Activate Javascript or update your browser for the full Digital Library experience.
Next Page
OCR
YS. coat
ws Dent
STA TION ERY
Vol. 53.
I WISH HE WOULD DECIDE,
Entered According to Act of Congress,
OFFICE:
81 Fulton St., New York.
in the Year 1898, by Street & Smith, an the Office of the Librarian of Congress, Washington, D, 0.
New York, August 6, 1898.
Entered at the Powt OMice, New York, as Second Olass Matter,
Three Dollars Per Year.
Two Copies Five Dollars.
1 rt he would deci le, quamma,
ul
ide's maid twenty times—
‘When shall l bea brite?
My cousin Ann, my sister Fan,
the nuptial knot have ti
Yet come what will, Pm single still, —
Twish he would decide.
ot
He lingers by
Yet come what wes single stitl_—
wish he would decide!
ot
I throw out many hints, mamma,
Tspeak of other beaux,
I talk about domestic life,
His wavering heart to guide,
Do what | will, Vm single still
wish he would
Ireally shall insist, mamma,
If nothing intervenes,
My brother Thomas question him,
ask him what he mean:
And if he wants to “break,” mamma,
sassion oF m}
pride,
Unconguered yet, shall scorn regrets
I wish he wouid decide!
et
MEET ME AGAIN.
Meet me again, love, for sake of the past,
Meet me to-night if it be but our i st:
Meet me to- night by the old ite,
Uhave something to say which is only
F the
Thave something to say, but my tongue
cannot tell
2
The truth has it ought, till my heart feels
Of wy presetice, t he rin,
Ofthy voice, where iy ting
a of pleasure and
57s
oy
ain—
So grant me tiy prayer, love, and meet
me again!
—William Woodward,
greeting met with a curt res
ponse,
words which had pained and startled’ hee
On the steps of the cary with her hands fll of Tight
their last meeting wa
pare stood a gil of two-and-twenty,
Edith was surprised to find
that her cordial
ward one, for Frank had then ken strange, hot
No. 42,
pact promise, Tom; you must tell
t that.”
Mer ill tell you nothing, then.”
vou cannot trust me?
Non E don
doubt about
would be the
ly that this might not be what I should
think best myself. “Now under no conceiv-
able circ
have an;
promise that father shall know everything
fore long,
CHAPTER II.
*S ADVICE.
Brank Bhool Bia Bend ag ai his f face
ful year, he did not
completely his friend’s boyhood had passed
aw’
Therefore he said slowly ina severe tone:
to
“You ought tell the golonel now if
you ever intend to do so. Why n't you?”
“Because I must in an Vindepe ndent
ocition frst. When I am my own master
¢ shall know as soon as you please.’
mean that he is to invest his
money for you before he knows your se-
Nes.
“That i t is gietgnoini, Tom!",
sk a
vou fcting in this ‘by Mark ae advice?”
jo answer for a moments
round, and
to be th eke leeply. Presently
jooked his friend in
vtBut this was four yen ago, when he was 2 boy, she a foolish gi Now, Frank, Temile. ot hear a w
= — against Mark. ‘You may say what you like
bes ut my conduct. But he has been a true
Itwastwoo’clock | ure in picking up various threads of circum. | who have borne uncompIainingly, for many | friend ‘os me, and I will not allow him to
‘ in ‘the afternoon, | stance ‘and submitting them to critical ex-|years, the burden of which cai | abused by any on
: on a fine day to-| amination. ev comforted, and which will never| “Then Fak advice that everythin
2 yaet the close of|_ ‘It’s queer,” he muttered to himsetf,j leave their hearts until they rest in death, | should be Kept back from your father until
~ was |keenly watehing every. movement of 1 + the present moment Frank How you have his money? Tank merely asking a
oo - tulle, and the rays|two men. “I thought Tom Eckersley was | was gravely concerned and perplexed about| plain quest
By Arthur Paterson. of thé sun struck | going to the deuce in Mark Galt’s buggy a| his friend’s affairs, and was not thinki Tsoked & ‘away again,
perpendicularly Hite while agos yet he seems as thick as | of himself. From the evening, eleven years “f did not say that.”
