The Press., 1892-10-13
JOHN BRENT
By THEODORE WINTHROP.

OO1l0S6 Cu6pcA, SIdA1uATS, Dy OuE 6luG and tutors before us, two well crammed candidates for the freshman class. Brent was delicate, beautiful, dreamy boy. My counterpart. I was plain prose, and needed the poetic element. We became friends. I was steady; he was cratic. I was calm; he was passionate. Twas reasonably happy; he was totally miser- able. For good cause.
 The cause was this; and it has broken weaker hearts than Brent's. His heart was made of stuff that does not know how to break.
 Dr. Swerger was the cause of Brent's a brutal man. One who believes that God is vengeance naturally initiates his God, and does not better his model.
 Swerger was Brent's stepfather. Mrs. Brent was pretty, silly, rich, and widow. Swerger wanted his wife pretty, and not too wise; and that she was rich balanced, perhaps little more than bal anced, the slight objection of widow hood.
 Swerger naturally hated his stepson. One intuition of Brent's was worth all
 
 clergyman who starts with believing in hell, devils, original sin and such crudi- ties can never be anything in the Nine teenth century but a tyrant or a hui sance, if he has any logic, as fortunately few of such misbelievers have Swerger had logic. So had the boy Brent-the logic of true, pure, loving heart. He could not stand Swerger's coming into his dead fathers house and deluding his mother with black fanaticism.
 So Swerger gave him to understand that he was child of hell. He won his wife to shrink from her son. Between them they lacerated the boy. He was a brilliant fellow, quite the king of us all But he worked under cloud. He could not get at any better religion than Swer- gers; and perhaps there was none better -or much better-to be had at that time.
 One day matters came to a quarrel. Swerger cursed his stepson; of course not in the same terms the sailors used on Long wharf, but with no better spirit The mother, cowed by her husband, backed him and abandoned the boy. They drove him out of the house, to go where he would. He came to me. I gave him half my quarters and tried to cheer him. No use. This bitter wrong to his love to God and to man almost crushed him. He brooded and despaired. He began to fancy himself the lost soul Swerger had called him. I saw that he would die or go mad; or, if he had strength enough to react, it would be toward hapless rebellion against conventional laws, and so make his blight ruin.
 hurried him off to Europe for change of scene. That was ten years ago and had not seen him since. knew, how ever, that his mother was visited by com punctions; that she wished to be recon oiled to her son; that Swerger refused and renewed his anathemas; that he bull lied the poor little woman to death; that Brent had to wiring the property out of him by long lawsuit, which the Swer- gerites considered an unconstitutional and devilish proceeding, another proof of total depravity. Miserable businessl It went near to crush all the innocence, faith, hope and religion out of my friends life.
 Of course this experience had ten dency to drive Brent out of the common paths, to make him seer instead of doer. His fortune made him independent He could go where he pleased.
 This was the man who rode upon th, iron gray horse. This was the Indian, esque Saxon who greeted me. It put color and poetry into my sulky life to set him.
 of, old fellow!'' said Brent, pointing his whip at my traps. II can't hear him squeak, but I'm sure there is pig in tha, gunny bag and flour in that sack. Ihopt you're not away for long trip just as ] have come to squat with you"
 "No longer than home across the plains'
 Bravo! then we'll ride together in- stead of squatting together. Instead of your teaching me quartz mining I'll guide you across the Rockies"
 "You know the way then"
 "Every foot of it. Last fall I hunted up from Mexico and New MEXICO With an English friend. We made winter headquarters with Captain Ruby at Fort Laramie, knocking about all winter in that neighborhood and at the north among the Wind River mountains. Early in the spring we went off toward Lugger- nel alley and the Luggernel springs and camped there for month."
 "Luggernel alley! Luggernel springs! Those are new names to me; in fact, my Rocky mountain geography Is naught."
 "You ought to see them. Luggernel alley is one of the wonders of this conti- nent."
 "Who was your English friend?"
 "Sir Biron Biddulph-a capital fellow, pink in the cheeks, warm in the heart, strong in the shanks, mighty on the hunt''
 Hunting for love of it?"
 ''No; for love itself, or rather the lack of love. A lovely lady in his native Lancashire would not smile; so he turn ed butcher of buffaloes, bears and big horn"
 Named he the fair but frozen maid?'"
 "Never. It seems there is something hapless or tragic about her destiny. She did not love him; so he came away to forget her. He made no secret of it. We arrived in Utah last July on our way to see California. There he got letters from home, announcing, as he told me, some coming misfortune to the lady. As friend, no longer lover, he proposed to do what he could to avert the danger. I left him in Salt Lake, preparing to return, and came across country alone"
 "Alone! through the Indian country, with that tempting iron gray, those CAUTION.-Beware0 of dealers sub. w etituting hoes without w. IL. Douglas