The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-01-28
INSPIRATION.

here Is the want of atmosphere in the
painters sense. There are no half tints
worth noticing. Men stand out all crude
and raw, with nothing to tone them down
and nothing to scale them against. They
do their work and grow to think that
there is nothing but their work and moth
ing like their work, and that they are the
real piyots on which tho administration
turns Here is an instance of this feeling;
A half caste clerk was ruling forms In q
pay office. He said to me, 'Do you know
what would happen II I added or took
away one single line on this sheetP" Then,
with the air of a cOnspirator: sit would
disorganize the whole of the treasury pay-
ments throughout the whole of the presi-
dency circle. Think of that!"
If men had not this delusion as to the
ultra Importance Of their own particular
employments, suppose that they would
sit down and kill themselves. But their
weakness Is wearisome, particularly when
the listener knows that lie himself COM
mits exactly the same sin.
Even the sccretariat believes that 1t does
good when it asks an oyerdriven executive
officer to take census of wheat woevils
through a district of 5000 square miles.
There was man once in the foreign Of
fce--a man who had grown middle aged
in the department and was commonly said
by irreverent juniors to 10 able to repeat
Aitohison's Treaties and Sunnuds' back
ward in his sleep. What he did with his
stored knowledge only the secretary knew,
and he naturally would not publish the
news abroad. This mans name was Wress-
ley, and it was the shibboleth, in those
days, to cay, "Wressley knows more about
the central Indian states than any living
man." If you did not say this, you were
considered enc of mean understanding.
And here the curse Of Anglo-Indan life
fell heavily. When Wressley lifted up his
voice and spoke about such and such sue
cession to such and such throne, the for
eign office was silent, and heads of de-
partments repeated the last two or three
words Of Wressley's sentences and tackled
Eyes, yes on to them and knew that they
were assisting the empire to graphic with
serious political contingencies, In most
| big undertakings one or two men do the
work, while the rest sit Fear and talk till
| the ripe decorations begin to fall.
Wressley was the working member of
| the foreign office firm, and TO keep him
up to his duties when ho showed signs of
| tagging, ho was nude much of by his su.
| periors and told what fine fellow he was.
| He did not require coaNing because he
was of tough build, but what he received
| confirmed him in the belief that there was
no one quite so absolutely and imperative.
| ly necessary to the stability of India as
Wressley of the foreign office. There might
| be other good men, but the known honor.
pl md tpI
Icy of the foreign Office.
Upon n day, between office and office,
| great trouble came to Wressey-oyer.
whelmed him, knocked him down and left
him gasping as though he had been lit.
tie sohoOlboy. Without reason, against
| prudence and at moments notice he
fell in love with frivolous, golden haired
| girl who used to tear about Simla mall on
| high, rough waller, with blue velvet
| jockey cap crammod ever her eyes. Her
name WAS Nenner-lillie Wonderland
she was delightful. She took Wressleys
heart ut a hand gallop, and Wresslcy found
| that it WIS Eot good for man 10 live alone,
even with half tho foreign Office records in
his presses,
Then Simla laughed, fer Wrcssley IN love
was slightly ridiculous. He did his best to
interest the girl in himsOIf--thatis to say,
his work--ahd she, after the manner of
women, did her best to appear interested
in what, behind his hack, she called Mr..
! Wre ssley's Wajuhs for she lisned very
prettily. She did rot understand one little
thing about them, but she acted as if she
did. Men have married on that sort of
error before now.
Providence, however, had care of WresS-
ley He was immensely struck with Miss
| NennCrs intelligence. lie would have
been more impressed had no heard her pri.
waite and confidential accounts Of his calls,
He held peculiar notions US to the WO0inR
Of girls. He said that tho best work Of a
mans career should DO laid reyercntly at
their feet Ruskin writes something like
this somewhere, think, but in ordinary
life few kisses arc better and save time.
About month after lie had lost his
heart TO Miss Ncnner, and had beSl doing
his work yilely in consequence, the first
idea of his Native Rule In Central India"
struck Wressley and filled him with joy.
1t was, as LIE skUtched it. a great thing
the work Of his liie--a really comprphun-
siye survey Of n most fascinating subject
to be written with all the special and la
| of the foreign oilice--a gift fit for an en-
press.
He told Miss Nenrcr that lie was going
to take leave and hoped, on his return to
bring her a present worthy Of her accept
nnCe. Would rho watt Certainly she would
Wrcssley drew !, 200 rupees month. She
would wait a year for that Her mamma
would help her to wait.
So NlUssley took one years leave and all
tie available documunts-nhOut truck
load-that lie could lay hands Oh, and went
down to central India with his notion hot
in his head. He began his book in the land
he was writing of. Too much official cor
TesponcerCe had made him II frigid work
man, and he must have guessed that he
needed the white light of LEGAL color Oh
his palette. This is II dangerous paint for
amateurs to play with.
Heavens how that man worked He
caught his rajahs, analy2Cd Ills rajahs and
traced them up into the mists oil time and
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