The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1914-12-14

WHEN ONE GOES WRONG
BY z. L. BACON.


lars in bills into the inside pocket Of
his coat. Three thousand dollars more
were already slowed away in another
pocket, and, as he intended to take
both rolls with him, he was pretty
well equipped for such q short period
Of rest.
It must not be inferred, however.
that he was a spendthrift or q mil.
lionaire. He was very far from being
either. Frugality was his most dis
tinguishing characteristic. A modest
glass of beer, cigar now and then,
an occasional shot at the races-even
such small vices never entered into
his sphere Of life.
For ten years he had lived in an
unpretentious clearinghouse across
the bridge. For ten years he had gone
to bed at ten o'clock sharp with ma
chine-like regularity, with the excep-
ton Of Saturday nights. when invari-
ably he allowed himself the luxury Of
taking his landlady's pretty daughter
to the theater. That, so far as any
body knew, had been his only indul-
gence.
Yet he felt that for the vacation he
was about to take he needed every
penny of the large amount with which
he had provided himself. He needed
all this money to live on during his
vacation in his usual thrifty fashion in
a town where living was considerably
cheaper than in New York, and where
the opportunities for a spendthrift
would have been exceedingly meager.
The fact Of the matter was that
Lanyon had made up his mind to pro-
long this particular vacation indef-
initely. He had kept this resolution
a strict secret.
Not even his landlady had received
so much as a hint Of 1t. What was
stranger still, he had breathed not q
word Of 1t to Dryer, his employer, and
he did not intend to.
The fact would have to dawn upon
Dwyer gradually, and the longer the
truth took to penetrate to the old gen.
tleman's understanding, the more
would Lanyon be pleased. For the
roll he had stuffed into his inside
pocket was Dryers money.
The smaller amount represented his
!, own savings Of ten years Of hard and
faithful work. It might have been q
good deal more II he had not sent a
tidy sum each month to his old moth
er, who lived alone In sleepy little
village on the Maine coast.
After slowing the money away, he
arranged the things in his desk very
neatly, brushed 1t of with a little
broom that he kept for the purpose.
and gently closed the roll-top. He
took a last look at 1t as he went out
Of the door.
On the way downtown he stopped
at a wholesale house in lower Broad
way where his friend Berrian was
employed. to say good-by.
"You look run down." observed Ber-
rian. "Old Dryers been working you
too hard. But never mind. Maine
will fix you up, all right"
'It's not going to be Maine this
time. Freddie" returned Lanyon with
serious air. TITS going to be Tru-
jillo"
what! Trujillo! Where the deuce
is Trujillo?"
Nice little town in Honduras. Sea
air. beautiful tropical scenery-an
ideal place for vacation II the fever
don't get you"
| o$o hi
hanging open in establishment. Look
ing cautiously around to make sure
that nobody was within ear-shot, Lam
yon continued:
Fred, you're the only real friend
I've got in the world. You're the only
man in this city I've told about my
having been In prison. l can trust
you.
Nov, perhaps you'll understand
when I tell you that, in the noble
words Of its constitution, the repub.
lie Of Honduras IL q sacred asylum
to every person fleeing to its terri
tory"
Berrian drew back with q gasp.
you mean-you mean-you've gone
wrong again. he demanded.
Just that" admitted Lanyon grave
ly. rye come to tell you because
:, don't want you to have any worse
opinion Of me than you can help hav'
ing under the circumstances.
! "I don't suppose a man ever can
have a good excuse for turning crook
ed, but mine Is as good one as there
ever was, I guess. I've got an old
mother up in Maine dependent on me
II my reputation were the best in the
world. I'd rather lose It than see her
starve."
Butt don't understand" STAN
mered Berrian you've managed to
look after her all right, haven't your
II wouldn't, though, If were out
Of job, with prison record keep.
ing me from getting another. And II
I don't go now, Dwyer would see that
I did next week, even If l hadn't taken
cent from him.
"An old enemy of mine drifted into
town last week He's going to send
Dwyer my history in day or two.
Il know Dwyer we'll enough tc
J know what that would mean. So, you
see how 1t is. II / had only myself
to look after. / wouldn't care much