The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1920-04-23
CHAPTER lii.-Continued.

With Angela peerlng hard over his
shoulder, Mr.. Cullen strained to de-
cipher the uneven penmansnip. He
began to read aloud:
"Dear Mr.. Cullen:
81 am asking Mr.. Henry billiard
TO bring you this letter personally.
want him to tell you what I'm not
writing, too. And you can tell other
peopie, if you care to.
81 want you to know that since I've
had time to think. I've changed my
mind about good many things. I've
come to the conclusion that you were
Right and | was wrong. Maybe you
won't remember the last talk we had
kOgether, but | do. You told me then
THAT | didn't have it in me to make
good unless learned that was about
the most worthless young man in town,
and the one with the hardest row to
: 1l0e in order to make something out
tof myself. and set out from there.
Well. I've learned it. l had to. OF
course, couldn't agree with you at
the time. That wouldn't have been
lesson after another. Some of them
%ere pretty bitter, but they've all
helped. And since May, when l was
hurt. I've had lots of time to think
them over.
81 never deserved your kindness and
now | can't ever repay it. But 1t may
please you to know that this war
has taught me what you tried to, and
couldn't-that / was as close to zero
value at home as a man could be. It's
only through this war that I've got
= apy pride in myself. and I'm sort of
aiiVe Kipling'S gentleman ranker-Fm
p'rcud of myself because I've done
away with all the other kinds of pride
q used to have. And l believe I've
lnadc gOod-not as q great general,
but as private soldier. That was
the trouble at hOme-I was only fit
80 be a private, and I thought I could
be general off hand. YO1 said I'd
do well if l learned that, and l have.
They gave me the Croix de Guerre,
and in way, that proves it, doesn't
#? Notice that they didn't even make
me corporal, though! That's all
right haven't had enough training
yet TO be a corporal! It's curious
that I'll admit that. isn't 1t?
81 want you to know that I've
thought of you a great deal. I don't
blame you for letting me go. I did
once, but l don't now. Please think
of me. though, as man who came
through Mt the finish, even If he'd been
pretty hopeless before.
"Hilliard the best man in the world,
has promised to bring you this letter.
j hope you'll be glad to see him, and
80 hear his side of the story. This is
my apology and my blessing, if that's
worth anything to you. send a kiss
TO Angela.
"R. NJ"
Mr.. Cullen ended with falling in
Election. and let the hand which held
the letter drop to his knee.
"The letter. as you might guess from
the looks of it," said billiard, ,"was
written at several different times-ac-
cording to his strength. 1 want you
to realize, too, Mr.. Cullen that 1t was
no small effort for him to write it.
And then | was in Switzerland when
he died, and his possessions had al
gone to one of those tape-bound bu.
reaus, so that had a fearful time to
identify myself and get what he had
meant me to have, and after that,
HAD TO make sudden trip to Russia,
and back to England again. There
were delays-delays. / was i'll for
several months myself; l had typhoid
in London. l should have mailed
shese things to you long ago, but he
had begged me to come in person, and
had promised. And every day ex-
pected that in another week or two
j should start for home. l feel that
j owe you this explanation and
great plea for forgiveness for what
must seem to you like gross indiffer-
ence on my part. But I landed hard
ly two weeks ago, and l came up to
you at the earliest possible moment"
ain some ways, he was q most re-
markabie young man." said Mr. Gull
len, irrelevantly. Nobody ever I'M
derstood why he turned out such
black sheep. Came from fine old
family. 1 suppose his father was one
Of the most loved men In Onondaga
county. Dick lived for years on his
fathers reputation, after people
stopped noticing him on his own ac-
count. Just took advantage of the
fact that nobody could quite bear to
he harsh to his fathers son. But he
was always a wild young chap, moth
ling very bad, except that just too
aauch of anything-includirg liquor
was just enough for him! Had too
quick a temper TO he diplomats
enough 10 hold "a job and didn't care
paaci, about. worsing kerd. and finally
the ,itle turned, and lie began TO get
ireatetl Just aS if his father hadn't
IAp.,, ,.t,r, az Is,O,iiai Idol and Then