Morris tribune., 1896-01-01

AS TO Whether his arcn enemy, IN
spector Bounder, succeeded on not in
having him reduced to the ranks was
sow matter Of comparatively little
Eaomensa He knew that in any case he
deserved it. He would not excuse him
self in his own eyes, and though he
knew that if he were placed in a similar
position again he would do exactly as
he had done he realized, all the same,
that no man has right to allow a self
ish loye-or call it what you will-to
divert his steps from the straight path
of duty. True, itwould gall him in
way that only one who has striyen for
and earned his stripes canlfeel to find
them rudely taken from him for dis
graceful conduct " as the powers that
be are pleased to term it, with sublime
indifference as to whether the offense
has arisen from an error of Judgment or
willful neglect. True, it was considered
an understood and 10 disgraceful thing
in the force for d man when put upon
his trial to make the best even of a bad
case, and, be it said to the credit Of the
greater bulk Of the officers, they 9ener-
ally gave the arraigned one the benefit
of u doubt.
But all these things were of compare
tive unimportance coLAsoared to the one
great thought that had gradually grown
upon and taken possession of him-what
about Marie st. Denis, that girl whose
beauty had not only contrasted SO strong
ly with her strange surroundings and
gained upon him, but whose innate no
bility of mind and capacity for self sac
rifce had aroused in him the spirit Of
admiration and then the inevitable
further development? What was he to
do about her? How was he to hear Of
her? He knew her father had all but
completed arrangements to sell out ey-
erything, make his way south into the
States, and then, with that nomadic
spirit of his and the pride Of the girl,
it would be a very natural thing indeed
for him to lose sight Of her altogether,
And then But would it not be better
so-better that he should never see her
again? Had ne dreamed Of such contiD-
gency when he first saw her-of doing
such mad thing as to fall in love with
her-he would have turned his back on
her right there and then. Could he, Q
man who belonged to o very different
sphere of life from that which his pres
ent occupation would have denoted, who
came of family of considerable stand
ing, ally himself assuming, of course,
what he had no right to assume, that
the girl herself were willing-to the
daughter of an illiterate adventurer and
smuggler whom be would be ashamed
to be seen with in public, even although
the name Of the man in question was
St Denis?
Then he asked himself what his fam
lily would say when they came to hear
that he had made what they would nat
urally consider was an undesirable con-
nection. But again he put the ques-
ton to himself, Was it not just like the
selfish want of consideration peculiar
to relatives III general to want to con-
troll his heart s most sacred promptlngs
when they would not move hand of
their own free will to enable him to
earn a crust of bread? True, they had
loaded him with gratuitous advice many
a time-sage admonitions bristling with
hoary old saws-when they thought that,
fguratively speaking, it was just posi-
BILE he meant ''to kick over the traces,
when gentle guiding hand was all he
wanted. Had they not even ignored his
existence altogether, when they feared
that a closer acquaintanceship might
mean some slight demand upon the
plethora of their own resources? He
was no cynic or pessimist, although he
knew that sweeter far crust of bread
and independence than the good things
of this life under the uncompromising
name of charity. For in the humbler
met with those who, to the full, realized
the noble truth of that saying, 1t is
more blessed to give than to receive. y
God help the shallow souls who sheer
at the story of the widow mitel They
want help-badly.
But this were weighing the question
from material point of view-dispos-
ing of it by selfish and sordid stand
ard. Yet, even if his family said to
him, "You must not marry one in such
and such station of life; you must
marry one in oursl'' and would not
help him to attain to that position in
life which would enable him to do so,
that was no reason to make him
persevere all the more in his obvious
course Admitting the oft proved dis
astrous results arising from a man
being led away by transient passion
and marrying one beneath him in moral,
mental, and worldly respects, thus de-
barring all the essential welding effects
of affinity, was she not, after all, in
most respects his equal?
He felt, indeed, that in many re-
spects she was infinitely superior to
him. So far as her own personality
was concerned, she had a face and a
manner that would distinguish her in
any sphere Of society. There was little
difference between her and any we'll
born and cultured old country girl
So far as dress and certain little I'M
orthodoxies Of manner were concerned, 1
she had mind that was quick to per-
r. II