The Red Cloud chief., 1880-10-07

ofoAen current.
L wrote on my epic. had p~astronom;,
consultations with Avice, and drew IN,
niue capital from Uncle Phil reyularly
lie pad without comment. and. iynor
ing the existence OF my wife, refuse,
TO call. And still the epic went ON
1 found to my surprise. when I hat
finished a glowing description of Helen
that she was a second Avice-a heroin,
with peach-blossom cheeks and a re.
fr0nSse nose.
But how. / reflected. could I helm it
when | saw that charming vision before
meday afterday, though o~ftenest decked
in the rufiled apron. and sometimes with
the accompaniment OF a gridiron oil
toasting fork?
''Now read me a canto. Harry" sha
said n night, seating herself by the
window. and putting on IN air OF ap,
preciatiye interest. ''Begin with the
line:
"'The godIike Paris, rising, giried on his
mall"
How generously / read! and how ]
tried to give the roll and ilowof RHYTHM
ic Greek to my own periods, But eli
max must ever suggest anti climax, and
some malicious fiend is always at hand
TO furnish the latter.
was in the midst of a PRAYER 10 the
gods when our small female Boots an
pearei and rendered me a letter. with
her usual air of chucking II Al me.
opened it indiferently-a butchers
bill for fifteen dollars.
Troy and its defenders vanished; the
! hnnEahnl1 nnIa alnna 80. L. -.
and the very expensive sacrifice we had
made them.
"Ayice, this can't be right, fifteen
dollars in three weeks. Why, we must
be gormGndizcrs, or-or carniyora
Il stumbled about helplessly for the
right word) To have eaten meat al such
a rate. Ii Is wrong; bring out your ac-
counts and let's compare them"
I'm sorry, Harry" stammered
Avice, but | haven't kept any ac-
counts. didn't think OF it,"
"Iou didn't keep accounts, and
haven't an idea how much you've or
dered Of any one! Why. tralL.smen
can fleece you at their mercy"
said no more. The pretty lips were
quivering and a tea fell from the ewes
which, l had declared, riyaled IIcleu's.
was silenced. begged pardon like a
man, paid the bill and made arrange
ments To 90 out To our meals.
To jump ut nee at conclusions, the
epic was in due time comyle.ed, and
having dispatched if 10 a publishers.
rested care free from my lsors, wait
ing with the assurance of a fool or a
genius To make terms with the printers.
They would be only too glad 10 have
the work at any cost, AM Avice begged
me aga.n and again TO be firm and set
my " price.
How many air castles We built in that
fond, foolish time, wondering what we
should do with all the money, and map
ping out our future gloriously.
Two weckS-and the manuscript
came back with merely a polite note of
refusal. AMI, as Avice said, bitterly, "a
/ printed one at that" We were like two
children over the disappointment-sur-
prised, grieyed. angry; and then her
courage and my conceit rose in arms 10
the rescue, and we babe each other
never despair.
where did | read. only the other
day, that great men are never appre-
ciated by their own age?' n cried.
:" Wasn't it Goldsmith who was always
in debt and want, and-but l don't
remember the rest. And now | dare
sare say they're in Westminster Alb
bey."
..Preciuos little comfort TO me-" said
L. WESTMINSTER Abbey can't be a re-
markably healthy place 10 sleep in,
...., an a.n could nra AL i'm.
and YOU see I'm not working ut pres
ent for a place in which to lay my
bones. But on 10 the field of glory and
another publisherF'
We tried seven, and all those mis-
guided men refused my verse. The
seventh had the goodness to tell me
why.
BLESS YOU, | get acres of such man.
uscript every year. L dare say there
may have been a demand for it once.
but you might rs well present ChOctaw
or Mother Goose To the popular mind
now. Pope overdid all these gilded
metaphors aud sounding phrases, and
people want no more of them.
| carried the book home in bitterness
of heart. but not humility of soul, and
threw il in Ayice's lap.
..Takeitfor curl papers, ifyou want"
| cried; it will never be used for any
thing better"
IL shall keep it." saidthe small wom-
an, loyal 10 her faith in her lord, land
some day when you're famous they'll be
glad to print it."
But [ NAV as well confess the time
has never come.
What was 10 be done? Oar money
ratified as we went lower in the Golfer,
and success was rs far away rs in the
beginning.
Avice exercised her brain diligently
on the problem and came To me with
the result.
i've been thinking" she said. con-
fidentiallv, "what people are most in
tereSted in, and L believe they want
scientific things"
did YOU ever think how promis-
cuously a woman applies the term
things?)
There is a column in every paper
about telephones and all sorts of inren-
tions, and | should think you could say
something remarkable"
| snatched ut the idea, and believe
did say something remarkable indeed.
What the subject of the essay was !
cannot remember. but it was as practi-
cal As utilizing whale oil in greasing the
North Pole, or making jelly from gum
powder.
1t started on its travels from one
magazine to another, and after invaria-
blv returning like a very faithful dove,
was consigned to oblivion and the top
shelf of the closet.
About that time l met Uncle Phil,
who viewed my worn suit and gener-
ally discouraged appearance with a
nonchalant air, and showing in
terest than usual in my fortunes, said,
well, what success? Got as far As
" in the encyclopaedia yet?' / am
sure nv answer had in il much offended
dignity, but the remark was sufficient
to send me home with areSolve TO do or
die in a literary line.
l wrote steadily for weeks stories.
moral essays and. | am ashamed to con-
fess it. rhymes; but glory did not await
me, or if it did it was at such a distance
that l never succeeded in grasping it.
And meanwhile my Avice was work
;n1 har faith in me nm IN n pipriouS