Over The Ferry

Ho was a queer, Httle feUow- an artist by profession- belonged to our Club; Charters was lus name- Jacob Charters- but nobody ever took the Hberty of calliiijï him by hi-i flrst name. Age, about forty, I ahould say, and lie was yellow all over- yellow hair. yellow complexión; always wore a snit of yellow clothos. Although ours is a club in whlch, the rule Is to ring tlie bcll for refreebmento when you come in, oc when anybody else comee in, so that thé bel] tor reireehmenta was fcept ringing pretty nearly all all the time, Charters oever stood treat to áaybody and oever aecepted a treat frum anybody. This was onO of his peculiaritirs. You will ]udge trom tfais peculiarity that Charters was poor. Xobody knew. Bich fellowa are Bometlnes eceentric. At any rate, Charters pald liis club duos regularly, and every winuT he went off to the West India islands to paint picturee. So he must have had some money. Auother pecullarity was that he gave you the tmpresBlon of bêing deformed. Wïien you looked at him closely yoai saw that you were wrong. His head was large; hie tliin yellow hair seemed like a wig; hls yellow complexión gave him an uncanny, healthy look. His clothes, though now and of good material, were oí a quaijit, old-fashianed style and a little too large for hun, as If he had laid ia a large stock of new clotlns, years ago, and was now takiag thera out of his trunk and weariog them, suit aftT suit. He livod- that is to say, he had a room and took liis breakfast - at the Ethaa Allen Hoti-1, on Fourth avenue. Had lived there for yeara, ezcept when he was off on liis palnting trips, which nsually lasted from December to April. AVhere he dined we never knew. Xot at the club, certainly; nor would lie ever accept au lnvitation to dine wifh us at the taWe diiote we -ometimes frequented. Everybody in tlie club knew liim well; bat he had few friends and DO Intimatee, unlees I might bü called intímate. He would talk to me by the hour, prloeipally about painting. I did not that be was a bore. On the contrary, he was very well Iniormed; bnt I am not particularly intorested in pointer talk. My experience in stoge management at the tbeatre save me the cue for dramatic pointe in pictures, and once in a while be would ask me how I would arrange a group or a scène. People IVka to be asked ior advice, and so I grew to like Charter.-:; to miss him when he went away to the West Indies; to sit with htm more than anybody else When ho was in town. His usual mood may be described as a calm and rather cynical melancholy. There was a woman iu the case, at ooorae. One day he startcd, rose and looked for a long while out of the club window. A lady was passing on the other side of the way. I knew her, and saw that he knew her. Preeently he resumed his seut and the conversution, sayinu, by way of apology: "I tttOOgfrt at iirst that lady Jooked like a lady I once met."' I nodded and the subject was dropped. But after that there was more sympathy bet ween us. He talked about ove. His theory was that a man alwaya feil In love with the wronü womun. Above him, below him, too rich, too poor, engaged to somebody else, married to some other fellow. Seeing that th; line had come, I lunged for the beert with the direct question: " W Bich is your cas;' ?" "Well, he replied, wtth a shylaugh, "all of thom by turns." "Ever told her about it ?" Xo; why shoultl I ? What Is there about me for a young and pretty ivoman to love ?" Ali! Then she waa young and pretty. I took up a paper and, glancing through it, made another thrust, iinder cover oi the advertisment sheet. "I see," said I , indifferently, but with intention, "that Suste Kendriek is to be married in December." He had taken up another Journal and his hands trcmbled so that the paper crackled. After a pause oí a few mommts, to get command of his volee, I suppose, he said, "H'm! I kuow her slightly." He went on