Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1893-01-03

certainly. That u, . pale face tinged
BY the brazeu sun Of Q California sum.
mer. Not les handsome, however, a q
Saxon. than an Indian brave. A soon
- identified him - one Of my own
race. ! began to fancy I had seen him
before.
II he were but shaved and clipped,
black coated. booted. gloved. hated
With shiny cylinder. disarmed Of his
dangerous looking arsenal. and armed
with plaything Of cane-in shor., II
he were metainorphosed from Q knight
srrant into . carpet knight, changed
from . smooth rough into . smooth
smooth-seems to me I should know
him, or know that ] had known him
once.
He came up, laid his hand familisrly
on my arm, and said, "What, Wadet
Don't you remember mef John Brent"
"Ihear your voice. ! begin to see you
now. Hurrshr'
SLOW was 1t did not recognize your
said !, after fraternal greeting.
"Ten years have presented me with
this for disguise" said he, giving his
mustache twirl. "Ten years Of ex.
perience have taken al the girl out Of
me-"
"whst have you been doing these ten
years since college. o many sided manY'
"Grindiug my sides against the ada.
mant, every one"
HAS your diamond begun to see light
and sinner
"Ths polishing dist dims II STILL"
"How have you found life, kind or
cruelr'
Certainly not kind. hardly cruel. un.
less indifference IL cruelty"
"But indifference, want Of sympathy.
must have been positive relief after
the aggressive cruelty Of your younger
days"
Sand what have you been doing.
Richardy'
Everything that Yankees do-digrng
last"
Odd talk this may seem. to hold with
an old friend. Ten years sparti We
ought to have met in merrier mood. We
might, II we had parted with happy
memories. But 1t was not 10. Youth
had been harsh season to Brent. II
fate destines q man to teach, she com.
pels him to learn-bitter lessons, too,
whether he will or no. Brent was q
man OF genius. All experience. there
fore, piled itself upon him. He must
learn the immortal consultations by prob
Ing all suffering himself.
Brent's story 10 short one or long
one. II can be told In q page. or ip
score Of volumes. We had met fourteen
years before In the same pew Of Berkeley
College chapel. gramman by our side
and tutors before us, two we'll crammed
candidates for the freshman class. Brent
was q delicate, beautiful, dreamy boy.
Ny counterpart. was plain prose, and
needed the poetic element. We became
friends. ! was steady; he was erratic.
! was calm; he was passionate. I was
reasonably happy; he WIS totally miser.
able. For good cause.
The cause was this; and II 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
misery. The Reverend DR.. Swerger was
q brutal man. One who believes that
God IL vengeance naturally initiates his
God, and does not better his model.
Swerger was Brent's stepfather. Mrs.
Brent was pretty, silly, rich. and o
widow. Swerger wanted his wife pretty.
and not too wise; and that she was rich
balanced, perhaps little more than bal.
anoed. tho slight objection Of widow.
hood.
Swerger naturally hated his stepson.
One intuition OF Brents was worth all
the thoughts OF Swerger's lifetime. A
clergyman who starts with believing In
hell, devils. original sin and such crudi.
ties can never be anything In the Nine
teenth century but q tyrant or nui.
sance, II he has any logic. as fortunately
few Of such nisbelievers have. Swerger
had logic. So had the boy Brent-the
logic Of true, pure, loving heart. He
could not stand Swergers coming into
his dead fathers house and deluding his
mother with black fansticism.
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 rs 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 quarrel.
Swerger cursed hisstepson; Of course not
In the H,me 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 ont Of the house. to 20
where he would. He came to me. 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. ! saw that he
would die or 20 mad or, II he had strength
enough to react, IL would be toward q
hapless rebellion against conventional
laws, and 10 make his blight ruin.
hurried him OF 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.
FUNCTIONS; that she wished to be recon.
ciled TO her son; that Swerger refused
and renewed his anathemas; that he bul.
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 businessi
Il went near TO crush al the innocence,
faith. hope and religion out Of my friends
life.
OF course this expe rience had o ten.
iency TO drive Brent out OF the common
paths, TO make him seer instead Of q
doer. Misfortune made him independent.
He could go where he pleased.
This was the msn who rode upon the
ron gray horse. This was the Indian.
lsque Saxon who greeted me.
"O6, old fellowI" said Brent, pointing
his whip at my traps. II can't hear him
squeak, but I'm sure there is pig In that
funny bag and nour In that suck. lhope
you'rs not away for . long trip Just as
,Ave come to squat with you."
"No longer than home scxoss the