Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-04-03
A STORY WITHOUT AN END.
ING.
BY J. w. s.

BY j. w. 5.
Though above all things / would
avoid wearying my reader, / must
take you up one, two, three flights of
stairs. Right here we are brought
face to face with the modest announce
ment that Robert S. Daggett is an
attorney at Law. Let us open
the door, just to make his heart leap
with the delusion that it's a client,
But then, a2as the old, old pulsation
will return, slower and slower each
day, it seems, under its growing bur-
den of disappointed hopes and bitter
cynicism.
Of course we shall find Robert Dag
gett young lawyer. It's only young
lawyers without old clients who have
to take third story offices where new
clients never come. For this is what
glorious Fortune has established as a
law, taking from him who has not,
and giving unto him who has.
Our first impressions are that
Robert Daggett don't take exercise
enough. Else he would have more
blood in his face, his animal nature
would have asserted itself more
strongly, and his functions Of hope
if you will permit the expression
would have been better developed and
more active.
He has kept himself too closely to
his books to WELD the sword he has
forged; and even this moment was
rising from a leading case to ask him
self if he should ever be able to sell
his accommodating stores of legal
knowledge for dollars and cents.
/ am satisfied that if the world
should suddenly condescend to look
around for those perfect heroes that
certain romances have credited her
with owning, that she would return
weary and Disguised from the fruit
less search. Heroes may grow into
perfection in the spirit land, but as
long as they carry the flesh of this
world they are often destined to for
get the dignity of their creation and
being.
In the struggles with "the world,
the flesh, and the devil" Robert Dag
gett began to think that he was sore
ly pressed. / cannot defend such
thoughts. But l can sympathize with
him. Have you, my reader, no
moments of bitterness? If none,
then you have perfect right to thank
God that in this respect you are not
as other men.
Robert Daggett had come to Lock
port two years ago. During all this
time he had been as active and aggres-
sive as his sense of professional pro-
priety permitted, and had made-one
hundred and fifty dollars. He had
known dry goods clerks, bOOk-keepers,
and insurance agents to average
seventy-fve dollars a month, and he
firmly believed that the boot-blacks
along the streets were out-stripping
him in the race for wealth-fOr a
home. Wherefore time and again he
had asked himself if the faith within
him was well-grounded, and each day
he was less satisfied with the answer.
81 don't KNOW he slowly solilo-
quized, as he shut half dozen opened
volumes, and arranged them in their
places in his meagre library, g dom
know just how far the contempt of
riches should be carried, but / am
each day learning what the want of
them expressly involves. 1t means
that I must take meat once day, and
no oftener, or visions of bankrupt
acts rise to haunt me; it means that
1 must wear each and every one of my
coats threadbare; it means that
must ask Miss A. to church, whilst
Mr.. B. takes her to the OPERA
He had put the last book away, and
turning on his heel began to pace back
and forth amid the gathering shadows
of the October evening.
II wonder what the outside world
thinks of such race! What its prac-
tical men and fair women say But
heaven forgive the meanness of that
inquiry,' And the thin lip curled, as
he turned the key in the door and but
toned up his coat.
If riches constitute happiness, Bird