The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-07-02
REWARD OF VIRTUE.

lbL w hItb vi LII u IL,
With all possible good intentions and
sincerity a man cannot reform among his
own people. He is not taken seriouly. His
abstentions from deeds of vice are imputed
to interested motives. Mankind at the club
assemblies and meets together TO jeer at
him. His brother laughs him to scorn.
The women mistrust him. Only many
ycars can set him right with them, and
man docs not like to wait. When he re-
forms, he wants to do it at once He has
no fancy for wearing the stained garb of
sin until the sun of virtue shall bleach it
white. He would don Immediately the
snowy robe and be made welcome among
the elect. Which may not be. If you mean
to reform, you must go away.
Lovat grew sick of the life he had led
for ten years-ever since he had been a
pretty boy of IS who should have been
learning useful things. 1t had not been
such very bad life, but it certainly had
not been n good one He tried to do right
at home and failed Then he came to the
States.
New York--is a place where there are
neither towns nor temptations. Over all
its broad prarics, where sleek steers
browse and gentle coursers stray, there
hangs an atmosphere of soft, pastoral viz
| tue. There is also in the human heart q
true, natural goodness learned from the
unspoiled savage. There is no little tattle,
and man is what he is, not what he has
been. They know this in England, just as
we in the States know that there is one
| fair sized town in Australia and that all
! the rest is bush
! Lovat knew it, and he also knew that it
was most true of Montana. That he was
aware of the existence of Montana shows
| that his youth was not altogether wasted.
His family had some land there OF this
family it must be said that nothing in
| England Is better or older. Lovat is a
name of such luster that no bearer of it,
whatever his misbehaviors, could tarnish
it, 1t is also a rich family-very rich.
Wilton Lovat was the younger son, but
he had decent fortune of his own. There
fore he could do pretty much as he pleased,
and when he quarreled with his father and
his allowance was stopped he didn't care.
His father argued with him persuasively,
why the devil, if you want to reform,
can't you stay here and do itp"
"Becausea chap can't in his own town. "
He can if he's any character.
"No, he can't"
g. it, say he can. What the devil
do you suppose didP" His voice subsidized
as he contemplated himself in the pleasant
light of an example.
"You didn't reform. You only mar
ried"
Which happened to be SO true that Lovat
senior was unable to reply, save in the not
uncommon parental fashion of answering
the unanswera BILE, known to childhood as
getting even." He cut off the allowance,
but graciously permitted his ungrateful
son to dwell upon the Montana lands.
Wilton went at breeding racers, as is the
custom of Montana. He had loghouse
on the ranch, and it was furnished with
rough chairs and tables and hunks and
with many soGts of string instruments
and with pictures of his family, and OF
some girls who had liked him, and of pro
fessional beauties who were not nearly sc
beautiful as his own sisters, for his family
was handsome, as well as of great reputt
and rich. There were also royal group.
from The Graphic and Illustrated New.
on his walls, and there were books in fivt
different languages.
The change was not unpleasant HI
looked after his stock, and played the mu
steal instruments and read the books IL
five languages for a twelvemonth. He de
cided that he was reformed then, and he
gan to grow tired of being a patriarch ovel
his own herds. Patriarchs, as he under
stood it, had wives and children. He ha(
only horses, and they didn't take the plac,
of society. He was fond of society. 81
he made the acquaintance of some of tn,
officers at Keogh. They gave him STAG
dinners in Miles City and they entered
him at the post club, but they did not in
vito him to their houses. He did not NEE
their daughters or their wives. An Eng
lishman has to grow wise before he learn
that this is small world and that tn
tight little isle is not too tight for rumor
to escape from it-that the rumors, more
over, are frequently exaggerated Iowa
began to grow wise At first he wondered
then he understood He asked himsel
what, after all, Is the reward of virtue
and he determined that it has none. Their
are those who hold otherwise, but tn
question is not yet settled. He was lonely
; expatriated and homesick. He was ais
young and full of energy and anxious to b
met half way. But he could not travel tn
WnOlC fUuu IlG Uurneu anu wen
back to where he had started from. There
at least, there was feminine companion
ship-of its kind. His vice was less glide
than of yore, but that was the fault of tn
country. He threw over once and for al
r every hope of admission to the society @
his equals in the garrison. The service !
critical and jealous of it's women. But h
was still entertained by the men.
When it was too late to mend--for, copy
books to the contrary, Notwithstanding
it frequently is-he came to repent NOR
heartily than ever BEFORE aye, bitterly. III
met and fell in love with Constance Cham
berlain, as many another man has don
and still does, though she is Mrs. Brook
field now. She was even prettier then tina,
today, for she was very young, just 10.
Lovat knew her by sight, but he ha
never spoken to her or heard her speak
= which was harmonious treat-until h
came upon her one day some five mile
from the post. She had dismounted
til hou i,tho nd oha