| OCR Text |
Show A STUDY IN VALUES Ut kl.BAkOR Wilt Ceyyr-laalX ev. ay Ttu rtUtMt Paieana The train came to a atandmlll In front of the Utile, nnpalntod depot. Only cno man atnnpud off. and with but a niomenl'M panae the train ateaut-d ateaut-d on again. The alranser atood a moment, glancing half curlouily down the line ot old, wooden bulldlnga that formed Ui one alreet. "ki-im-j old pliice." he thought with a half amused amlle. If old Illp Van Wlnklo had come back hero after hla twenty yeara' aleep he'd never have known he'd been aaleep. It a the old town that baa taken a twenty years' nnp thla time, though." ho aolllonuliecl. "There la not a new building and hardly a change of any kind ainre I left." Aa be picked up hla grip and turned towarda the old weather beaten hotel, he became concioua that he waa the center of Intereat to the loafers louug-Ing louug-Ing alwut the plalform. An hour later ho sat by tha open window of hla room meditatively moklng. The half amuard amlle returned re-turned to hla fuce aa bo thiuiKhl of the greetings he had just received. "1 wonder who all the old oodgura are, anyway," ho reflected. "I've a dim Idua that I uard to know them, but I've had too much else to think of In the laat twenty yeara to remember Ibem now. , . "I wonder If Jack Ptrong la still In thla little onehome town," bis tboughta ran on. ")onr old Jack. I haven t thought of him before In yeara. I naed to think the aun revolved around Jack. Well, I auppoae ho haa vagltated hero until ho la like the reel of those old foglea down there. It a a ahame, too, for Jaok waa aa bright, ambitious a boy aa. you will often find, tf It hadn't boon for that rouscleiico of hla that wouldn't let blm leave borne after hla father'a accident, ho might bavo mad hla way In the world without any trouble." The lawyer law-yer puff' i Ala cigar In silence for a I wMi. Presently tbo onor opeued and v landlord entered with a pitcher f n r. Oroy laslly turned bla head and Inquired, "Ooea Jack aHrunf live here yet!" "Jack RtrongT Toa bet be doea. Drnwoavlllo wouldn't bo Brownsville orltiiout Jack. Poor fellow, be'a beva having hard nick thla laat year, though.' Tbo goeslp loving landlord perched himself on the edge of the lablo, glad of aa eieuse to talk, and rambled on for the neit half hour. Hy tbo ad of that tlm hla gueat waa In possession of the principal ovevta of Btroog'a life during the paat twenty twen-ty yeara. "Hum, bnat everything be bad but the old aome In that fire, did bet Had to mortgage the homestead to get fanda to Murk up again, had hla own family and the old folka In support, bla old father and mother heart broken brok-en at tba Idea of leaving the borne- mm "Same old place." atead. Why len t ho Just the mnn I'm looking for In thla llttlo ilenl?" lie anllloqii'svit "1 run make g.M nr of him and do him a cood turn nt I lie ame lino." lie atuoked on llmuclil fully fur aoin.i time, then looked at hla walch. "(liioKs I'll look th" old f.'lli up." he nmrliiilcd As he rose he glanced eomplai ently nl the pron r oua, eleirantly uttltel hiture leiteidil In the cracked minor and thought ot i. ina,,wMM,iipiHi..i.eiiiia.if iinn.eip the probable contrail between III appearance and that of bla old cbua. Ila anuntereil down tho alreet aid Into the open door under th modist sign "J. II. Btrnng." A man In a worn. III Biting ault hastened forward for-ward and wrung hla hand heartily, eiclalmtng, "It doea aeuui good to Ma you again, Dick, old boy. I beard you were In town and I know you'd drop In. I've watched tho door for the lut hour." Orer cordially re' limed the gnrt Inr For the next half hour the two men recalled old times. The lawytr enjoyed a aenae of oonsrloua superiority superior-ity over hla old chum. "It s a pity be wanted hla life here," ha thought, pllylngly studying the other's careworn care-worn face. At last be pulled nut hla watch and turning to tho merchant with a smile remarked, "Now may I tnlk business to you for a few momenta?" Strong led the way tu th little of. flco at the Imrk