Evening star., 1896-07-04

dered why. and her wonder could find but
ore answer THE board of trader she
cried, in concentrated scorn and hatred.
Who could write a great book when his
time was consumed and his genius debased
by the board of trade? Baines' patient toll
Grafton infiamed her anger He admitted
that he could hardly do anything at the
book; his days went at that uncomfortable
place, his evenings were given to Addie;
society claimed it's share. Tom Caxton, be-
ing oy, smiled covertly. Addie raised her
large admiring eyes to her husbands face
A sudden gleeful smile broke out on her
lips.
"Addington. said she, hasn't enough
confidence In himself. Well, I believe in
him, anyhow
Caxtons smile vanished. He detected
something dangerous in the speech.
hat do you want him to do now Mrs
Baines he asked with uneasy laugh
Wait little while and you'll see Oh,
IN quite sure it's the right thing Yes, I'm
sure.
1t was soon too late to ask whether it was
the right thing or not, for 1t was past done
Ba1nes protests were weak, his resistance
short To his own perfect contentment, to
mis- wifes great joy. to Tom Cations IL
nm lllnltable oismay. month later he walked
out OF the offices of the board of trade a
Tree man, free to devote his life to the book
the master of his time and his brain
Phew muttered Tom Caxton over his
newspaper article.
PART H.
Now, Addington Baincs was an honest
and right-thnklng man; therefore. SO soon
as he was released from bondage, he did
what he hal never done before-he set
himself -esolrtely and manfuly to his
task He ceased trifiing with his subject;
he bought stock of paper and began to
write Addie used to equip him with pens
ana books of reference, and then steal
silently away on tiptoe. her smile bright
yIrIeh
given oenediction to the noble work of the
day. And Arlington Baines was left alone
alone 10 tackle STRESS and Striyine'
Cheerfully he started. doggedly he went
on. strange, terrible thing began to hap
pen. He found that he composed very
slowly and with great difficulty An in
sidious doubt made it's way into his brain
and undermined his self-confidence. In
conversation he had seemed to himself
very original; when he came to set down
MS thoughts and to read up his books. he
it tund that much which he had held to be
legally his own was his only by lawless
appr9priation; In word. he tegan to
Wonder whether he had anything to saw.
rms suspicion would seize him cruelty in
moments of fatigue or depression: then he
despalrlnsly threw down his pen, and. Law
tas '.s urea nead between his hands, went
SO far as to wish himself back at the board
oi trade. AT any rate, one was not ex-
pected 10 be an original genius at the board
OF Trade Then Adde'S light step would
was seized again, and, when she came in
he leisned to have paused only for a mo-
Heht ihat was necessary because the ink
was ur) in order to crystalline his thoughts
INTO an aphoriSm, or his attack into an eni
gram ANA she would ask to hear the last
"Titten chapter over again. To her if was
al original and, for his sake. all brilliant
her ready homage reinstated him in his
good opinion Of himself He vas hanny
again TILL she left him face to face with tba
remorseless pen and paper, the pen that
seemed to cry mockingly: Use me" and
tne paper that jeered him with it's ..fill me
if you can" 80 i iiio
NOW, when pretty girl with eight hum
uieu POUNDS a year-a most aggrayating
circunstance-ha married man more on
ine strenSth OF his brains than of ANYTHING
else. ana when he, yielding readily to her
persuaslons, has abandoned his means of
making any addition to the said income
In order to give his genius full scope and
opportunity, 1T needs some moral courage
In the husband TO go to the wife and tel
her that the basis of their respective ac-
lions was altogether unsound and falla-
clous, that he is not a genius that no
amount of scope is of avail when there is
nothing to enjoy it, that. in fact the soon
er he gets back to some honest work and
leaves his paper staining the better Yet
this unnviting task seemed to lie before
BOBBY Baines at the moments when his
despondency got the better of him and he
was tempted to throw up the cards. But
he would not despair yet, he told himself,