Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1915-11-25

LIN III EIlElJhlG = AIN,
l fell, rather than climbed, down the
ladder, snatched the white missile from.
the grass. and saw that it was, indeed
a sealed and addressed envelope. had
somehow expected that address to in
clude either G~odfrey's name or mine;
but it did neither. The envelope bore
these words:
MIR. FREDERIC SWAIN,
1910 Fifth Avenue.
- New York City.
If not at his address,
please try the Calumet club.
| sat down on the lowest rulg of the
ladder, whistling softly to myself. For
credible SWANS address was no LONGER
l0l0 Fifth avenue, nor was he TO be
found in the luxurious rooms of the
Calumet club. In fact, it was nearly
a year since he a entered either
place. Fol some eight hours of every
week day, he labored in the law Of
f1ces of Royce q Lester; he slept in
a little room on the top loor of the
Marathon; three hours of every eve
ming, Saturday. Sundays and holidays
excepted, We're spent at the law school
or the University of New York; and
the remaining hours of the "a in haunts
much less conspicuous and expensive
han the Calumet club.
For Freddie Swain had taken one of
these tobosgan slides down the hill OF
luie WHICH SOIllellI1eS flappeN TO
he most deserving. His father, old
Gen. Orlando Swain, had, all his life.
put up a pompouS front and was sup
posed to have inherited a fortune from
somewhere; but, when he died, this
edifice was found to be all facade and
no foundation, and Freddie inherited
nothing but debts. He had been eX-
pensively educated for a career as an
of society, but he found that
career cut short, for society suddenly
ceased to find him ornamental. l sup
pose there We're too a marriageable
daughters about!
l am bound to say that he took the
blow well. Instead of attempting to
cling to the skirts of society as a VEN
der of champagne or an organizer of
fetes champctres. he-to use his own
words-decided to cut the whole show.
Our firm had been named as the
administrators of the Swain estate, and
sitting among the ruins, Freddie ex-
pressed the intention of going to work.
What will you do?" Mr.. Royce in
CURED. o had any training in
making money!"
No. only in spending it," retorted
Freddie, easily. But l can learn. I was
thinking of studying law. That's a
good trade, isn't it?"
"Splendid!" assented MT. Royce,
warmly. And there are always so
many openings. You see, nobody studies
l~aw,,lawyers are as scarce as hens
teeth"
Just the same, 1 think I'll have a
try at it," said Freddie. sturdily. ''There's
always room at the top, You know"
he added, with q grin. Il can go to
the night school at the university. and
I ought to be able to earn enough to
live on, as a clerk or something. L
know how to and write"
'That will helm Of course" opcpe1
Mr. Royce. But I'm afraid that. right
at first, anyway, you can scarcely hope
to live in the style to which o have
been accustomed"
Freddie turned on him with fire in
his eyes.
Look here he said, suppose you
give me q job. III do my work and
earn my wages-try me and see"
There was something in his face hat
touched me, II j glanced at Mr..
Royce. l saw that his g%ruffness was
merely a mantle to cloak his real feel
Swain was set to work as a copying
clerk at a salary of SIS a week. He
applied himself to his work with an
energy h a surprised me, and l learned
hat he was taking the night course at
the university, as he had planned. Fin
ally, n night, | met him as l was
turning in to my DON at the Mara
thon, and found hat he had rented
a cubby-hole on the top floor of the
building. After that, / saw him oc-
casionally, n when six months had
passed, was forced to acknowledge that
he was thoroughly in earnest. l hap
pened to remark to Mr.. Royce one day
that Swain seemed to be making good.
Yes" my partner agreed; Il didn't
think he had it in him. He had a rude
awakening from his dream of affluence,
and it seems to have lone him good"
But, somehow, l had fancied that it
was from more than a dream Of af-
1uence he had been awakened; and
now, as ! sat staring at this letter, 1
began to understand dimly what the
other dream had been
The first thing was to get the letter
into his hands. for I was certain that
it was a cry for help. I glanced at my
watch and saw that it was nearly half
past 10. Swain. 1 knew, would be at
lunch. and was not due at the office
until 1 O'clock. Slipping the letter into
my pocket, I turned back to the house.
and found Mrs. Hargis standing on the
front porch.