—_— the hot, dry |ever with Frank’ Houghton, now. Ah!” aj ago, when Tom Eckersley arrived at Et “Tt must be one or the other, Tom; so I
CHAPTER I. At the doorway of the trim depot | sudden idea occurred to Timothy, and he|a homesick lad of twelve years, until one suppose he did. Have you told him every-
FRIENDS, . founged the telegraph operator in his shirt: |chuckled softly, | (I forgot. Why, he'll be | unlucky day, when he was two-and-twenty, | thing?’
. sleeves, smoking a cigarette. As he smoked | o! f a d' been his constant adviser and| ‘Yes.
A new railroad t and thoughtfully twirled the end of a much- © chi os d “He has Four full confidence?”
iories is seldom interes axel tache, he watched the move- tt “Certa
turesque. The nts o men’ slowly pacing up and my dear fellow, it is waste of
structed of wood, down the platform in front of him. breath for us to diset scans the matter further.
would blow them all This telegraph operator, Mr. Timotl f you have told Galt everything, and will
cards. The railroa Skeats, was a good-looking young man tal me nothing if you take his advice and
hotel is of wood ellaware of the fact. Tho had reject m e, Idon’t see what Ican do for
every respectable Western city begins ita| lived more than twelve months out West, ily et we hese
exisience wit cht he still dressed himself with a superlative | H’m. How will it be with Galt now? Lordy, |twelve months ago. Then they had quar- Oh, Tao:
matched lumber, transported from the East | neatness and care which exci orous | he'd go blue with cussing if he knew Frank | reled suddenly, as young men sometimes| Tom laugh ined as he spoke, a ringing, g, boy-
piecemeal, and put together in less th: omment frot el ys of his acquaint-| was here. A real smart fellow is Mark Galt, | will, and had not met until they came ish aught and taking his companion’s arm,
week. Itis only as years ance, ‘not the less violent because the atten-| real smart, Yet I’d bet on Frank if it came | across one another two hot nt on in a Voice full-of persuasive tender:
town increases in size and importance, that| tions of Mr. Skea! re received by the |to clawin'! He's a rare bulldog, and it’s the | ~’ Yet thi foree of habit was eo strong tha
the class of dwelling-house improves, and | few young ladies of whom the settlement | man with the biggest grip who winsin the |Tom, sely harassed and per- *etYou are the oldest and best friend I
citizens vie with one anothe in the im-| could boast with very marked favor. long run. I wonder how he is? Six | plexed in n ‘mind, tad aoked again for coun-|have, Frank. Galt is a good fellow, gad 1
ortation of brick and s\ The telegraph operator, however, quietly |feet three inches and a half in his socks, | sel and assistance as earnestly and frankly | believe in him, but Galt isn't
Five y ago Toros City, New Mexico, | went Me way, ignoring comments, | Hynkins said, and so broad thathe doesn't |as in the ‘ol days. And gladly would his| will think Four judgment infallibie, ad at
as in tl len, or first stage of its de-| threats, and even challenges—for duels of a | look any ways too tall, as quiet asa|friend have heiped himashe wished, for| your suggestion woul
velopment, and liable to total ‘destruction | rough-and-ready sort are not unknown odchuck if let alone, says Hynkins, | Frank loved the lad with the steadfasiness|sandT asked him for without a murmur,
by. in a given number of minute: the| the frontier—practicing in a remarkably | Well, that may be, but there’s a tight set | characteristic of one w! akes few friends, en re bas once got this ridiculous idea
judicious application of a lucifer match. | skilful way with a revolver, and informing | about those thin lips, and a mighty big| but who, when his heart is drawn towards about forcing me to r to England out
¢ town consisted, at this time, of a long, | his friends of his success in’ the art; never|chin behind that brown beard, and for ali| man or woman, must love them ail his life. jof his head. You not helpme? Why, it all
straggling street, on one side of which were| quarreling, and n ing quarreled | his mild blue eyes, there’s a twist comes| But Tom was changed. It was not that hi pends on yo! , old man, must g
Tieeof smart Little wooden’ stores, with | with. Av‘thoughtful, observant. man as|now and then i brows above ’em—|was cold. The year separation had dis-| round you some way, if possible. Now see
sign-boards bigger than their windows, and | Timothy, w! his friends called “cute,” | gosh, he'd make things fly, if the wind| sipated all the clouds wi d burst into | here,’ his tone wasone of great earnest-
on the other a gaunt hotel of three stories, | and his enemies “deep.” He never hurried | were against him. Mark alt will Keep |so 3 a onths before, | ness and feeling. “You know well enough
the railroad station and tl motiveshed | about his work, because he had not much| himself out of that, stockman’s line of fire | and th riends | had silently wrung one an- what my father is. I believe he cares for
pihis last, one of the largest buildings in| work to do; but oi mind was an active | if ¢ man! other's hands e-close ee, pressure that| me, at least I try to believe it, he is—
ne, he had ery good, memory, an ‘hus Solfloguized Mr. Timothy Skeats.|meant mutual Ttust and love which no| well, he. is ‘remarkably fond of keeping
¢ Toros, in spite of its appearance of | thoug! was ‘not accuse by any ‘one of | His cigarette now came to anend, and the estrangement could ever have the power|everything in his ow! nds, especially
unsubstantiality, was a truly respectabl ndal-mongering, it was a tolerably.w well- tinkle of the telegraph bell inside vais office | to blight or destr money. Iam not going to use hard words
little city, a1 fast. It was| known fact that there was a man in the | broug! ogitations con-| Nevertheless, a and permanent|so you need not wn so protentiously.
