The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1914-12-22

WIEN ONE GOES WRONG
BY e. 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 a short period
| Of rest.
1t must not be inferred. however,
that he was spendthrift or a mil
lionaire. He was very far from being
either. Frugality was his most dis
tinguishing characteristic. A modest
glass Of beer. a 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 boarding. house across
the bridge. For ten years he had gone
to bed at ten o'clock sharp with ma
chine-iike regularity. with the excep-
ton Of Saturday nights. when invari-
ably he allowed himself the luxury Of
taking his landladv's pretty daughter
to the theatec. 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
| nhno tho, f,, har
the opportunities for 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
strict secret.
Not even his landlady had received
so much as a hint of it. What was
stranger still. he had breathed not a
word of 1t to Dwyer. 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
faithful work. H might have been a
good deal more If he had not sent a
tidy sum each month to his old moth
er. who lived alone in a sleepy little
village on the Maine coast.
After slowing the money away. he
arranged the things in his desk yer,
neatly. brushed It OF With a little
broom that he kept for the purpose
and gently closed the roll-top. HI
took last look at 1t as he went ou
OF the door.
4 On the way downtown he stopped
at a wholesale house in lower Broad
way where his friend Berrian was
employed, to say eoodby.
"You look run down." observed Der
rian. "Old Dryers been working yor
too hard. But never mind. Maine
will fix you up. all right"
TITS not going to be Maine this
time. Freddie" returned Lanyon will
a serious air. tits going to be Tru
lilo"
What! Trujillo! Who're the deuce
Is Trujillo?"
Nice little town in Honduras. Sea
air, beautiful tropical sccnery-ar
:. ideal place for vacation II the fevel
=, don't get you"
Berrian merely stared, his mouth
hanging open in astonishment Lock
ing cautiously around to make SURF
that nobody was within ear-shct. Ian
yon continued:
Fired. you're the only real frient
I've got in the world. You're the only
man in this city I've told about my
having been in prison. can trus
you.
Nov, perhaps you'll understand
when tell you that. in the noble
words Of its constitution, the repub
lie Of Honduras Is sacred asylum
to every person fleeing to its terri
tory"
Berrian drew back with a gasp.
"You mean-you mean-you've gon'
1 WTOHs again. ne ueHldHueu.
"Just that" admitted Lanyon grave
ly. I've 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.
II don't suppose a man ever car
{ have a good excuse for turning crook
! ed. but mine is as good a one as there
I ever was. I guess I've got an OLE
mother up in Maine dependent on me
{ II my reputation we're the best in thu
I world. I'd rather lose It than see hel
J starve."
81 Butt don't understand" STAN
mered Berrian. You've managed t.
! look after her all right. haven't your
q 'T wouldn't, though. IL l were ou
) Of a Job. with prison record keep
; ing me from getting another. And 4
I don't 60 now, Dwyer would see tina
. I did next week even II hadn't taker
q cent from him.
! "An old enemy OF mine drifted int
! town last week He's going to sent
I Dwyer my history in a day or two.
) 81 know Dryer we'll enough t.
u - -