The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-02-07

I3ArfOWs Mlnd was 1ull
VE24TT t. Of curiosity about the
\ Ez[My young fellow. He said:
~ ]HfN you've never been
T.. ~ to the Rocky noun
49, t.ins"
you've never been out on the p~lains?"
"No.'' /. .%.'" s&.<
How long have you been in this coun-
try?"
"Only a few days"
"You've never been in America beforeY'
NO" ## @EM U@4. :.
Then Barrow communed with himself.
'Now what odd shapes the 'notions of
romantic people,take. liese's . young fell
low who's read in England. about cowboys
and adventures on tho plains. He comes
here and buys a cowboys suit. Thinks he
can play himself on folks for a cowboy, all
inexperienced az he H.. Now the minute
he's caught in this poor little game, he's
ashamed Of it and ready to retire from it.
It is that exchange that he has put up as an
explanation. It's rather thin. too thin al
together. Well. he's young, never been
anywhere, knows nothing about the world,
sentimental, no doubt. Perhaps it was the
natural thing for him to do, but it was a
most singular choice, curious freak, alto
gether." x
Both men were busy with their thoughts
for a time; then Tracy heaved a sigh and
aaid: Es~ "
mir. Barrow, the case of that young fell
low troubles me-" ~& ."# "." No.
You mean Nat Brady?"
eyes. Brady or Baxter, or whatever 1T
was. The old landlord called him several
different names"
''Oh, yes, he has been very liberal with
names for Brady, since Brady foil into ar
rears for his board. Well, that's one Of his
sarcasms; the old man thinks he's great On
sarcasm." @
"Wel, what il Brady's difficulty? What
is Brady? Who is hep ,
Brady il : timer. He's a young jour
neyman timer who was getting along all
right until he fell sick andlost bis Job. He
was very popular before he lost his Job;
everybody in the house liked Brady. The
old man was rather especially fond ar him,
but you know that when a man loses his
job and loses his ability to support himself,
and to pay his way as he goes, it makes a
great difference in the way people look at
him and feel about him..
rs that SO? Is it SOP"
Barrow looked Mt Tracy in a puzzled way.
"Why, of course it's SO. Wouldn't you
know that naturally? Don't you know
and killed by its companions and friends?''
Tracy said to himself, while q chilly and
boding discomfort spread itself through his
system. ''In a republic of desr and men,
where all are free and equal, misfortune il
u Dlate'' to 90 death n"''G Them se said aid LOUD aloud,
Here in the boarding house, if one would
have friends and be popular instead of hay
ing the cold shoulder turned upon him, he
must be prosperous"
Yes" Barrow said, that is 80. It's
their nature. They do turn against Brady,
now that he is unfortunate, and they don't
like him as we'll as they did before; but it
isn't because of any lack in Brady-hs's
just az he was before, has the same nature
and the same impulses, but thoy-well,
see. They know they ought to help him, |
and they're too stinGy to do it, and they're
ashamed of themselves for that, and they
ought also to hate themselves on that &C
count. but instead of that they hate Brady |
because he makes them ashamed of them
selves. l say that's human nature; that
occurs everywhere; this boardinR-house is
merely the world in little; it's the case all
over-they're all alike. In prosperity We
are popular; popularity comes easy in that
case, but, when the other thing comss, our I
friends are pretty likely to turn against
u.s."
Tracy's noble theories and high purposes
were beginning to feel pretty damp and
olammy. He wondered if by any posi-
bllity he had made q mistake in throwing |
up the cross Of other peoples unprosperity. |
But he wouldn't listen to that sort of thing;
he cast it out of his mind. and resolved to !
go ahead resolutely along the course he
had mapped out for'himsslf.
Extracts from his diary:
al HI yA nnw aJ,ant aavara1 Hava IN this |
singular hive. don know quite what to |
make out of these people. They have mer-
its and virtues, but they have some other
qualities, and some ways that are hard to
get along with. can't enjoy them. The
moment | appeared in a hat OF the period |
l noticed a change. The respect which had
been paid mo before passed suddenly away. |
and the people became friendly; more than
that, they became familiar, and Pm notused
to familiarity, and can't take to it right off |
amounts to ~impudence, sometimes. sur |
pose its all right; no doubt ! can get used
to 1t, but it's not a satisfactory process at
all. have accomplished my dearest wish.
! am a man among mon, on an equal foot
ing with Tom. Dick and Harry, and yet it
isn't Just exactly what l thought it was 60
ing to be. II miss home. Am obliged to
say | am homesick. Another thing, and
this Is n confession, q reluctant one. but I
will make it. tho thing ] miss most and
AAoeu "oto!"ly II tAe Teepecu, inc Qe1eroNea 4
with which ! WAS treated all my life in
England, and which seems to bs somehow
necessary to NE. get along very we'll
without the luxury md til, woslth and the
sort of society I've been accustomed to,
but | do miss the respect, and can't seem
to get reooncilsd to the absence of it. There
is respect, there is Difference here, but it
doesn't fall to my share. IL is lavished on
two mon. One Of them is n portly man of
middle age, who is q retired plumber.
Everybody is pleased to have that mans
notice. He's full of pomp and oircum-
stance and s~elf-complscence and bad gram
mar, and at the table he il Sir Oracle, and
when he opens his mouth mot any dog in
the kennel barks. The other person il
policeman at the CAPITOL building. He
represents the government. The Difference
paid to thess two men is not 80 very far
short of that which ia paid to All earl in
England, though tbs method Of it differs.
Not no much courtlinens, but tho Difference
is all there. Yes, and there ia ~obsequious-
mesa. too. 1t does rather look IA if in the
republic. where all are FREQ and equal,
prosperity and position constitute rank"
CHAPTER Mi.
The dnvs drifted Inv. and thev uraw ever