situated near the centre of the territory, on | Toros who knew as much of his neighbors’ | clusi; irea lazy yawn he turned into What I mean is, you cannot expect m:
one of the main lines of railroad from ‘the | affairs as Timot thy Skeats, the telegraph | the depot, and left the men on the platform y father as_ other sons do,
3 and having a good water supply, and | operato: to go their ways and continue their tramp son ought to do, if you like that better;and
a healthy position, bade fair to blossom out ‘At this moinent, while {Timothy twirled|ina regular methodical manner as they igh I do wish to be straight and candid
ultimately into an enterprising city. is mustache and slowly puffed at hie waited for the Western train, ith him above all things, a8 long as Tam
At this time it coi Jess than te, with a face asimpressionless and| Timothy's te mile well sfeseribed dependent upon him I’ canno
jundred inhabitants, and the principal| vacant as the white door-post against which ir appearal in, if he knew what Ihave done he would
trade of the town wa: ied on with the|he lounged, his thoughts were busy with | younger of the two, was a slightly ite fel ver tpeate to me again.’
tademen of the neighborhood. ‘These men {shrewd reflection and conjecture about the |low of three-and-twenty, with dark “Ts it so bad as that, Tom?"
to beseen at all hours of the day,|men tramping to and fro infront of him. | hair, bright eyes and adennitive mouth. ‘here was such pain in Frank’s tone
sauntering ‘slowly along the sidewatk, in| He vho they were, though only one | quick, impulsive m hij nervous he asked: the question, that his friend
road-brimmed sombreros and long boots, | had nodded to him upon arriving at th tempera anion was three started, and the secret he had kept so jeal-
staring at the storekeepe their wares| depot, and he also knew what they were in| years older, ith a Inn e, strong fnee, in ously nearly left his lips. But he e stopped
with a ‘curiosity slightly flavored with | Toros for, and what. their relations were to| keeping with his breadth of shoulder ‘and himtel f just in time, and only said in alo
contempt, as at an entirely different race of | one another, Buthere his knowledge ended length of limb. I onent: pleasant voi
beings, infinitely inferior to themselves. |abruptly, in the wusatisfactory way one’s Mace, rather grim about th mouth, and sa: “Yes, old fellow, Ithink so. Though, as
The contempt @ stronger than the | knowledge of other people's business in apt about the eyes, as was fier, four | at Inst in violent and unexpected ways. ‘ou don't k what it is, spare me as
curiosity 5 they compared the glossy black | to,end years of life in the roughest country in the| As alked up and down the plat-| much reviling as you conveniently can.”
and generous inse of white linen othy, however, was eet aan to be| world, but full of a quict dignity and self-| form re Friends Waiked | farnently {other Frank's big eyes ened wide.
affected by the cltizens, with. the simplicity casily bafiied, and in’ o} reliance acquire: e struggles of the| The younger was eloquently u a re-| “I can't conceive”—he be;
of their own greasy leather riding trousers, | terial fo! foper solution of the peo fong bard ‘yenra; touched with that in: | quest, nt which the hier mournfully shook interrupted him quickly :
rough flannel shirts. ial for a proper in this interval of leis- describable look seen in the faces of those | his head | "“Don'ttry, then, But just answer me