The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1889-11-15

would be limited only by the expense or re-
naming at hotel or boarding house Yet he
found himself utterly without impulse to fol-
ow any of his carefully perfected plans. He
ssrolled about great deal, but In an utterly
aimless way. He passed public buildings
which he knew by sight as among those he
had intended to inspect, but he did not even
enter their doors; the great libraries in which
for years he had hoped to quench the<iterary
thirst that had been little more than tanta-
Lied by the collective books In Haynton were
regarded with mpatience OF all he saw
while rambling about alone, nothing really
| fixed his attention but the contents Of shop
windows He could not pass clothing store
without wondering II some Of the goods he
| saw within would not become him better
than what he was wearing; he spent hours in
looking at displays Of dress goods and mag
| ming how one or other pattern or fabric
would look on Lucia; and he wasted many
hours more in day dreams of purchasing
| only for her-the bits of jewelry and other
ornaments with which some windows were
| filed.
Loneliness increased the weakening effect
of his imaginings He knew absolutely Ino
one in the city but the Tramlays and Marge,
and he had too much sense to impose himself
upon them; besides, Marge was terribly I'M
interesting to him, except as material for
study Of human nature-material that was
peculiarly unattractive when such specimen
as Lucia was always in his minds eye and
insisting upon occupying his whole attention.
His loneliness soon became intolerable; after
a single day of it he hurried to the river, re-
CARELESS Of probable criticis7, and teasing
based on his new clothes, to chat with Sol
Mantring and the crew Of the sloop. The In
l. @s.fa ~
Phil cut his visit short, departing with brow
full Of wrinkles and a 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 things He well knew-and detested-
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 to make these
rough fellows think Lucia was to him any
thing but boarder In his fathers housei As
he wondered, there came to his mind line
which he had often painfully followed in his
copy book at school: ''The face of youth is an
open book" 1t did not tend at all to restore
composure to 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 to
dark he had been alone on the farm, In the
woods or In h S fishing boat several miles of
shore on the ocean, yet the companionship Of
his thoughts had been satisfactory. He had
sung and whistled by the hour, recited to
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-
ance would appear and insist on 'diverting
his attention to some trivial personal or bust
ness affair. Why could he not cheer himself
now-he who always had been the life and
cheer Of whatever society he found himself
inf
He tried to change the current of his
thoughts by looking at other PEG. e; but the
result was dismal In the extreme He loung-
ed about Broadway, strolled In Central park,
walked down Fifth avenue, and from most
that he saw he assumed that everybody who
was having a pleasant time, driving fine
horses, or living in a handsome house, was
rich. He had been carefully trained in the
belief that "a mans life CONSISTENT not In the
abundance Of the things which he posscsseth,"
but his observations Of New York were
severely straining his faith. He was entirely
orthodox In his belief as to the prime source
of riches, but he suddenly became conscious
Of an unhappy, persistent questioning as to
why he also had not been born rich, or had
riches thrust upon him. He understood now
the mad strife for wealth which he had often
heard alluded to as the prevailing sin Of large
cities; he wished he knew how to strive for
1t himself-anywhere, In any way, II only
he might always be one Of the thousands Of
people who seemed to wear now clothes all
the time, and spend their evenings In elegant
society, OF In the gorgeous seclusion Of pal
aces like that occupied by Marge's club.
For instance, there was Marye. Phil had
asked Tramlay what business Marge was in,
and the reply was, "Nooe In particular hives
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
kecnly enjoy. and, he believed, honestly i'm
prove, all of Marge's privileges, should have
been doomed to spend his life In hard endeav.
or to wrest the plainestjfoo from the Jealous
earth and threatening sea, and have but
chance glimpse of the paradise that tho rich
were enjoying-a glimpse which probably
would make his entire after life wretched
Could he ever again be what he had so long
beens-a cheerful, contented young farmer
and fshermani He actually shivered as he
called up the picture Of the long road, alter
nately dusty and muddy, that passed his IA
TIERS house, its sides Of brown fence and
struggling bushes and weeds converging in
the distance, an uncouth human figure or a
crawling horse and wagon its only sign Of
animation, and contrasted 1t with Fifth ave-
nue., its boundaries handsome houses and Its
roadway thronged with costly eQuipaSes
bearing well dressed men and beautiful wo-
men. Passing tho house Of merchant
prince, he saw In the window fine bronze
group on stand; how different from the lit
tie plaster vase of wax flowers and fruits
which had been visible through his mothers
best room" window as long as he could 70
mcmbcrl
Yes, money was the sole cause Of the differ
encc: money, or the lack Of 10, had cursed
his father, as Il now was cursing him. None
Of tho elderly men he saw had faces more In.
telligent than his father, yet at that very
moment tho fine old man was probably clad
In oft patched trousers aud cotton shirt, dig
ging muck from black Shiny pit b. enrich
the thin soil of the wheat lot. And his mo
Their: It made his blood boil to think of her In
faded calico preparing supper In the plain old
IL -rt.li - II ~