Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1885-05-28
AN OLD MANS MISTAKE.


forms OF wrestling WITH the genus of lie
this is often the most pitiable
know an interesting old couple who put
themselves To no end of torture 10 secure the
indescribable thing we call pleasure Usually
il i the WOMAN who is ambitious 10 edge
into the fantastic throng of Vanity Fair and
be one Of em.n In this case il Is the man.
Having had a humble origin, "A busy, difficult
boyhood, strongly seasoned with selfdenial
and poverty, he missed what are rather
vaguely called opportunities in the way of
social polish, and 80 grew up with a strong
longing IN his heart TO penetrate into that
peculiar realm of society sacred TO the upper
class" Like the rest of us, when we esti-
mate something we know nothing about, he
put fictitious value ON the joys he coveted
He had been carpenters drudge in the
beginning, then an apprentice, then full
fiedged workman, then partner in a small
furniture store in a new village, and later ON
its sole proprietor. From that his rise was
rapid 10 "a manufacturer with large interests
at stake and large profits. Through the
long, patient years Of climbing be never lost
sight If his special ambition, which was TO
mix among the people OF fashion, entertain
them and be entertained by them; to breathe,
if but for a little while, the air of his dreams
don't think he cared for the splendor of it.
He really imagined there was something
supremely excellent and elevating 10 be
found there. What so many strove for must
be worth possessing, he thought. The
ambition, curious and hollow "a il seems
was strength to him. Ii pushed him ON, it
held him up through many weak moment;
il gave him something 10 hope for in those
hours of disgust al life with which everybody
i familiar And a we can all be what We
aspire to ~, at 90 he disembarked on the
shore of h-s ideal land, and is now tasting
,ome of the bitterness of granted prayer.
He married when young and poor, for a.
.hough the human heart can wait three score
.ears for the fulfllment OF its worldly ann
)ition. il must have affection early. One
might suppose tnar cupid, knowing TINS mans
chronic longing for social heights, would have
helped hIm climb them. Not so. The per-
verse and winged imp directed him TO IA
gentle little maiden, with sn ineradicable
fondness for simple pleasures and sweet home
joys. She has developed into the white
haired, soft-voiced elderly woman who sits
by his side at the theatre and opera with a
far-away look in her gentle, sad eyes.
She never shared in her husbands ambition
To strut brief hour among the great; but
one can zee that she loves him and throws
no wet blankets on his illusions But she
suffers. Her spirit was nurtured ON genuine
friendships, and the unwholesome atmos-
phere she now breathes is death 10 her She
hangs 10 his arm shyiy in large companies;
she sits by his SIDE, when the orchestra
crashes loudest, hearing nothing for her
spirit is roaming in the springs Of long ago;
she entertains their fashionable friends Of a
day in her fine home with sweet courtesy,
but her heart is not in il; in her silks and
soft laces she hungers for the palmer friends
Of her palmer days
Once she looked so far off in spirit when
she sat down 10 swell breakfast y among
''fine people, that lady near her, half un-
derstanding her, said lightly, but gently:
Your thoughts seem to have found happier
scenes, Mrs. c." Yes she said, honestly,
II was thinking how should like to see the
morning sun shine on the roses in the door
yard Of my old home in Belleville. Just a
little bit Of a cottage it was, but we were so
happy there
Again, she turns from the chatterers
around her 10 say 10 some more sympathetic
ear that she wishes she were near enough TO
Belleville 10 lay some flowers on her children's
graves. They are all dead, the children for
whom she and her husband toiled. They
are alone with their wealth in their old age
But they are fond, very fond of each other
Still. they have made mistake, OF rather
the husband has. They are living an unnatu-
raj hfe. They are seeking for pearls ON the
side Of a mountain. They are crucifying
themselves in order to realizs an illusion
There is nothing laughable in their situa-
ton. IL Is tragic. They are not vulgar peo-
pie; they are not ignorant; they have unpre-
tentious manners; they dress in taste; they
speak good English; they are kind and gen
erous; but they were cut out for simpler,
better social sphere than the one they are in.
The dear old man could be the great man Of
village. There he would be respected and
viduality are lost and choked amid the -four
ishing weeds Of society's overfull garden
The good old lady would be at home among
the kindly souls who have never tasted nor
longed for the wine of life as it is dispensed
where they now move.
He fancied that the 'best society' was 10
be found here, where everything was ON
such grand scale, and ne longed for the
best. So, ia some way. he got into the envied
circle. At last, however, il is being borne
in upon his mind that the superior society he
has worshipped from afar, and now belongs
10, is something of cheat. Yet he was slow
to believe it. Having put faith in its supe
riority 20 long, he couldn't relinquish il read
lily. True, he is somewha: dazed at not finding
there the exalted air of his imaginings, but
he blames himself, not society Ii is certain
~ there, if he only had the tact to discover ii,
be thinks. Good, sensible man thas he is,
Eis brain is bewitched by this one illusion.
Ii was painful sometimes to see his astonish-
ment when, in the ranks he so much respected,
he heard something coarser, saw something
more offensive than he had heard or seen
among humber people
took a ride with him in the park not long
since, behind his two spanking bays. As we
whirled around the wide curves he grew
confidential and said: "Queer world, this.
1t cheats one 50 with false promises. Things
that look desirable as long as they are out OF
ones reach seem very ordinary as soon as
one Possesses them. When / was boy, and