The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1915-09-10
CHAPTER !.

~ s,,n old men sat in the library
Y t ,he unresponsive blue envelope
\ II I, 20 on the end Of the long table
- the fireplace, where a merry
70 '"ro,lced bed of Goals cracked
,ely in the vain effort TO cry uown
.sr,aks of the bleak December
in that whistled about the corners
lbs house. ,,,, ~
,s.t that the envelope would have
main unopened until young Fred
q brood came home for the night:
" found themselves wondering I, II
y u chance he would fail to come
ii, Their hour for retiring was
4 o'clock, day in, day out.
:. to balf,past nine they discussed
4. nine envelope with every inmate
!, "A house, from Mrs. John Des-
~ the housekeeper, down to the
..,,.Isss but eloquent decanter OF port
N stOod between them, first on the
!. q one chair, then the other. they
"a very old men; they could soillo-
ap without in the least disturbing
- otber, An observer would say,
,,5og these periods Of abstraction
| N their remarks were addressed to
e decsnter and that the poor ocean
!, had something to say in return.
q for all that, their eyes seldom left
4 broad, blue envelope that had lain
INA since half-past eight.
Tbey knew that it came directly OF
htlrectly from the man to whom they
op,d their present condition of COM
NJ and security after half a century
4 Icissitudes; from the man whose
IN they had saved more than once
i those old, evil days when comforts
vsye so few that they passed without
ncognition In the maelstrom OF
events From midocean James Brood
| rs speaking to his son.
Twenty years ago these two old Gro
bes had met James Brood in one OF
Ae blsckest holes Of Calcutta, a dere
lit being swept to perdition with the
witness and sureness Of a tide that
noWs no pause. They found him
hen the dregs were at his lips, ant
ID stapor of defeat in his brain
Without meaning to be considered
amarltans, good or bad, they dragged
hm from the depths and found tina
beg had revived a man. Those were
De days when James BroodB lii
meant nothing to him, days when HI
sas tortured by the thought that
Vould be all too long for him to en-
igre yet he was not the kind to mul
Ia himself as men do who lack tn
eOurage to go on living.
Weeks after the rescue in Calcutt
Aese two soldiers of fortune and al
cher. John Desmond, learned froI
Tie lips of the man himself that h
vas not such as they, but rich in thi
worlds goods, richer than the Soil
non Of their discreet imagination.
WHAT Brood told them of his lii
brought the grim smile of appreciatio
lothe lips Of each. He had married
BEAUTIFUL foreigner-an Austrian, the
nthered-of excellent family, and ha
AIKEN her to his home in New YoI
aty, to the house In lower Fifth av
nue. where his father and grandfatht
aad lived before him-the house
EAlch two Of the wayfarers aft
twenty years, now sat in rueful co
Rnplation Of blue envelope.
baby boy came to the Broods
ae second year of their welded lii
@I before that there had come
an--a music master, dreamy-eye
andsome, Latin; a man who play,
Qon the harp as only the angels nj
ay In his delirious rawlings Bro,
gfsed this man and the wife he hi
0len away from him; he reyiled t
aOy boy, even denying him;
Mgned With blood-curdling glee ov
manner in which he had cast o
e woman who had broken his hes
Aa crushed his pride; he walled
agulsh over the mistake he had ma
allowing the man to live that
ignt gloat and sheer in triumph. II
aucn the three men who lifted h
aom nell were able to CLEAN from Il
aa' Knew not what they said, a
asy were filed with pity. Later
q rational weakness, he told tn,
aOse. and without curses. A de
went, steadfast bitterness succeed
Is Violent rawlings. He became a W
asef with them, quiet, logged, fat
aaefe they went he also went; wi
aSy 0ld, also did he. Soon he led, q
.ley followed Into the dark pla
! 1ae world they plunged, for D,
aht little to him, death even l.
lucy no longer knew days of pri
Sul'-le shared his wealth with the
y they knew no rest, no peace,
sls'y Life had been a whirlwind
u'e they came upon James Brood
3 . hurricane afterward.
Ielce John Desmond, younger Il
l0ary Dawes and Joseph Ri,
seo the life of James Brood
9 Of unparalleled heroism; once