But why didn't you confide
in me long ago?"
II didn't have enough courage to
confde in anyone. l could only keep
on hoping that some miracle would
happen. I've thought of nothing ex-
cept money and how to get it.
And. Bob, last night. at that BAN
quet table, l sat looking at Mrs. Ge-
rard. thinking of her millions and won
dering what she'd say to me IL | should
tell my story, trying to pluck up nerve
enough to take her into my confidence
and see If she wouldn't help. That's
how 1t started. | didn't realize what
| was doing; but l must have been
staring at her for ten minutes when
she called a waiter who, presently.
handed me a note"
Yes and 1t said: Why do you stare
at me SOP"
did you answer it?"
yes"
What did you say"
"Oh, ! couldn't help it, was des-
perate. said Because I love you!'"
And she answered."
Yes; I love you, too"
"And you wrote?"
"'Not as much as l love YOU We
J had quite 9 correspondence. Seven
ITO BE CONTINUED