Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-05-25
er times would have been offensive,
was now q pleasure.

hero, faro dealers, rough handed min
ers and disjointed cowboys.
An hour after l sat down a young
man with lily hands entered. 1 knew
him for a gambler or a tenderfoot and
when he placed himself before the tin
pan piano and began banging a selec-
ton from Ell Trovatore" l knew that
he was a newcomer and shifted my
chair to get a good look at his face. He
was a handsome lad, one OF. the poetic
type.
"Hey," I shouted softly and in ridi-
cule, "desist from such atrocities"
He looked at me In Amusement.
"You know that piece-you-youP'
And his last word had an altogether
different infection. He was startled
and from saucer like eyes stared at me.
My first thought was that l had been
trapped; that he recognized me as Hugh
Richmond.
whats the matter7" I demanded.
No answer.
"Tell me. What is the matter"
There was a ring in my voice that he
did not disregard, and he answered In
q Whisper, 'NOtn1nS.
That whisper! He was the amateur
highwayman.
We had met again, and I liked the
boy. My impressions are not always
correct, but they are positive, and If l
take a dislike to a man at first sight l
would distrust him though we were
seated side by side In heaven.
D,& %Iio IoI Ait. y xro,.4b kh{o ~
sophisticated child of the east, who
had no better sense than. to attempt
highway robbery and three hours later
inflict music ON his victim, touched my
sympathy.
"Well?" 1 spoke half defiantly be-
cause 1 wanted to make him talk.
1--WE never met BEFORE" he STAN
mered, coming toward me with the re-
luctance of one approaching a judg-
ment seat.
Never" 1 answered emphatically.
AS he sat down 1 pushed the bottle
toward him, and he grasped it eagerly.
"Good stuff" he lied politely.
"Damnable," l rejoined.
"But l think it is good" he insisted
and took another glass of the liquid fire.
"How long?"
"Three weeks" he replied, embar-
raised. 81 I'M a tenderfoot, the rawest
kind and well blistered."
"How longT" l queried again.
"God knows. l don't want to stay
any longer than I car help"
His tongue had been loosened. Three
large jolts of whisky-such whisky as
comes over the bar of the Silver Dollar
would have loosened the tongue of the
Sphinx-and before | realized what
was happening he was rapidly whis-
pering into my ears his tale Of sorrow.
81 was in a social set that was too
high for my purse" he said. my fam
lily was proud, my name was an open
sesame to the exclusive set, but my in
come was small. Ny employer trusted
me. There is a woman In the case.
Heaven, such q woman! l I'M not
worthy of her. It was not her fault.
And 1 wish that 1 could get a start
yer again, but I've hit the trail for
hell, and yet she loves me. l couldn't
let her know that l was poor, and l
showered her with presents, just as
the other fellows did that wanted her
to love them, but she turned them away.
"She loved me, do you hear? l gave
her everything that money could buy,
and then the crash came.
"My own father turned me out of the
house. My W mother wouldn't let
me kiss her goodby. My employer-he
was an old friend of the family-Said
he wouldn't prosecute, but I was dis
graced. The papers had it.
"And then she-she of all women
said that she loved me and always
would and said that she was as much
to blame as 1 because she had allowed
me to spend money on flowers and take
her to the theater-most Of the money
went for that; but, of course, there was
a ring,
"She told me to go west, to go out
where money vas dug from the ground
enough to settle my accounts, and then
we would go to some place else and
begin life all over again.
"And here l am. But what can 1
do? How can | dig gold out of the
ground? l know nothing about it.
There's nothing l can do. I'm bad
bad all the way through. My father
told me l was. So what's the use? l
don't care for myself, but for her-for
her"
Tears rose in his eyes, and he cried:
eff 1 could only get a start again for
her! I'd slave my life away just to
make her happy, for she loves me V
after all that"
He drew a small picture from his
pocket, kissed it again and again, then
laid it on the table and gazed i~ntently
at the sweet, childish face.
1 glanced at the picture casually,
rose, gripped the table, then sank back,
staring into the face of the boy, who
failed to notice. l knew her-oh, how