Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-12-16
CHAPTER ".
DISGRACE.


any one could have just cause for complaint
at anything he chose to do
This kept him from understanding or ap-
preciating the force of the biting innuendoes
Pnd sarcasns which were made to his very
face; and be had stood so aloof from all that
there was nobody who cared to take the
friendly trouble Of telling him how free the
camp conversation was making with his
reputation.
He could not help, however, understanding
that in some way he had lost caste with the
regiment; but he serenely attributed this to
mean-spirited jealousy of the superior adj
vantages be was enjoying, and it only made
him more anxious for the coming of the time
when he could "cut the whole mob of beg
CARS" as Ned Burnleigh phrased it,
A few days more would end the regiments
term of service, and he readily obtained per-
mission to return home in advance,
The first real blow his confidence received
was when he walked down the one principal
street of Sardis and was forced to a percep-
ton Of the fact that there was an absence of
that ELUSIVE warmth with which the Sardis
people had ever before welcomed back their
young townsman, of whose good looks and
gentlemanliuess they had always been proud.
Now people looked at him in curious way.
They turned to whisper to each other, with
sarcastic smiles and knowing winks, as he
came into view, and they did not come for
ward to offer him their hands as of old. 1t
astonshed him that nobody alluded to the
company or to anything that had happened
to it,
Turning at length from the main street, he
entered the lateral one leading to his home.
AS he did so, he heard one boy call out to
another, in that piercing treble which boys
employ in making their confidential comriuni-
cations to one another, across street:
SAY did you know that Hank Glen'd
got back2 And they say he looks pale yetg'
"Has he!n the reply came in high falsetto.
palpably tinged with that fine scorn of a
healthy boy for anything which does not ex-
actly square with his young highncss ideas.
"Come back to his nanny, eh9 Well, it's a
pity shc ever let linn go away from her.
Hope she'll keep him with her now He don't
seem to do well out of reach of her apron
strings"
The whole truth flashed upon him. Envious
ones had slandered him at homo as coward.
He walked onward in furry of rage. The
thought that he had done anything to deserve
criticism could not obtrude itself between the
joints of his triple-plated armor of self-esteem.
A swelling contempt for his village critics
flushed his heart.
"Spiteful, little-minded, country boobies. y
he said to himself, with an impatient shake of
his head, as if to adjust his hair, which was
his usual sign of excitement; ''they've always
hated mo because | was above them They
take advantage of the least opportunity to
show their mean jealousy
ffar n 1lsornapt1c f,o,,co. lc,.-+ oo,.o
I'd a little rather have their dislike than their
good will. It'll save me a lot of trouble in
being polite to lot of ours that | despisc.
I'm going TO leave this duh little burg any
how, as soon as l can get away. I'm going to
Cincinnati, and he with Ned Burnleigh.
There's more life there in q day than here in
year. After all there's nobody here that |
care anything for, except father and mother
-and-Rachel"
A new train of thought introduced itself at
this tardy remembrance Of his betrothed.
His heat abated. He stopped, and leaning
against q shady silver maple began anew a
meditation that had occupied his mind very
frequently since that memorable night under
the old apple tree on the hill top,
There had been for him but little of that
spiritual exaltation which made that night
existence.
when the rapture of gratified pride and love
blended with the radiant moonlight and the
subtle fragrance of the flowers into sweet
symphony that would well chord with the
song the stars sang together in the morning.
He was denied the intense pleasure that
comes from success, after narrowing doubts
and fears His unfailing consciousness of his
own worth had left him little doubt that a
Fl f1l1
when he chose to propose to Rachel Bond or
to an other girl and when this came with the
anticipated readiness, he could not help in the
midst of his qualification at her assent the in
trusion of the disagreeable suspicion that.
peradventure, he had not done the best with
his personal wares that he might Possibly
there would appear in time some other girl,
whom he might prefer to Rachel, and at all
events there was no necessity for his commit
ting himself when he did, for Rachel "would
have kept" as Ned Burnleigh coarsely put it,
when made the RECIPIENT of Harry's conf
dence.
Three months of companionship with Ned
Burnleigh, and daily inhibition of that young
'man's stories of his wonderful conuuests
among young women of peerless beauty and
exalted social station confirmed this feeling,
and led him to wish for at least such slacken-
ing of the betrothal tether as would permit
excursions into q charmed realm like that
where Ned roigned supreme
For the thousandth time--and in each re-
currence becoming little clearer defined
and more urgent--came the question:
'Shall l break with Rachell How can II
And what possible excuse can 1 assign for
it,"
There came no answer to this save the spurs
with which base self-love was pricking the
sides of his intent, and he recoiled from it
ashamed of himself, it is true, but less
ashamed at each renewed consideration of
the query.
He fastened home that he might receive a
greeting that would efface the memory of the
reception he had met with in the street.
There, at least, he would be regarded as O
hero, returning laurel-crowned from the con
iict.
As he entered the door his father, tall, spare
and iron-gray, laid down the paper he was
reading and with a noticeable lowering of the
temperature of his wonted calm but earnest
cordially, said simply:
How do YOU doc When did you get inw
Every well, and on the 1880 train.n
Did all your company Gomez"
Harry WINGED, for there was something in
his fathers manner, more than his words, OK
pressive of strong disapproval He an
swcred:
mo; was unwell. The water and the ex-
posurc disagreed with nc, and was allowed
to come ON in advance
Mr.. Glen, the elder, carefully folded the
paper lie was reading and laid it on the stand.
as if its presence would embarrass him in
what he was about TO say. He took off
his eyeglasses, wiped them deliberately,
closed them up and hesitated for a moment.
holding them between tho thumb and fore
finger of one hand, before placing them in
their case, which he had taken from his
pocket with the other.
These were all gestures with which experi-
ence had made Harry painfully familiar. He
used TO describe them to his boy intimates as
"the governor clearing for action.n There
was something very disagreeable coming. and
he awaited it apprehensively.
"Were youn-the fathers cold searching
eyes rested for an instant on the glasses in his
hand, and then were fixed on his sons face
''were you too i'll the day of the fight to ac-
company your commander
Harry's glance quailed under the pene-
trating scrutiny, as was his custom when his
father subjected him TO relentless catechism;
then he summoned assurance to his aid, and
his face Redeemed with both genuine and
assumed anger
Father" he said, Il certainly did not ex-
pect that You would join these mean-spirited
ours in their abuse of me, but now / see
that"
~Henry, you evade the question: The
calm eyes took on steely hardness. eYeu