The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1897-11-05
5eleft Mistellanl(.
] J5remiah Greenleaf's Epic.
BY ALEXANDER MCARTHUR.
BY ALEXANDER MCARTHUR.

Jeremiah Greenleaf was seized at an
early age with what the English bard
calls "a vaulting ambition" He was
born in one of the many suburban vii
lagos lying around Boston. A charm
ing, grand old spot, not undeserving Of
its name. which WIS Euphony.
.Jerry-for so the neighbors called
him-erew up amid the quiet, but love
ly, surroundings of Euphony, and,
while still lad. learned to love and
appreciate with passionate enthusiasm
the soft-toned beauty of the New Eng
land landscapes surrounding him.
1t is bad thing sometimes to be too
sensitive to beauty, and in Jeremiah S
case it came near to being tragic, for
it led him into desire for fame that
was as ''the desire of the moth for the
star" This desire simply devoured
jeremiah. 1t took hold of every wax
ing moment. Itturned sleepless nights
into nights of feverish agony, and made
him miserable He could find no en-
joyment in the simple amuscments that
were pastimc to the villagers around
him, for he was Tapped in unending
dissatisfaction. When he listened to 4
clever sermon, heard a beautiful SONG,
or read beautiful book, a passionate
jealousy took possession of him. He
was not the preacher, or the singer, or
the writer: therefore these things gave
him no pleasure. Instead. he was eat
Ell up with envy, torn with Il vague dc
sire for a something he himself could
not define
The people of Euphony laughed at
him; they laughed at his tumbled locks,
at his dark eye with its Lara-like
glance, and, when he commenced to
talk to them in mysterious accents OF
the sunrise, or the vapory splendor Of
the blue hills, they decided he was Il
fool
They were all very worthy people,
but, as the leading grocer said,-and
he was looked up to and his opinion
valued, for he was worth at least Il
quarter of million,-such ideas were
very well with great men, like Shake
Speare or Byron or even Emerson, but
from Jerry Greenleai. whom they had
kn,wn all their lives and $ 'rn crow up,
tlcy were absurd.
1t did not take Jeremiah long to dis
cover that he was unlcrratpd and mis-
understood l'y the men of Euphonv;
so he retired more and more into him
self, till finally the villagers began to
look on him rs Il crank. This suited
jeremiah to perfection. for to he Il
crank was in his eyes distinction.
AS he reasoned it out, all great men
were cranks; therefore he, Jeremiah,
was q great man.
AL this distinction and isolation only
made the proud spirit of Jeremiah real
iza tenrold that he should and must 90
something or die. Euphony should re-
sound with his name. Great men from
Boston would look up to him in awe
and wonderment. and the world become
too small to measure the full glory of
his greatness.
1t is fairly easy to make resolutions
and to plan glory, but in most cases it
is terribly difficult to accomplish re-
suits. When j remiah set to work, he
began to realize ,'iis. Day after day
he studied the Blue bills with a more
and more rapt gaze, and, stroking his
Young mustache gently, racked his
| brain in an endeavor to tind the inspira.
ton that would lead him to greatness
As Jeremiah sat thinking, he was
struck more and more by the fact that
even greatness needs money. TO he
come a great painter or scul ptor OF
musician long years of instruction are
necessary when money must flow
! steadily from the purse. To Jeremla'