reading the paper. Then he barst out, all at once: "What a confounded shame!" "You mean Mise Kendrick's marriage ?" "Eh ? No; I mean the diabolical way in which they Interfered wlth the neatest and best-planned Kuicide I ever heard of. Why couldn't they let the man carry out hi.s Idea ?" "What was liis idea ?" "Here it is in f uil detail. Man wanted to commit suicide. ïook Staten Island ferry-boat 'hen the tide was running out to sea. Walked to the stem of the boat and let himself drop overboord qutetly. In another moment he would have been gone forever and nobody the wiser. Fooi of a wonian saw him irom the upper deck. Screamed, of courge. Pilot stopped boat; backed; and deckhands fisheil up the gulcide wlth a boathodk. Spoiled all the romance. Bolled li ï in on a barrel, I suppose, and all that beastly kind oi thing. Paper says tiiai te will recover." ■I gay, hartera, that would make a good picture, Lf you could put the maa'a story lato liis face." "llow do yon mean a íí'd pleturo ?" "Tide running oui; ferryboat stopped; passengere erowdtng to look over; deckhanda ready wiih boathooks and ropes; man in the w i moonliglit just touching hi.s face so fehat you could see the dcadly pesolution in it. All the light on the face and all the story of suicide told in H3 Unes. Cali it 'Over the Ferry" and it would oatcn the chromd-llthographic tste of the picture-buyers." "Rather ton ölfficult for my line," replied Charters, turnlag over the paper to read sorae other news. "I have mi Iniaglnatlon, you kuow; 1 eau only paint what I see." Then I went off to join a more lively coinpanion. II. - ACBBIBTHAS UEhDIMi I'AKTV. November cajne and Charters disappeared as usual. His custoni was feo palnt a couple of picture in the Wcsi I ndics and bring back sketches for two w three more. As works ol art - well, Khey were rather too highly oolorcd for worka of art. Truc tii Nature, no doubt; but in a crude styie oí which Nature is never guilty in the tropics. A couple of tliom hung in the club, and members ased to gay bhey ought to be turned faoe to th ■ wall in summer, as they mude the room too hot. But, tlun. wc cannot all br Turners and redeem loud oolora witii genius. I not only miseed Charters, but worrled atibut hita. He had not said good-bye to me nor to anybody elae. WIhmi I asked txthar iVliows about hii. they Bupposed that te had gone to ihe Indies. Why I sliould aak or care more tlian la.st year or the year befare that I do not know. But, one day, I took the umisual liberty ol oalling foi' him at lus hotel. "He's here, but he isu't in now," said the clerk. "You'll fiiul lllm up at lus study- oh, I guess, if you know wtoere that is - I don't. Want to lea vu a card or aoything ?" No; if Charters wwe in town, atbending to his business, and did not eare to come to the club, I had better attend to my business and trouble in si'lf no more about liim. I rubbed my patent forgettor over Charters, and his name was not even mentioned for several weeks. In December I reoeiyed weddingoards from Miss Btisie Eendrlck, wlth a bright little note, cordial, familiar, uneonventioual, like the lady herself. She was au artist oí the pietrae-papi-r school; likeil to Bohemianize and b:' oomaldered a good fellow. She was about to marry a largo, rich, whodesele grocer- the last man in the worid yon would have picked out for her. But Love delights in extremes. The touch of Bohemia In Miss Kendrick seemed piquant to lüii' William Wallis, and nis prosy conservatism was like a rock of rellance and repectability to the samy Suele. ■I know," she wrote, "that you intend t-o give me a Christinas present. They all do it. You would so be obliged to privo me a weddinfcpreseat and begin the happy New Year in debt and difficulties, II it were not for my motlierly forethought. I have arran.ued to get married quietly, take ;i wedding-trip, return to the new house which Mr. Wallis has given me, on West Twentyfouith street, and hold my wedding reception on Christmas Eve, when all my presente will 1 spread out in the back parlor and duly chronieled in wli a te ver papers will print the list. I depend upan your papers. anynow. You sce, thia maltes one present due for both ray marriage and my Cliristmas. Ain't I good to the boys ? You ueed to cali me one of thciu. AiUUvss. date, etc, om enelosed card. P. 8.