University of Oregon monthly., March 01, 1908, Image 18

UNIVERSITY OF ORÉGON MONTHLY
W
showing signs -of youth, wefre heavily?. lined, and his eyes had a
tfoiibled and hunted look. As he came? over to where we were
seated, he nodded' familiarly to Beaumont. I was introduced and
s^t listen in g while my new acquaintance/'Billy Shearer, passed the
fcbmmonpîàces' with my chum. Their.' conversation, being on nauti­
cal subjects, soon-lost interest; for me and my thoughts wandered,
about at random. I was brought back to my friends by a chance
remark from ‘Billy as he arose to leave..
“M ighty sorry, Mr. Beaumont to hear o£ your losing so much
money in that bank failute. ®Ps- $ùres tough, Bo, you think you
w ilh'^et -it back MOT
//"‘O h^ye’s, Billy. I am not ^afraid of dosing it, but y o u s e è i t ‘
was all thé ready money,.I had, and I wa§ planning to take a trip
East to m eet m y sister .in Ghic^g©'and noy^J- will have tO 'pass’ it
up. - I t will go, kind of hard on that a^ountyifcut—well it’s all in
a life time .yOu know, Billy.”
;Ç ‘¥,és I-guess, you are right There,” ârisw erediM y, as fie stood
tw irling his hat ah out'ih his hand. Hë* -'suddenly straig h ten ed u p
as if struck by a new- ide,a, 'and his .eyes took o h a new light.
“See here,?Mr^;Meanmonfe;' I’ve got -about one hundred dollars
saved .up and—wontfr yStj.take that and maybe you can sctape up
some more and go oh and me/fr/you-r sister? ,/You can pay me back
whenever-you get reàrdy. ‘ï d o n ’t need it now you know.”
“OH, rio, Billy, lj | B
“Now don’t you go making.qxcusés. I ain’t fofgot them kind­
nesses -yon did for-old gr’annie last winter before she died, and it
ain’t juàt dn the square fro-pull-out and not let me. try do payback.”
Of cohrSb Beaumont "could not accept the generous offer of-
this kind friend, much to-Billy’s sorrow. As he shuffled off, a man.
still young in years, but old in experience, he- was a typical example
of the Undertow’s victims! He had put up a strong but losing fight
against unsurmountable difficulties, and now, while at th e-v ery
stage ©f his- hie.; when he thould be making, the most -vigorous
strides fdrward, hé was beginning to lose his grip, and- was being
carried’ adrift by The resistless’forcés of thé Undert.ow. And though
not rich- in worldly goods and wholly uneducated in art and litera­
ture, still He was to me a living example of that old phrase, more
true than poetical': “A man’s a man for a’ th a t.”
—-H. A. Dalzell.