The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1893-03-25

man nature in the rough, he
thought he knew life. He came east
with a 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
very small corner of the world, and as
a school it is decidedly elementary.
When the Grand trail made way for
the great through lines of rail, his ia
ther 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 Il bull
70 u 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
v,aft away All these things he de-
,clared with much emphasis and with
all the conviction that inexperience
1nd ignorance invariably affect.
When the blare of him began to get
vvea1jsome to us, we held a consulta-
tion. 1t was decreed that he was to
he hum bled. And girl must do it,"
so 1t began. He was taken from
ballroom to theatcr and from thaater
to receptions He vas detail ed to after
noon teas, and victimiZed for pink
luncheons. And all of this only made
him worse. That was as it should be,
End so we wanted it. 1t was the end
we looked to, not the beginnings, All
the while that he rallied at ''effeminate
eu5oyments," 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
sIl0G straig hter), and yet be made of
the commonest clay and very human.
1t was Madge Collingwood who was
detailed to take the Little Tin God, as
we soon came TO call him, in hand, and
teach him the way he should 60 She
Was a pretty girl with brown eyes that
could look tender as a collie one min
ute, and stern as a hoIse front the next,
and she was always ready for excite
11gent. When we broached the matter
Ibo her gently she said: What, that
woody thing? Why, I'm no missionary"
Bs1t she finally consented with an al
,rnGs1 eager air after the whole beauty
of the thing had been explained to her.
And from that hour began the decline
srylE <all of the Little Tin God
Whenever Madge met him she smiled.
NOW, Madge has one of the most de-
RzciOus smiles in the world 1t is like
s,ln ray on wave AT first the Little
rI5n God used to frown a little as he
raised his slouch hat because he had
been thinking how much more graceful
a cowboys seat in the saddle was than
chat 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
Yexas there was no such smile to be
tlad for love or money. The girls on
the prairies We're something in the
nature of inde finite strealls of brown
gowns and immense sun bonnets, and
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 compleXions that needed
Ehc heaviest of veils and voices that
,aad in them WEAKNESS born of a
p9rched throat. But Madge's voice
when she said, bowing sweetly: "Mr.
Placer, how do you do? Was there ever
80 charming Il day?" was sweet enough
zt,o charm an image. After this sort of
thing had happened a few times he was
;acJually seen to walk with her a little
distance, chatting. Madge said that
he talked all the while about his feel
ing so DANCED cramped-up like in
lEheRe yero towns" but she said she
sUs8$ prepared to suffer in the good
SEsause.
"A characteristic conversation took
place during one of these strolls.
s'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-
'Gured Jest as if l hadn't seen all there
was of life! And what do | want with
eEIfture? Catch me fooling away time
with books and pictures and that truck.
Well, leave it to you, is there any
xysOd in civilizations"
Certainty; great deaf You can
sec it all around you, if you will only
hook But what use is there IN your
prairie paganism? None ut all You
brAud your cattle, rope your steers, and
Spend the rest Of your time in sneer-
.lng at the people who can't or won't do