- Do not give me the Kohinoor, for I have a bis jewel of a husband. But, if anybody senda me a pin-cushicm wlth 'Welcome, Hltli' Stranger' on it, I will never speak t6!iiai again. Your old chuni. S. K." A jollj' letter; but ome sömewhat similar was sent to several othera ol our coterie, and so I did uot leel eepeclaily honored. Bohemian men, real or amateur, nevar attraet me. I like a Bweet, geatte, amlable, womanly w ornan, and 1 wi.sh I may get her Ín thi.s generation! So I concluded that a bracelet-wateh, artlstic but inexpi-nsivc, wonld about meet Susie's case. As I thought over the ways and meaos, oue of the red, green, and blue pictures oi CSiartera glared down at rae from the club wall. I woodered whether he knew about SusiiV wedding. Would he care about H 1 What would he give her ? Por all I knew, there was no reasoa wliy bte should give her anything. He had said thíit he knew her slijthtly. I'rrhap.j he wouldn't get an invitation. l'sli.iw! Why should I think about Charters at all ? But I did think about hiin, and. cm niy way liome the next nlgbt 1 walked several blocks out of ray rood t stop at the hotel and ask whether Cbartera had started on lii aketehlnR tour, as usual. '"Well, sir," said the landlord, iu was acting as his own clerk tliat night, "he have gome oíf as usual and yet it 'pears to me that he have have Rome o.'f, as you might say, öomefhlng more than usual." "How'8 that V L asked, putting the landlord in a good humor by purehasing oiie of his best- and worst - cigars and pretendlng to enjoy it. ■■'lt. yoo see, geoerally glves up his room, llke, but leavea a lot oí trunk-i and thinge tere, as'ln hia coming back in bhe spring. Xmv this time he maleas a clean sweep of everyUhing, as ií he was oever a-comiií; back tere no more. There ain't a stick nor stoik of his In my place, and íhat'.s what r cimldn't have saiil before bhese sis jrearB." "Took them aloog wltli liim 7" "No; lie dkta't. He sent 'era off, plece by piece, a trunk to-day and a hundir to-morrovr. Didn't take QOthlng i;![ hhn, so l'ar as I could bul i 'spose lie expressed hls baggage down to the steamtr. 'Uoodliyc.' gaya he; 'good-bye,' saya I. 'Don'1 forgel me,' saya he; 'Ton bet l w i i. and he skipped oíf the Btreet-oar, and that's the last I've-heard of him. But that ain't Btrange; lor he never writes until he wants hls old room again." "Nothlng out of the ordlnary way, as vuil say." "I don 't ssiy i.t. Tliere waan't aml there was. I know you as a frtend of his'n, and don't mind telling you that the-re has been times that I thought he was hard up and eelllag the clothes and tliings he sent away. If so, he was too proud to say anything, and 'course I couldn't speak so long as no paid up regular, as be alwa.vs did. But it wouldn't llave mede no dtffereooé to me if he hadn't a-poiid i month or so till las lucu tuiiird. He ks a gentleman, and hls picturee, though a little too dull for niy baste" - (ooii graetous! - "waa a suro sale U you giró 'em time and a corner wtodow. But bhat's aeitíier tere aor tinere, and i know ft'll go qo further." "OÍ course not! Tliank yon very inuch. Good nitíht: oh, 1 gay, when did he leave ?" "Ycstcrday afternooo. I 'spose he wanted to make blunaell anuir and tortable aboard. The stoamcr didn't sala tilt today. Good oigtit, sir!" V. si, rda.v ? Thcn te liad plenty of time to drop in at the club and say -' m! bye. i: te liad wishrd. Ho didnot care about it. AU rlht; why Bhould I? Anotlicr turn of the patent forgettor and