Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-01-18
GENEROSITY.

the women had all been crying their COM
plexions off, and the men, who were just
as much moved, had had the additional
excitement of trying to look as if they
were not.
Chris Whelan had not been crying; the
play had had different effect on him; he
felt stirred, awakened, exalted, and almost
envious. He had felt the grandeur of the
story so keenly that he envied the great
actor who had played the hero's part his
opportunity of self-sacrifce as intensely as
if the sacrifice had been reality.
Fate had been very kind to Chris Whe-
Ian. He was young, strong, and impress
sively handsome; he was rich, well-born,
well-mannered, and thoroughly well-liked;
but yet he was not exactly content, be-
cause impossible as it may seem in the
nineteenth century, he would have liked
to be hero.
He had tried such means Of self-sacri-
fee as appeared open to him; he had gone
in for Summing when it was the rage, but
he did not catch fever, nor lose his life
nobly rescuing some one from anything
disagreeable; moreover, several of the
ladies with whom he worked showed signs
of falling in love with him, so he gave up
Summing as failure.
He had tried politics, choosing an un-
propitious time to attach himself to an I'M
popular party, but did not find even that
successful as a means Of self-saeriice, for
his colleagues simply worshiped him, and
none of his old friends made the least diff
ference in their behavior toward him
Some of them, indeed, were more con-
spicuously cordial than ever, either be-
cause they wished to show that they too
were capable of magnanimity, or because
they had been rather jealous of his popu-
larity while he had been on their own side,
and they were glad to get rid of him.
On this particular night he walked
homeward feeling very disconnected, in
deed the paths of romance and self-ab-
negation seemed closed against him, he
seemed doomed to perpetual enjoyment,
which was commonplace and prosaic. He
was SO wrapped in his own thought that he
scarcely noticed when some one touched
him on the arm.
"Hallo, Davis" hesaid, absently ''where
do you come fromw
81 have been to your rooms" SAID Davis;
''they told me there where you were. l
tried to wait till you came in, but | got so
impatient l couldn't keep still, so l came
to meet you"
Wheelan was still only half recalled
from his own castle-buildihg. "All right;
do you want anything% he said.
Yes | want-generosity."
Davis would rather have said ''iustice,"
but SOME instructive knowledge of his
friends character told him that he would
be much more likely to get what he wanted
if he calledit by the more attractive name.
To be just is only ones duty, that is why
one so seldom does it; but there is some
thing fattering to ones vanity in the mere
name of generosity.
Whalen was thoroughly interested now.
'You are in some trouble" he said, "and
can help you. Come into the Mall and
let me hear"
They walked along slowly in the shadow
ofthe trees, silent at first, but presently
Davis began his appeal.
"Chris, old fellow" he said, 1--WE have
been friends long time"
1--WE have and mean to be, come what
may"
Whelan half expected confession of
murder, forgery or bigamy, or perhaps all
three, and was fairly revealing in the
thought of how steadfastly he would stand
by his friend.
Davis went on:
"You are lucky fellow, Whelan; you
are rich, popular, in good society, favor
lite with the best sort of women"
"Well, yes" said Whelan. 1t was all
true, and he did not see any need to deny
it. "Well, yes; what then ?"
son the other hand, / am-well, not
anything to look at or to talk ola person
Of no account whatever. | want you to
see clearly how much that is worth having
you have, and how little have. 1 want
you to recognize this and be generous"
81 have not many virtues, Tom," said
Whalen warmly, "but | know what friend
ship is, and l shall not fail you. Speak
without any more preface; what form is
this generosity to take ?"
81 want you to give up Madge Parry to
me-"
Good Godr
Whalen stopped dead short in the mid
die of a crossing. This sort of sacrifice
had never entered his mind Davis had
fairly to drag him out of the track of the
cabs that were rat Ting past; the two sat
down on seat in the shadow of the trees.
II am asking good deal, know" said
Davis, "but l am asking it of amau who
can afford to give and, as you said just
now, / don't think you will fail me. l
have very little in the world; can't think
YOU would have the heart to take from me
the little have, seeing you have every
thing you could desire. Any woman would
fall in love with you: there is only this
one in all the world for me. She was on
the verge of caring for me when you came
on the scene; she will care for me again if
she does not see you any more. Let me
have this one piece of good luck, Chris
spare it to me out Of your affluenee.
There's Lady Lily Levison, who used to
share your Whitechapel wanderings, she'd
have you any day, and small wonder; or
MeNamara's daughter, the beauty. proud
as she is, she would be prouder 10 marry
you. Among all the women who would
be ready to marry you, can't you find some
one else, and leave Msdge to ne? Why,
with all your advantages, any woman who
was not fool would jump at you
"You forget one thing" said Whelan
slowly; "any woman won't do. am fond
of Madge Parry-No," he went on after a
pause, "no Tenn, l can't think of it.?"
But the answer showed Davis that he
had been thinking of it.
They sat silent for moment or two, and
then Davis tried again.
.'You remember that fellow in the Bible,
Chris, that we used to hear about when we
were boys. The great man had tiocks and
herds without number, you know. The
poor man had only one little ewe-lamb.
You are in the position of the rich man;
4al-a bor from, mo y
"Ifs altogether different" said Whelan,
whose Scriptural knowledge was vague
but practical, since he mixed the allegory
with the fact, and between the two made
out his case. ''Its altogether different;
Miss Parry don't belong to you, like the