The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1882-07-13
NIMPORTE.
BY CLARENCE NJ. BOUTELLE.

The Wild winds of March were raging
outside as though in last strong etfor
to assert the supremacy of winter-wan
| ing and dying winter-over the worlc
| and year. Within, the thick curtain.
| shut out to poverty and storm of exist
ence, and shut in its luxury and calm.
1t the two young men who stood by the
cheerful fire moved little closer to il
as the wind sang its wild song in little
! louder tone than a moment before, il
was not for added warmth. There was
| already all the difference between with.
In and without that there is between us
and the antipodes. The feet moved
nearer the hearth, and the hands were
stretched out to the grateful blaze in a
sort of natural and instructive homage
to the power of untamed nature which
was doing unavailing battle with shut
ters and windows.
Charlie Oswald and John Fame looked
contented. A strong contrast of COM
fort with the impossible to-us but near
at-hand-for-some-one-else discomfort is
apt to make us happy, and being hap
Ply as habit leaves content written on
mans face. 1t Turks in his young
smile, and will grow deep down into
his old wrinkles as the years 90 on.-
And Charlie Oswald and John Fame,
contented and happy by habit, had a
good history written in the young smiles
on their faces; the young smiles that
had not furrowed the muscles, yet with
the lines that tell of fleeting time.
These two men had reason to be hap
py. Money is good thing, when well
used, and each had enoug Oh of it, and
had the wisdom to use it WELL Good
looks, fair talents, liberal culture; good
habits, good regulations, warm friends;
they had all these. What fortune, and
education had done for them had made
d5 them N strong fh9 fMa aid tdh9 as BED as TO
men do things. Neither was an egotist,
yet each had a deep-rooted and far
reaching belief in his powers. The shall
low mind broods on what it can do; the
deep one remembers what it has done.
Neither of these men could be called
shallow They would have wondered
at failure. Neither had ever failed.
But neither Charlie Oswald nor John
Fame could be thought of as great
man. They were only evenly balanced
men, full of bodily and mental vigor,
types of the best American manhood
They were workers. Charlie Oswald
painted more pictures than he sold, if
truth must be told; and John Fame read
lava great deal more than he practic-
ed it.
But they were not working tonight.
There would be for them tonight no
weightier arguments than those to be
cleaned from the pages of the daily
newspapers, and no more lasting pic
lures than those done in one neutral tint
Which the Imaginative mind cen form
from cigar smoke.
In fact, these two somewhat remark
| able young men were about to smoke
and read the evening papers.
What tremendously overgrown
| thing newspaper is getting to ben'
said Oswald lone has to owade through
so much for the little he wants.
doubt if it is a sign of improvement
after all-this getting bigger and big
ger"
.'Well. what would you spare? The
news from Washington, and you strong
| party man? Stock reports, with hall
your fortune in stocks? Literature? Art?
| And those of your friends who are dis
posed to make light of bachelor candi-
dates for promotion to higher joys,
would certainly say society news?"
Quietly looking to the emphasis Civ
en- to the last question, Oswald said, -
''Of course | want all this, but there
! is lots of trash | don't want"
''Some one does"
'But it might be made briefer; con
densed boiled down"
| Yes it might be done, its true. But
can we, rs men interested in the whole
busy world, all going on toward one
common goal. say of a single item thai
| it has no interest for us?'
perhaps not in the sense in which
you put it But in a selfish, persona
sense there is half the paper that has ne
| interest whatever for me-
''Will you try an experiment." asked
Fame.
"Yes; what is it?''
Turn away from the stock reports
the news from Washington, the reviews
and all that. Open TO the page which
deals with little things, local and other
wise; shut your eyes put your finger a
random on the page, and I'll read the
item"
'An right; I'll strike something un
interesting at once"
| Oswald pointed, and Fame read,-
among the many ladies present a
the Charity Ball last evening was Mis-
Blanche Courteney."
THE mischief" said Oswald. :.
wonder who she went withp / fanciet
che did not return TO the city until TO
/ night. | should have called, had / onl,
known"
..An interesting item, already to-
much condensed commented Fame.
Fame read next
Captain Branton arrived in the cit
yesterday"
.'Re fiirted year ago with Mis-
Blanche desperately, they say. Woul'
You like to know whether they came O
the train together? Would you care II b
came before or after the Charity BaH?'
inquired Fame.
I And poor Oswald could but answe
: Yes
| Again Oswald pointed and Fan
raaa- .f