Ohartera was forgotten. III. - OVEK THE FERRY. There was a merry party at the Wallis reeldeaoe on Cbrüstmaa Eve to congratúlate the bride and bridegroom. Mr. Wallis and a grand piano quite filled up the front parlor, and both looked solid, Bubstantial and beaming. Mrs. Wallis flitted about, makiiig evea-ybody welcome and evarybody prettüy ior the pretty presenta, most of which were displayed in the back parlor, as her note had promiaed. ■■Thank yon very inuch," she said, gaily, holding up her nicely rounded arm to show me that she was weariag my watch-bracolot. "Yon used to tell me bhat I kmew the tune o' day, and DOW III always justiíy your Logy." Mis. BvBle Beemed to have passed her lioiK-ymoüu in mannfacturing this siyl,. of tlianks. Shfi liad a Vltty remark for everythMig-, and her husbaml lauiflu'd at eacli of tbem untll the llttle hou.se shook. Refreslunents were served, without ceremony, in the dining-room downetairs, and 1 made myeeU ueefal els a volunteer walter. Later In the evening I encountered my chirpy hoertxea agaio. She was just repeating the "time o' day" joke to a man who had sent her a Preneh clock, -vvarranted never to keep time, ander a glasé case. Theu she turned to me. "Oh, but you haven't seen hall my presenta," she cricd. "You haven't Been the picture Uiat Mr. (íhartera sen-t me." 'I thought that you only knew liim glightly, Mis. Wallis." "Slightly ? Why I knew iiim betteT than I do any oí your crowd. We -vvere boy and gh-1 together beíore you were boro. Uved next door in l'rovi dense. Did he teH you that I knew him 'slightly ?" "I must have misunderstood him." 'Oí couise you did. But come and eee the picture. Ho isii't what you cali a great patatar, you know- poor Jake; but xlii.s is far and away the best iliiug he ever dLd." A.s we aqueezed between Mr. Wallis and The graad piano, and poshed our u;i,v intü the back parlor, I oaked: "Did yon invite Charters to this rec-eptioü, Jlr. AVallisV ■(.ertainly; but 1kj"s away 011 ouc oí his trips, I suppose. I ahouüJ have invited hún to the wedding, too, ii there had beeu any wedding. But I tokl Willlam that nobody shoukl give rae away- didn't I, William ?" Mr. Wallis roared, the house trem1 bied, and we stood before the picture, wtlich was )ian(Is:inicly framed and mounted on a raihcr expensive e&sle. I iookcd at it, sta red, then looked agaiu, spt'Hbound. 'It's uwíully gloomy íor a wedding present, you know," said Mrg. Wallis," "but isn't it real and strong and clever ?" It was the ferry-boat pieture, as I had suggested it to Charters. The rushing tkte; the baat drifting, wlth its ruddy lights; the orowd of passengere looking over the rails; the deck hands wlth hooks and ropos; the cold, elear stern moonlight, and but was imagination playlng tricks with me ?- the face of the suicide In the water waa that of Charters kiinself, yellow and set and resolved to die. "Don't you- dou't you recognize any - any likeness in that face ?" I stammered. "Oh, ys! It's something like Jake's face. Artiwts often do that. It's ís: r tu look in the glass and paint Whai thfy see 1 1 1 ,- 1 1 1 to draw upou imagiuiation for a face. Tiiat's how it carne to be like Jake." Thu8 Mrs. Wallis chattered on, while I stood a chilled as 11 the waters in the picture were around niy heart. Doubtleee, her explanation was coritct, but yet, ae the light of that clear, cold moon, anotber explanation suggeeted its ii. "You look cold and pale," said Mrs. Wallis. ■! didn't have the heater started, to-night, because we are to have a carpet-dance presently. üo ilov.nst.ihs anfl get warmed up, and I'll give you a lovely partner- mym K, of eourss: - if you are a good boy." It iii.-iy bé only a colncldence. Chartera may be living-, happy anfl comforts ble, Bomewbere in the West Indios; but hr ii.is never been seen in New York siiice he sent tliat picture to Mrs, Wallis and said good-bye to hi.s Iiandlord at the hoted.