The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1928-09-14
CHAPTER V-Continued


after years Stanley could never re-
member exactly how it passed. He
had a confused recollection of the
streets of New York cleaning wet and
lambert under the lamps-a piano.
rama OF faces al the club, sounds of
more or less familiar voices, the flick
of cards, the tinkle of glasses-a night
of troubled dreams and restless sleep,
of pacing to and fro, of the pale ad-
vent of dawn through his eastward
looking windows, a hasty breakfast
scarcely touched, the sound of the
early church bells pealing over the
chimney tops, automatic DOMINIC of
his clOthes-fnally the Office.
Nothing in New York is so greatly
changed in outward aspect as the bust
ness district on Sunday. All this
struck Wilson fOrcibly as he walked
leisurely southwark from his two-room
apartment in Greenwich village on his
way to keep this most unusual appoint
ment with his employer.
He found Stanley already at his
desk, engaged in sorting out heap
of papers.
'-Sit down for bit, Frank, I'll be
ready for you in moment"
Immediately Wilson knew that some
thing unusual had happened. When
Stanley was concerned he had an extra
sense, for Stanley was his god. The
younger man some years before had
rescued him from the heap of human
wreckage wherein he struggled, like a
sort of human jackstraw, and had
given him for the first time in his life
q sense of security and peace. Ii
had been done originally upon whim
but ii had been the best thing that
had ever happened in Wilson's sordid
unhappy life, and it had also been O
very good thing for Stanley. Few men
are so lucky as to possess the con-
centrated, whOle-hearted unselfish de
votion of another human being. In
Wilson, Stanley possessed this jewel.
And to do him justice, unobserving
though he was In many ways, he
knew it.
To Wilson, Stanley was just about
the whole of life. Stanley was his
guide, philosopher and friend, and as
such he had devoted his life to the
study of that friend. Therefore ii IS
not strange that he could gather in
stantly from Stanley's voice and man
ner the conviction that something was
wrong. He sat down feeling rather
queer. In a moment Stanley pushed
away the heap of papers.
Prank" he said, 81 want you to
know from me before you hear it from
anybody else, that | am going to quit
the business" He waited, but Will
son said nothing-he was too shocked
to speak
"Yes," said Stanley, Il have had
enough of 1t. Ii bOres me. | want a
change, great big change, and I'm
going to get it right away. I'm going
to quit the business. What's more.
I'm going long way off-to India, to
be exact"
"India?" said Wilson finally finding
his voice. "Why India?"
''Why not? Anything wrong with
india|
No" said Wilson vaguely, mot thai
i know Of don't know much
about it."
Neither do l." said his employer
"but | mean to. One thing do know
about tits d-n different from New
York, and that's the main idea.
But | haven't asked you to give up
your Sunday and come down here to
the office merely to tell you this |
have asked you here to tell you that
during my absence ! want yOu to re-
main in my personal employ. AS you
knOw-no one better-the affairs of
this firm are but part of my bust
ness. | shall need some one to repre-
sent me while ] am gone, and ! have
selected you"
'Mr. Stanley~ gasped Wilson.
YES" went on the other, "if you
will be so kind. You've been with me
for five years now, and no man ever
had a more intelligent or more de,
voted servant use the word in its
best sense. If 1t weren't for you
couldn't go away as | am going, but
know that with you on the job | can
go in perfect security"
But" objected Wilson, who had
low recovered his ability to think, 81
should fancy that perhaps Mr.. Water
man"
mot at all. Not at all. Not that
under some circumstances | might not