St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1886-06-26


and weary, stepped into an inviting
little roadside inn and asked for sherry
and soda. The room in which he sat
was comfortably shaded and prettily
dappled by few stray tlecks of sum
light. There were roses at the dla-
monded easement, the window was
open, birds twitted about the fields out
side, a hostler in the ward to the right
made a soothing noise of Kissing and
splashing as he washed the legs OF a
farmers cob. and it was difficult to be-
ieve that there were gretS, or heart
burnings, or icalousies, or troubles OF
any sort upon the surface of a planet
which owned 50 peaceful and quiet a
haven OF rest as this.
'.Hostlcr!' said voice outside, ''see
that there hoddity in the cloak and
wideawake goin> in just now?'
y see him, sir replied the hostler.
''It's my lady's brother-in-law down
from London, sill.
'tMv eyer said the first speaker.
.'he's a caution. amt he? Whats he
wear his hair that long for9 Like
CELL 5, ain t it?'
'.Well, you see, SIR said the hostler,
in a philosophic and reflective tone,
''theres a sort as would sooner be
stared at and laughed at than not
stared at all.
That's rare good by-word, host
ler.' said the other. ''1ou shall have
pint for that. anyway.
The poet stealthily arose and closed
the window. 1t was sufficiently I'M
pleasant to have overheard this CONVEX
Saton. and it would have been still
more disagreeable to have it known
that he had overheard it. He tried to
dismiss it from his mind, as piece Of
unmeaning insolence, but it would not
be dismissed. The hostler's philoso-
ply. as it applied to a class at large,
was sound. There were many people
in the world-the poet was assured of
it-who would much rather be laughed
at than left unnoticed. Was he one of
them? He thought not; he felt GER
tain he was not. But did he look
like one of them? Did he commonly
pass for one of them? He had grown
so accustomed to his own sartorial &C.
centricities that he himself had almost
ceased to think about them. He had
assumed them in the folly of youth as
sort of badge and proclamation-a sign
of his office as Yates. 1t was possible
enough, now he came to think of it,
that the cloak, the sombrero, and the
long hair had something to do with the
prodigious roasting he had received at
the hands of the reviewers, for he had
been familiar figure about town and
in society, and was likely to be known
by sight to most of them. When he
thought of the sounding of the drums
which had gone before the publication
of his poems he blushed all over. The
hostler's philosophy sank deep, and the
poet departed from that wayside inn
CARRYING hard-earned bit of wisdom
with him.
Mr. Ronald Marsh justified Wisdom
of her latest birth by discarding the hat
and cloak, and by having his hair cut
When he had made these changes he
felt absurdly ashamed of himself, and
fearful of appearing before people who
had known him in his old aspect; but
he conquered these sensations in lit
tie while, and was content to 90 about
like an average Christian. and to carry
no badge of genius upon him.
Such great events from little causes
spring, that the chance overhearing of
"a hostler's speech made tender, life
long friendship possible for our poet,
and thereby so purified him and lifted
him as to make him at last an excep-
tionally good man a very tolerable
playwright.
Miss Churchill read the poetical COM
edy, and thought well of it. The prac-
ticed writer of melodrama had seen to
the situations, and, though he had
chosen to be modest about his part of
the work. he had enriched its dialogue
and motive, until the poets simile of
the work, the rickety child and the
beautiful woman was very fairly de-
scriptive of the changes he had wrought
in it for the better. But there were
still things which the stage instinct of
the actress rejected, and news came to
the poet that Lorrimer and Miss
Churchill desired to meet him and his
collGborateur, with view to the re-
moval of certain blemishes in the piece,
and then to its early production. This
announcement was at once a source of
delight and uneasiness. To be played
by Miss Churchill was fame and glory
enough in itself. To meet Miss
Churchill after his encounter with her
at Tregarthen was not a pleasant
thing. Looking back at that meeting,
he felt that he had intruded himself i'm
pudently, and he remembered the
snub his insolence had de-
received. And apart from
that-not to pretend disguise about a
matter which must be tolerably plain
by this ime-Ronald Marsh had been
falling more and more in love with the
actress since the hour when he had dis