Jasper County Democrat, Volume 12, Number 65, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 November 1909 — THEIR TWO STORIES [ARTICLE]

THEIR TWO STORIES

Two old chums. Henry Neilson. retired banker, and John Speiser, eminent physician, were gossiping. So completely absorbed in their occupation were they off there In the library! that even mine host appeared oblivious of the important fact that the portals of his mansion were about to be thrown open to receive the guests who had been bidden to dine at Hawthorne that evening. “Of course you will understand it all much better when you have seen her,” said Neilson. “In relating the story to you In advance 1 do not feel that 1 have betrayed her confidence, since you are so entirely out of our little world.” Here Neilson looked at his watch. "We have a little time. 1 must tell you the rest The story,” he said, “was written at a desk literally heaped with evidences of her hopeless penury, for the morning’s mail bad brought demands for Immediate payment from more points than a compass could possibly Indicate. Of course this environment was responsible for her very desperate thoughts, but she found herself regretting for the first time tho loss of an opportunity for averting all this financial disaster, an opportunity then half a dozen years beyond recall.” ■ He fairly shuddered at the thought. “You see. .lack. I cannot bear to think even of her miraculous escape from that temptation. “The passionate outburst of feeling found expression in her pen, and she wrote her own story—told how a man who was a great power In his community, who had position, wealth, influence and. above all, a fascination and magnetism that made him difficult to resist, had offered them all to her. He had been married many years pud was about to sail for Europe with his family. “His importunings continued up to the very night before sailing, find while his family were actually on board the steamer he was 100 miles away risking everything for one moment more with which to use his powers of eloquence to persuade her to join her fate to his. He would have cast everything he possessed to the winds, have dishonored bis family, sacrificed bis professional standing, if Barbara bad not been an Impregnable rock of virtue. “It took a few years only to exhaust the slender resources which her father had left to his widow and daughter. Financial troubles had really caused his death. And so one day after looking at her mother’s pitiful condition--111 and comfortless and harassed by the knowledge of their penniless state —she betook herself to the man who had proffered her more than the half of his kingdom. “Alone she would never have appealed to him. Fpr her mother’s sake she had no choio£. “It will seem'incredible to you. I know, that any man could resist such an appeal, but most of all the one whose fate had been in her hands but a few brief years before. He said in very dignified style something about his ‘life work.’

“Jack, there may be demons, but I think that man’s revenge fitted him for the lowest depths of hades, don’t you? “Oh, I must tell you that the story was a success at once—that Is. it was accepted by the managing editor of a newspaper, ordered into print and. when measured by the yardstick in the cashier’s department, duly paid for with strict regard to the quantity under consideration. That was not a great amount. But one day she was informed that a check for SIO,OOO had been sent to the office of the newspaper for the writer of that story.” “Happy the man who had the privilege of sending that money to Barbara Floyd.” moaned Jack Speiser. Neilson looked up, a little startled at the interruption. “Ob, yes. I did tell yon her name, did I not? Well, when she asked my advice about accepting it we decided to take it as a loan. 1 happened to be making a successful venture for myself at the time, and her SIO,OOO was easily increased tenfold. “Then the loaD. as we called it. was returned to her benefactor.” The curtain was pushed aside, and a vision appeared there which might have turned many heads besides the very level one that had been placed on Henry Neilson's stalwart shoulders. It was much too dark in the room for Barbara, coming as she did out of tbs stronger light, to distinguish the features of either of the men, so she merely said in her own sweet way that she was intruding with a message from Mrs. Neilson, who begged Mr. Neilson to Join them immediately in the drawing room. The vision, or something unaccountable. evidently had turned the bead of the celebrated Dr. Speiser. Neilson had nqf dreamed that be would be like a death's bead at tbeir feast. “Such a joyous occasion, too,” he mused, “the announcement of the betrothal of our beloved Barbara to the man of her choice, that lucky Lewis, who, of course, is worthy of her if any man could be.” But Barbara was radiant. The spectral figure bad not affected her high spirits,except possibly to increase them. “I shall be leaving so early in the morning that I will not see you again. Neilson,” said Speiser as they were parting for the night “1 want to inflict a word about myself,” be said, “to add my confidence to Barbara Floyd’s. You will agree with me, I think, that after witnessing her happiness tonight there is no further need of hades to expiate my cfueltv to her. You could not, of course, know mat you were telling uiy story too.”