Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1894-05-24

! phase Tour, you VIII DC quite content To
dust ono of your uncle's books instead
far more useful work and far more worthy
OF encouragement. If every one who
| wrote books now would be satisfied to dust
books already written, what regenerated
world 1t would bccomc!''
She laughed good tcmperedly. His re-
marks did not vex her, or at least she
showed no vcxation. He seemed to have
constituted himself as her critic, and she
made no objections. She had given him
little bits of stray confidence about herself,
and she received everything he had to say
with that kind of forbcarance which chiv-
! airy bids us show to the weak and ailing.
She made allowances for him. but she did
more than that for him-she did not let
him see that she made allowances. More
over, she recognized amidst all his rough
ness certain kind of sympathy which She
could not resent because 1t was not aggress-
i've, for to some natures the expression
of sympathy is an irritation-to be sym
pathized with means to be pitied, and to
be piticd means TO be looked down upon.
She was sorry for him, but she would not
have told him so for worlds He would
have shrunk from pity as much as she did
And yet the sympathy which she thought
ly giving to those around her like herself
thwartcd, each in different way perhaps,
still thwartcd all the same
She found moro than once that she was
learning to measure people by q standard
different from her former onc-not by
what they had done or been, but by what
they had suffered. But such change as
this does not como suddenly, though, in
nlnpp like pptnrS hnf, II D,,inl-lr oil
most unconsciously.
She became immensely interested in
some of the guests, and there wcro curl
Gus types in the kurhaus. The foreigners
attracted her chiefly. \ little Partisan
danscusc, none too quiet III her manner
won Bcrnardinc'S fancy
II SO want to get better, chcric," she
said to Bernardnc. Life is so bright
Dcath-ah, how the very thought makes
one SILVER! That horrid doctor says must
not skate. 1t is not wise. When was 1
wise? Wise people don't enjoy themselves
And have enjoyed myself and will still"
How can you go about with that little
danscusc?" the Disagrccablo Man said to
Bcrnardinc one day. do you know who
she Isl"
Yes" said Bcrnardinc. SHE is the
lady who thinks you must be u very i'll
bred person because you stalk into meals
with your hands in your pockets. She
wondered how l could bring myself to
speak to YOU"
II dare say many people wonder at
that" said Robert Allitsen rather pccvish-
ly.
"Oh, no, /" replied Bcrnardinc THEY
wonder that you talk to me. They think
l must either be very clever or else very
diSagrceablc. y
II should not call you clever" said Rob
ert Allitscn grimly.
mo" answered Bcrnardinc pcnsivcly.
"But l always did think myself clever un-
til came hero. Now l am beginning to
know better. But it is rather u shock,
isn't it,"
~ have never experienced the shock"
he said.
"Thcn you still think you are clevcr?"
she asked.
There is only ono man my intellectual
equal in Pctcrshof, and he is not here any
more he said gravcly. Now come to
remember, he died. That is the worst of
making friendships hcrc-pcoplc die"
still, it is something to be left king of
the intellectual world, )" said Bcrnardinc.
Il never thought of you in that light"
There was Il sly smile about her lips as
she spoke, and there was the ghost of
smile ON the Diaugrccable Mans face.
"Why do you talk with that horrid
Swcdc?" he said suddenly. He is Il
wrctchcd low foreigner. Have you heard
some of his vews?"
Some of Them answered BcrnardinC
chccrfully. zone of his views is really
amusinG-that it is very rude of you to
read the newspaper during mcaltimc and
he asks if it is an English custom. tell
him it depends entirely on the Englishman
and the Englishman' nrtghbor!"
So She too, had her raps at him, but al
ways in the kindcst way.
lie had curious effect on her. His very
bitterness seemed to check in its growth
her own bitterness. The cup of poison of
which he himself had drunk deep he
passed on to her She drank Of it, and it
did not poison her She was morbid, and
She needed cheerful compunioAShip. His
dismal companionship and his hard way
of looking at life ought by rights to have
her, instead of which she be-
canle less sorrowlul,
Was the Disagrr'ahle Man perhaps II
reader of characters Did hr know how to
help her in his own grim, GrutI way? He
himself had suffered 50 much Perhaps h0
did know. 80, ,,.,,>.,,.n