Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1897-10-04

is still plenty of keen wretchedness in
store for him. If he gets up after a
bad blow and is actively miserable and
somewhat hateful and resentful, he
can yet be happy. But self-immola-
ton is not natural, and anything un-
natural brings it's own punishment.
Another person and other people can
not be the centre of the universe for
very long. There may come jar that
will put you out of plumb for bit,
but you swing back to your normal
position.
The jar that came to Osborne was a
hard one. The girl to whom he was
engaged told him that her parents were
forcing her to marry certain rich
man. Now parents, in these days, do
not force one to marry anybody; but
Osborne would have believed whatever
the girl had chosen to tell him. He
believed this, and thought she was q
beautiful, suffering martyr, and there
was a tragic scene, which she did clev-
erly, and parting. After that Os-
borne lost even ambition, which had
been rnling passion almost above his
love. The girl was mean enough, too,
to keep his misery alive by writing to
him, now and then, bewailing her
gilded captivity.
Life, he told himself, was hence
forth avain thing, only fit to be used
in the service of others. 1t is not
easy to serve others picturesquely in
the army. There are no needy and no
fallen ones-because when they fall
they cease to be in the army So Os-
borne bethought him of his brother
Alexander.
Alexander lived on ranch-as Os-
borne had done. At sixteen Osborne
had been the support of a widowed
mother and two children. He had had
no boyhood in particular. 1t had all
been work, making the ranch paw.
Only those who have tired it know
what that means. Alexander was not
atfii icted after this fashion. He lived
on his new stepfather, and was en-
vious of his brother.
Now when Osborne brodght Alex
ander on to San Antonio, the first
evening of his arrival he spoke to him
thus: There's a frst-class school
right in the town, Alex" Silence.
II want you to study hard, youngster,
to make up for the time you We lost up
there in the wilderness"
Alex braced his feet against the
porch railing and tipped back his
chair. 'It strikes me I've lost more
fun than about anything else. 1t amt
fair, Herbert. You've been having a
picnic for the last eight years, while
I've been slavlng in the fields; and
don't see it in the light of settling
down right away to digging at books.
wanta swing"
If nature is ambitious it cannot he
altered. The ambition may transfer
its object from self to someone else,
but it will not die. Osborne's had
transferred itself to his brother. So
his heart sank. But he had learned
federation. "Well, I'll give you three
months, But you must study to make
up for it"
Three months nothing! What's
the matter with six?"
ga good deal is the matter. You'll
be nearly eighteen in six months, and
you don't know as much as the aver.
age boy of fourteen. OF course, I'm
not blaming you for that. You
haven't had fair chance" Osborne
forgot that, at eighteen, he himself
had passed the competitive examina
ton.
81 guess haven't--at that or any.
thing else.
Young Osborne had gone barefoot
all his life, and had never had whole
new suit of clothes to his back, nor &
dime to call his own. Osborne gave
him dancing pumps and various seem.
ly suits and areasonable allowance.
But he thought the allowance small
Say, Herbert, [ can't make out witt
that measly ten. Make it fifteen, will
you?" he complained.
mo-" said Osborne.
Osborne's mos" were always defn
ite, but Alexander persisted "Why
not? You've a lot more than you
need"
81 know best about that. Ten dol
/ '-A'' 49, ''AN''SoAS tstIi IL . an Gull HlNt
you. I've your education to pay for
recollect. You've no expenses out
side of an occasional theatre ticket auC
tennis ball-or you shouldn't have"
"You always did catch all tn,
/ plums," said Alexander.
! Then the mail orderly gave Osborne
a letter from the girl. Osborne locked
himself in his work-room, and read i
and believed every word of it. AnC
living-evenf for others-seemed hare
thing for the next few days.
Alexander felt his oats promptly
He excelled at baseball, he learned
tennis and danNng by magic, and he
rode well. Osborne had never beer
30 popular. He had served the Nam
mon of Ambition exclusively until hC
had transferred his allegiance to tn,
God of Love. Since then he had beer
. martyr-and martyrs are more pleas