of th atom. Ilia friend carefully closed th door be- m y-J- "But I ain't a poor that I need ta aell my aolf-rospact" for he aat down; then bo spoke la low, earnest tonea for some time, tare-fully tare-fully explaining bla schema, Tho merchant listened silently with an etpresalon on bla fao that Oref could not fathom. "lo you see!" Orey asked at laat. "You aay," Strong began la a oarer, constrained voire, "that thla Htadrr-aon Htadrr-aon haa found out tint there 'a a vela of coal running through the old names place, old Mr. Barnes sent know It. and Henderson baa ofered you a big lee It you can get the Dlao for blm cheap. You've got Ilarnr where you ran rrowd htm for money and compel him lo aell, and you offer mo a clear thousand dollars If I U buy the place and thea turn It over to Henderson; for yon think any he thry d gueaa about th roal If on-ileinon on-ileinon tried to bry It hluiseir, and there are reamina why you don't a ant to upprar In It. Is that tho way of It?" Grey nodilud. Jack was rising to the bait quicker than he expi-cied. He had been a little doubtful about disclosing dis-closing hla baud, rHrotig as to likely tu have queer nolloni, ;ui ha seemed seem-ed to Comprehend the auuatlua. If he did atate Hi rami aomeHbit uvd-ly. uvd-ly. "Do you remember hn old Ilarnea lent you the money to start out In life?" Btrnng preenily Inqaued mualiigly. Cerlalnly I do and U ., pa back with luleient Iouk ago. I've loaned a good ninny people money in th. iMt ten yesra, but I don I eapevi th.m to hold me In rrlKtlng gratltuda for it." A sardonic smile llltlw.i ov n, face. No. thu people he loaned money to didn't usually hold hi in grateful remeutlirniire. lie ilt.tn t ,.n(1 (l prunlleaa ymitiK chaps without security- .ui.-h a.i lie one. ,. ,.,,, hut It waa not iie.'w.ir tu eplaB',bll to Jlli-li. It would l.renk the ,, , ,"'1'"' 1V" " ' the ,,l, p;,ce. t.,,,1 they're too old to !,,. llf.P()V(i; I u-,ln, " '"" l..,rl,oiia In a ! St,...,K -mi , a ciuntr:ihie'l vu.,-,. "Ihmh! That ha i nuthina t ,t wtD I the uueHlon. )lv (, 'Wi j niilkt linin to leu.. iit.,.,n ',lt bUKllleeS l,r you v.ul never 4el In th world. AM thv. twsddl ahoit heart atrlnga and bl'ithted live nnd III rant of that stuff iloexnl count when It rotnea to a matter of tool mm," Oray smllel patronlalnrly acniss at Kirung. wlih hla moat worldly world-ly wla air. "Ilesi-iea," he went on cfier a moment's ,mi. "ehen II cornea to a question of heart elrlnjrv. I guess your father'a and mothers are twined about an securely a bum that old place of youra as old Barnee' au1 hla wife's are about theirs, and 1 understand that your place guee If you don't take thla chnnro Ui aave It." Then ho added: "Well, do yoa take my offer?" The merciiant'a tare had growa white- He slowly roso to hie fetit and atood looking? down at Orey, mea nrlng blm with honest. Indignant eye. Orey dimly wondered why he eeemed to wither up under thnt rlear gase; why he who had towered ao far eliov thta country storekeeper when b entered en-tered tho door had aomeway ehrunk until be aremt-d a pigmy boalda a giant. Htrong'a voire waa low and controlled, con-trolled, ti.ouch Inlrns when he apoko. "No," h said, "I won't! Yea, I'm poor, but I ain't ao poor that I nrd to aell my arlf reipect and every finer feeling In my nature." Huddenly hla expression cnangeo. lie neni oui nis hands with a quirk. Impulalv mov-menl mov-menl townrd the man who had beea hla boybcod'a rhum and bem, while hla face took on a look of yearning pity. "Oh. Dick, old rliuin!" That waa all he said, but tho worda held a world ot dlsaiioltitment. They were tho requiem over a ihnttered Ideal. Oroy stared wr.nderlngly. Tho mas who should have been awed by hit manifest superiority nnd have envied him hla proKpcrlly was looking at blm with pity atruKKlIng against contempt In his face. Bomewuy, he couldn't adjust hla thoughts to their former complacency. "That' all these cmfoundfd Tiling-era Tiling-era know nbout business, anyway," bo thought, cnntcmptuoualy, aa bo reaoh ed tor bla bat. |
