The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1889-11-22

u .hiinless way. lie passed public building
which he knew by sight ~ among those h'
had intended 10 inspect, but he did not ever
enter their doors; the great Libraries In which
for years he had hoped 70 quench the literary
thirst that had been little more than tanta
lied by the collective books in Haynton were
regarded with impatience. or all he saw
while rambling about alope, nothing REALLY
fixed his attention but the contents Of shoI
windows. He could BOt pass a clothing store
without wop1stng II some Of the goods hc
saw within would not become him better
than what he was wearing: he spent hours In
I looking at displays of dress goods and lmag
lining how ono or other pattern or fabric
would look on Lucia; aud he wasted many
hours more In day dreams Of purchasing
only for her-the bits Of jewclry and other
ornaments with which some windows were
| filed
Loneliness increased the weakening effect
Of his imaginings He knew absolutely sno
one In the city but the Tramlays and Marge,
and no had too much sense 10 impose himself
upon them; besides, Marge was terribly un.
interesting 10 him, except as material for a
| study Of human nature-Inaterial that was
peculiarly unattrnctiye wArn such n specimen
as Lucia was always In his minds eye and
insisting upon occupying his whole attention.
a single day Of IL he hurried 10 the river, re-
gardless Of probable criticism and teasing
based on his new clothes, 10 chat with Sol
Mantring and the crew Of the sloop. The in
teryiew was not entirely satisfactory and
Phil cut his visit short, departing with brow
full ~ wrinkles and IA heart full Of wonder
and Indignation at the persistency with which
Sol and both his men talked Of Lucia Tram
lay and the regard In which they assumed
Phil held her. How should they imagine
such IA thingi He well knew-and dctested-
the rural rage for prying into the affairs Of
people, particularly young men and women
who seemed at all fond Of one another; but
what had he ever done or said 10 make these
rough fellows think Lucia was 10 him my
thing but "A boardcr In his fathers housei AS
he wondered, there came TO his mind a line
which he had often painfully followed in his
copy book at school: "1he face Of youth is An
open book" II did not tend at oil 10 restore
composure 10 his own face
Hour by hour he found himself worse com
pany. He had never before made such dis
covery. There had been hundreds and thou
sands Of days In his life when from dawn 10
dark ho had been alone on tho farm, in the
woods or In h fishing boat, several miles Off
shore on the occnn, yet the companionship Of
sung and whstcd by tho hour, recited 10
himself favorite bits Of poetry and prose, re-
hearsed old stories and jokes, and enjoyed
himself SO well that sometimes he was an
nOyed rather than pleased when an acquaint-
nnce would appear and insist on dverting
his attention to some trivial personal or bust
ness affair Why could he not cheer himself
he who always had been tho life and
cheer Of whatever society lac found himself
ini
He tried 10 change the current OF his
thoughts 10y looking at other people; but the
result was dismal In tho extreme. He loung
ed about Broadway, strolled In Central park,
walked down Fifth avenue, and from most
that ho saw he assumed that everybody who
wns having n pleasant time driving fine
horses or living in "A handsome house, was
rich. He had been carefully trained in the
belief that IA mans life consisteth not in the
abundance Of the things which eposscsscth,"
but his observations Of New York were
severely straining his faith. He was entirely
orthodox In his belief as TO tho prime source
OF riches but ho suddenly became conscious
of an unhappy, persistent questioning as TO
why lac also had not been born rich, or had
riches thrust upon him. He understood now
the mad strife for wealth which no had often
heard alluded TO as the prevailing sin of large
cities; ho wished he knew how to strive for
IL himself anywhere in any way, II only
ho might always bo one Of tho thousands of
people who seemed 10 wear new clothes all
the time, and spend their evenings in elegant
society, or in the gorgeous secluson Of pal
aces like that occupied 10y Mnrge's club
For instance, there was Marge Phil had
asked Tramlay what business Marge was in,
and the reply was, "Nono in particular lives
on his income" What, asked Phil of him
self, was the reason that such "A man, who
did not seem much interested in anything,
should have plenty Of money and nothing To
do, when certain other person who could
kccny enjoy, and, hc believed, honestly inn
prove all Of Margcs privileges, should have
been doomed 10 spend his life in hard endcav-
or to wrcst the plnucst,f food from the jealous
earth and threatening sea, and have but IA
chance glimpse of the paradise that the rich
were enjoying-a glimpse which probably
would mako his entire after life wrctChcd
Could ho ever again be what he had SO long
becul-a cheerful, contcntcd young farmer
and flshermanl He actually shivcred as he
called up the picture of tho long road, alter
nately dusty and muddy, that passed his IA
ther's house, its sides of brown fence and
struggling bushes and weeds converging i'm
tho distance, an uncouth human figure or a
crawling horse and wagon its only sign Of
animation, and contraSted il with Fifth ave
nue. its boundaries handsome houses and its
roadway thronged with costly equipages
bearing well dressed mon and beautiful wo-
men. Passing the house of n merchant
prince, he saw in the window IA fine bronze
group on a stand how different from the lit
tlo plaster vase of wax flowers and fruits
which had been visible through his mothers
"bcst room window rs long rs he could re
member
Yes, money was the sole cause of the differ
ence: money, or the lack of it, had cursed
his father, rs IL now was Cursng him. None
Of the elderly men he saw had faces more in
telligent than his father, yet at that very
moment the fine old man was probably clad
in oft patched trousers and cotton shirt, dig
ging muck from black Shiny pit 10 enrich
the thin soil of the wheat lot And his mo.
ther it made his blood boil 20 think of her in
faded calico preparing supper in the plain old
kitchen at home, while scores OF richly clad
women Of her age, but without her alert.
smiling face, were leaning back in carriages
and seemingly unconscious OF the blessing Of
being exempt from homely toll.
And. coming back to himself. money. or
lack of IL, would soon Danish him from all
that now his eve was feaSting upon. IL
would also banish him from Lucia. He had
read stories of poor young men whom won.
drous chances OF fortune had helped 10 the
hands and hearts of beautiful madens clad
in fine raiment and wearing rare gems, but
he mover had failed 10 remind himself that
such tales were only romanccs, now the
memory Of them seemed only 20 emphasize
the sarcasm of destiny. Money had made
between him and Lucia gulf as wide ms the