After Twenty Years.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8044, 5 February 1906, Page 4

After Twenty Years.

The policeman on the beat moved up the cojul impressively. The impressiveness was habitual and not for show, for spectators were few. The time was barely 10 o'clock nt night, but chilly gusts of wind with a taste of rain in them had well nigh depeopled the streets. Trying doors as ho went, turning now and then to cast his watchful eye down the pacific thoroughfare, the officer, with his stalwart form and slight swagger, made a line picture of a guardian of the peace. The vicinity was one that kept early hours. Now and then you might see the lights of n refreshment saloon ; but the majority of the doors holongt'd to business places long since elu.ri'd. When about mid'way of a certain biuek the policeman suddenly slowed ins walk. Ju the doorway of a darkened shop a man iuaued, with an nnlighied cigar in his mouth As the policeman walked up to hint the man sp'iko up quickly: '' It's all right, ollieer," he saiil, reassuringly, <• I'm just wailing for a friend. It's an appointment made twenty yars ago. Sounds a little funny lo you. doesn't it? Well, I'll explain it you'd like to make certain it's all straight. About that long ago i there used to be a restaurant where this place stands—Brady's restaurant." "Until live years ago," said the policeman. "It was torn down then." The man in the doorwny truck a match - and lit his cigar. The light showed a pale, iquare-juwed face with keen eyes, and a litt ie 1 white scar near his right eyebrow. His scarfpin was a large diamond, oddly set. "Twenty years ago tonight," said the man, " I dined here at Brady's with Jimmy Wells, my best chum, mid the finest chnp in the world. lie and I were born here in this town, just like two brothers together. I was eighteen and Jimmy was twenty. The next morning I was to start away to make my fortune. You couldn't have drugged Jimmj out of this place; he thought it was the only one 011 earth. Well, we agreed that night that we would meet here again exactly twenty years from that date and lime, no matter what our conditions might be or from what distance we might have lo come. We figured that in twenty years each of us ought to have our destiny worked out, and our fortunes made, whatever they were going to be." i "It sounds pretty interesting," said the policeman. "Bather a long time between meets, though, it seems to me. Haven't you heard from your friend since you left'? " " Well, yes, for a time we corresponded," said the other. "But after a year or two we lost track of each other. You see, thc> country I went to is a pretty big proposition, and I kept moving about it pretty lively. But I know Jinnnv will meet me here if he'f alive, for he always was the truest, stanchest old chap in the world. Hr'll never forget. I came many miles to sfniid in this door tonight, and it's worth it if my old partne; turns up." .The waiting man pulled out a handsome watch, the lid of it set with small diamonds. "Three minutes lo 10." he announced. " It was exactly 10 o'clock when we parted here at the restaurant door." " Did pretty well, didn't you ? " asked the policeman. " You bet! I hope Jimmy has done half as well. lie was a kind of plodder, though, good fellow as he was. I've had to compete with some of the sharpest wits going to get my pile. A man gets in a groove here. It takes tvhere I went to put a razor edge on him." The policeman look a step or two. "I'll be on my way. Hope your friend comes round all right. You won't wail, I suppose ? " "I should say yes!" said the other. "I'll give him half an hour at least. If Jimmy Wells is alive on earth he'll be here by that time. So long." "Good-night, sir," said the policeman, passing on along his beat, trying doois as ho went.

There was now a tine, cold drizzle falling, and tho wind had risen from Us uncertain puffs into a steady blow. Tin; few foot passengers aslir in that quarter hurried dismally and silently with coat collar turned high and pocketed-hands. And in the door of the shop the man who had come many miles to till an appointment, uncertain almost to jih-iurdity, willi the friend of his youth, smoked his nnd waited. Ahout twenty minutes he waited, and then a tall man in a long overeat, with collar turned up to his ears, hurried aerox; l'i"in the opposite side ol" the sheet, lie went directly up to the waiting man. " h that you, Hub ? " ho asked, doubtfully. "Io thaty.'U, Jimmy Wells?" cried the man in the d'n>r. " lUc. s iV- hfrti l ! " exclaimed the new arrival, hnih the other's hands willi his own. •• It's If >h, .-ore as fate. I was eci'iain I'll lind you here if \ou w»*re still in exisleii-'e. Well, '.v'cll, weli!- Iwrniy is a lon- time. The old restaurant's jiu*, Bol.; I wish it had la.-tel so we could'have had another dinner there, liow have they treated you, o!-l man ? " " Ihiliy; jjiven im: everything I asked (or. You've changed lots, Jimmy. 1 n<-ver thought you were so tall by two or thrco inches." " Oil. I yruw a bit after I was twenty." " well here. Jimmy ?" "Moderately. 1 have a pn.-itiou in the frove)nu ,pi nt. Come on, Bob; we'll around lo a place I know of, and have a good lon--: talk about. old limes." The tvv . lien fluted \ip \\\r. ,-U'cet. arm in arm. The vi,it„r, his egoiUm enlav-ed by aUTe.-,s, was to outline the. history of hi-career. The olher. submerged in his overcn.it, listened with interc-.t. At the corner ,4ood au hotel brilliant with lights, When they came into this each of them turned .simultaneously lo gaze upon the other's face. The visitor stopped suddenly and released his arm. " You're not Jimmy Wells," he snapped. " Twenty years is a longtime, but not long enough to change a man's uose from a Roman to that." " It sometimes changes a good one into a bad one," said the tall man. "You've been under arrest for ten minutes, 'Silky' Hob. Your iale place cabled us that it wants to have a chat with you, and later sent us your photo, lining quietly, are you? That's sen.-ible. Now, before we go on to the station here's a note 1 was asked to hand you. Yo'i may i'"ad it here at the window. It's from Constable Wells." The visiior unfolded the little piece of papT handed him. His iund was stcadj when he began to read, but, it trembled a aliitle by the time he had finished. The note was rather short. "Bob: I was at the appointed plftce on time. When you struck the match to light your ciyar I saw it \vh« the face of a man wanted for forgery. Somehow 1 couldn't dfl it myself, so I went around and got a plain clothes man to do the job. Jimmy."