The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1897-05-20

terested motives. Mankind at the club
assemblies and meets together to ieer
at him; his brother laughs him to
'scorn; the women mistrus; him. Only
many years can set him right with
them-and a man does not like to wait.
When he reforms, he wants to do it at
once. He has no fancy of wearing the
stained garb of sin until the sun of vir-
tue shall bleach it white. He would
don Immediately the snowy robe and
I've made welcome among the elect.
Which may not be. If you mean to re-
form, 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
ouch a very bad life, but it certainly had
not been a good one. lie tried to do
right at home, and failed. Then he
came to the states.
Now the states-if you except, per-
haps, New York--is a place where there
are neither towns o temptations. Over
dIi VI picdu pan iGs, NHeIt SlSch sttfIs
browse and gentle coursers stray, there
hangs an atmosphere of soft pastoral
virtue. There is also in the human heart
n true, natural goodness learned from
the unspoiled savage. There is 10 tit
tle-tattle, and a 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-si2ed 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
V a aware of the existence of Montana
shows that his youth was not alto
gether 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 lus-
ter that no bearer of it, whatever his
MISCELLANEOUS, could tarnish it. 1t is
also a rich family-very rich. Wilton
Iovat was the younger son, but he had
q decent fortune of his own. Therefore
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 per-
suasively: why, if you want to re-
form, can't you stay here and do it,"
Because Il chap can't in his W
town."
"He can, if he's any character"
"No, he can't"
IL say he can. Whatdo you suppose
did," His voice subsidized as he con-
templated himself in the pleasant light
of an example.
-You didn't reform. You only mar
RED"
Which happened to be so true that
Lovat, ST., was unable to reply, save in
the not parental fashion OF
answering the unanswerable, known to
childhood as getting even" He cut of
the allowance, but graciously permitted
his u%ngrateful sol to dwell upon the
Montana lands.
Wilton went at breeding racers, as is
the custom Of Montana. He had a log
house on the ranch, and 1t was fur
nished with rough chairs and tables and
hunks, and with many sorts Of string
Instruments, and with pictures of his
family, and of some girls who had liked
him, and Of professional beauties who
were not nearly so beautiful as his OWE
sisters. For his family was handsome
as well MS of great repute and rich.
There were also royal groups from the
Graphic and illustrated News on his
walls. and there were books in five diff
ferent languages.
The change was not unpleasant. He
looked inter his stock, and played the
musical instruments, and read the
books in five languages for a twelve
month. He decided that he was re-
formed then, and began to grow tired
of being a patriarch over his own herds.
Patriarchs, as he understood it, had
wives and children. He had only horses,
and they didn't take the place Of So
ciety. He was fond Of society. So he
made the acquaintance Of some Of the
officers at Keogh. They gave him stag
dinners in Miles City and they enter
tanned him at the post club, but they
did not invite him to their houses. He
did not meet their daughters 10 their
wives. An Englishman has TO grow
wise before he learns that this is q small
world and that the tight little isle Il
not too tight for rumors to escape from
it-that the rumofs, moreover, r fire.
quently exaggerated. Lovst began to
grow wise. At first be wondered. then