Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1872-08-22


"Ethel Hastings. Enhancing name
She tarries at De vries'. Said she wa.
going to visit some other friends in Cam
bridge. Knows some people in my neigh
borhood. What if she should be there
next summer ?"
And he clasped his big fur gloves in
ecstacy. and struck an attitude.
With this thought his spirits improved
RAPIDLY, so that when he entered that
Spartan clubhouse called Commons he
was quiet radiant. He beamed upon the
somewhat time-wora houri that waited on
his table and addressed her in knightly
terms.
"What, no thou i"wel Of me heart
bring hither the wheaton refreshment, and
crown me goblet Of bovine nectar"
The good.natured girl grinned, as if she
were used TO it, and complied with the
courteous request. But Jack was too
high 20 eat much He handed everything
within his reach TO his absent-miDded
neighbor, Brown, to watch his puzzled
look and finally succeeded in changing
Browns plate for a plat, of crackers,
without attracting his attention, and then
accused him solemnly Of selfish gluttony,
| He recited oh.hand the first chapter of his
new sensation novel, to be entitled, -" The
| Bloody Fork; or The Madman's Midnight
Meal" wherein the pirate captain) who
he remarked wasn't essential to the plot,
but required by the rules Of art said,
Ohio, my diamond, hited spy-glnss!" no
less than seven times and all the princi-
pal characters were poisoned at the out
set, " to give full swing 10 the tragic" as
he said. "Nothing like appeasing the
mucker element when you write" he said.
"What does the mucker element delight
liz ?" Billood.n
He set the table in such n roar, that the
steward hao TO stop him, and advise him
to retire; which he did sidewise, with
covered face and uncertain step, after the
style of the rejected lover in comedy.
After supper crowd Of fellows went
round to Jacks room as usual. But to-
night he refused to try bis hand at chess,
and even dropped a challenge to be
"cleaned OUT in the most rapid and mis-
terious of games, California Jack, and
went to reading intently. One Of the 9TH
ers looked over his shoulder, and r cad
aloud -
Many evening by the waters did we watch the
stately shps
And our spirits rushed together at the touch Of
the lips
Beautiful murmured Jack.
There was n general laugh as the reader
said, " Bad symptom. to appreciate that"
"Well, said Jack, 1T is Il safe thing to
read, any way. The hero behaves in Il
sensible manner. lie knows that one love
lost doesn't prevent his irving again, and
that he may yet have chance TO pass
down that neat little property which he
calls Alltheages to the next heir. detest
those French writer's who make their dis
appointed lovers stand iii the sea till the
tide comes over them. If | couldn't get
up more rational hero than that I'd
never write a novel. Why, it's all i'm
agination, any way. When fellow finds
that all is over, ard he must part and
be'll be a rover, to the serious detriment of
his heart, and all that, you don't suppose
that there isn't somebody else that would
do Just as Nel for him, if not better9 1t
doesn't injure any thi'.g vital in HIM rs 1t
does when you shoe. him. a man may
die of imagination, If you can make him
believe that he's sick Just SO Il man may
suffer mentally from diseased magma
ton and he never sees till afterwards
how foolish that Imagination is. The
practical English novels, in which every
body behaves exactly like very ordinary
persons in real life, are better; though, to
lie sure, some of them grind along rather
slowly
The trouble isn't so much that the
novel-mill grinds slowly, as it grinds ex-
cocding SMALL said Bob. "But don't you
see that YOU reduce all our affections and
grieis to one dead level of imagination ? y
"Just SO, sad Jack. 'There isn't any.
thing real about it and almost everybody
sees ii so, once or twice in his life, and
then tries to forget it."
"lf you're going into tho Diogenes line
said one of the visitors, 1--WE got tub
I'd like to scll you. The bottom isn't
sound, but the sides are strong and that
all you want for roof, You could keep
it tight by taking bath in it occasionally.
By the way, if tne old Athenian had used
his tub for that purpose occasionally, per-
haps he wouldn't have been SO misanthrop-
ic. | think philosopher in y tub in
some goou position, say the corner be-
tween Harvard aud Hollis, would be an
interesting feature OF the yard. Think
how delightful to have the ladies' put up
their glasses and say, "Nas the dear dis
gushing old fellow once u student here
How interesting. Do tell US all about
him. ~
II shall certainly have to get new
tub. sand Jack entering heartily into the
urojett: a. never could live in my tin
hat.tuh. just think how the little muck
ers would make a ring with stones? But