St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1896-02-29
AN UNCONSCIOUS HERO.

AN UNCONSCIOUS HERO.
n MRS. n. I. RAYNE
No," Eleanor Landsberg said. as she
crushed the cluster of fresh American
Beauty roses she held in her clasped
hands with painful intensity, as IL they
were somehow to blame, 81 cannot
marry you, Morris-you are not my
hero"
Heroes do not exist out Of novels, =
answered Morris Holmes, with that per
feet infection that good breeding gives
to its possessor; Il cannot fight for my
ladylove as the medieval knights did,
nor fly to the wars in these degenerate
days."
Then be q soldier Of peace; there
are daily wars to be waged that need
disciplined soldiers. BE anything but
2 dawdler on the silken skirts Of So
ciety. You believe that because you have
inherited fortune that other men
earned for you by the sweat of their
hrows, you are to lie idle in the
lap of luxury. Shame, Morris Holmes!
When 1 marry l will choose my husband
from among the ranks of the people;
my hero must do great deeds. not dream
them all day long,"
my dear socialist y said Morris. with
the familiarity Of long acquaintance, IF
you will listen to reason q moment you
viii zee that with money you car rem
edy . great many evils; without It you
are practically helpless"
How many evils have you rem
edied, Norris? Answer me that"
"Few as yet, admit. But. Eleanor.
- It my fault that my father left me
a fortune? Listen, dearest. will
call you SO this once. Why not help me
become his almoner? At least l am
not a profiigate."
Pardon me-" returned the young
woman, tearing the heart from a rose
"a performance which made the sensi-
tive Norris wince-"I think you are
a profligate with time md influence,
and al the other good things which you
waste by lavishing them on yourself.
How will you account for wasted op-
portunities and talents folded In . nap
kin when the day Of reckoning CONFESS"
She was very handsome, very attrac-
tive in her strong young womanhood.
and a. q reformer the fad of the hour.
She belonged to clubs and societies
for the advancement Of women, and
was not extensively progressive in her
views and the expression Of them, but
she had been brought into contact
with strong natures full Of the sap
and wine of life and had learned to dis
dain the wearer of the purple and fine
linen. The society weakling had lost
place In her world, just as social func-
tions had become inane and intolerably
stupid, after the seamy side Of life had
shown her it's rugged attractions.
what would you have me do to
prove myself . hero?" asked Morris
Holmes, with . gently patronixing air,
Is If he had been speaking to child.
and which infuristed EleanUr.
"Do?" she repeated, with withering
scorn; do anything to show the world
that you are q man, and at least capable
Of managing your own affairs! Life
IL full OF instruction, but you have
never learned one Of its lessons. You
have not even been a profitable dream
er."
She was intense and angry. and At
last he was aroused. He rose without
his. usual dawdling elegance Of man.
ner and said:
"You have taught me one lesson,
Eleanor. that shall not forget. Ihope
when you find your hero he will love
you as truly as have done-as 1 will
continue to do, If you do not forbid
me. And now, good-by. We part
friends, do we not?"
Before she answered him Eleanor
rose and in SO doing dropped the flow
ers she had been holding Morris
sprang to pick them up. when instantly
she placed her small. imperative foot
upon them, crushing them to the floor.
He looked at her, shocked and wounded.
"You see how hopeless it is that you
should ever understand me-" she said.
bitterly. 'You have more considera-
tion for these hothouse weeds than for
the souls of those around you. You
hurt and wound me by your indiffer-
ence to vital questions, but you are
sorry for the roses! Good-by, Morris!"
"No berths left In the sleeper, sir"
"But, I tell you, l must have a berth
i can't sit up all night" and Morris
Holmes shivered at the thought of such
. hardship.
"A great many good people do. sir."
said the conductor. There's old Judge
Skinner and his wife, they are both
going to sit up tonight"
"But my man telegraphed for Sec
tion."
They were all taken then, sir"
It was strange that at the first mo-
ment Morris Holmes started out to be-
come hero and learn the scamy side of
life he should be reduced to actual suf-
fering like this. II he had been
dressed in his usual fashionable and
elegant travelling attire the conductor
would have suspected that he had un-
limited wealth and would have bought
out some less important traveller or
cold him a berth already negotiated
for, rs the all-powerful car magnate
has the privilege Of doing.
But Morris Holmes had donned the
plain dress of the ordinary business
man, and wore = hideous gray ulster
that concealed his elegant personality.
and was on his way to the mining dis
trict, where mine WINS located Ut which
he was part owner; not = gold mine.
but one that brought in gold bitu-
nlinous coal mine, known as the Little
Summit.
Norris had taken little or NO notice
OF this branch of his wealth. the man.
agement and details being left to his
agent. but when he left Eleanor Lands
berg ON the occasion of her second and
final refusal of his offer of marriage,