The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-04-02


thought he knew life. He came east
with western air of bravado that
would have been charming If it had not
been SO undeserved. He was blase
only in new way. But, as he after
wards found out, the prairie is only a
very small corner of the world, and as
= school it is decidedly elementary.
When the Grand trail made way for
the great through lines of rail, his IA
Their, who was one of the cattle kings,
went out of business and came to the
east to spend the rest of his days in
civilization He had been there before
he went to Texas, and he longed for
the good old taste of it once more. But
his son came to the new life like bull
to a red rag. He talked everlastingly
about the ''effete" east, and said that
civilization had sandpapered the man
illness all out of the world and raised
a race of milk and-water maidens
whom the next passing wind might
watt away. All these things he de-
clared with much emphasis, and with
ali the conviction that inexperience
and ignorance invariably affect
wearisome to US, we held a consulta-
hon. 1t was decreed that he was to
be hum bled. And girl must do it,"
So it began. He was taken from
ballroom to theater, and from theater
TO receptions He was detailed to after
noon teas, and victimized for pink
iuncheons. And all of this only made
him worse. That was as il should be,
and SO we wanted it. 1t was the end
we looked to, not the beginnings. All
the while that he rallied at ''effeminate
enioyments," we laughed to ourselves.
A man may have lived in Texas all his
life, and have consorted with Ben
Thompson (than whom no man ever
shot straig hter), and yet be made of
the commonest clay and very human.
1t was Madgc Collingwood who was
detailed to take the Little Tin God, as
we soon came 10 call him, in hand, and
teach him the way he should go. She
was pretty girl with brown eyes that
could look tender as a collie one min
ute, and stern as house front the next,
and she was always ready for excite
ment When we preached the matter
to her gently, she said: What, that
woolly thing? Why, I'm no missionary"
But she finally consented with an al
most eager air after the whole beauty
of the thing had been explained to her
And from that hour began the decline
and fall Of the Little Tin God.
Whenever Madge met him she smiled.
Now, Madge has one of the most de-
licious smiles in the world It is like a
sun ray on wave. At first the Little
Tin God used to frown a little as he
raised his SLOUGH hat because he had
been thinking how much more graceful
a cowboys seat in the saddle was than
that of the Central park rider, but
after awhile he began to let his
thought dwell little on the owner OF
that smile. 1t occurred to him with
something of a shock that down in
Texas there was no such smile to be
had for love or money. The girls on
the prairies were something in the
nature of indefinite streaks of brown
gowns and immense sun bonuets, und
when you saw their faces you thought
of tanned leather. Even in town, when
he had been in Austin spending his
months allowance he had noted moth
ing but compilations that needed
the heaviest of wells, and voices that
had in them a WEAKNESS born of
parched throat But Madge's voice
when she said, bowling sweetly: Mr.
Placer, how do you do? Was there ever
SO charming day?" was sweet enough
TO charm an image. After this sort of
thing had happened a few times he was
actually seen 10 walk with her little
distance, chatting, Madge said that
he talked all the while about his feel
ing so DANCED cramped-up like in
these we're towns" but she said she
was prepared to suffer in the good
cause.
A characteristic conversation took
place during one of these strollS
Pretty soon." he was saying, II don't
stand this here life much longer
There's the old man. he wants me TO
stay here and see life and become cul-
tured. Jest as if | hadn't seen all there
was of lifel And what do / want with
culture? Catch me fooling away time
with books and pictures and that truckl
Well, leave it to you, is there any
good in civilization"
Certainly; great deal You can
see it all around you, if you will only
look But what use is there IN your
prairie paganism? None At all You
brand your cattle, rope your steers. and
spend the rest of your time in sneer-
ing at the people who can't or won't do
that sort of thing. Civilization is
rnr,ch finer than hat Il never Slrers