The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-05-31
REWARD OF VIRTUE.


With all possible good intentions and
sincerity 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
years can set him right with them, and
man does 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 a very bad life, but 1t certainly had
not been a good one. He tried to do right
at home and failed. Then he came to the
States.
Now the S.ates--if you except perhaps
New York-is a place where there are
neither towns nor temptations. Over all
its broad prairies, where sleek steers
browse and gentle ooursers stray, there
hangs an atmosphere of soft, pastoral vir-
tue. There is also in the human heart
true, natural goodness learned from the
unspoiled savage. There is no little 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 sized town in Australia and that all
the rest is bush.
LUvat 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 1t must be said that nothing in
England Is better or older. Lovat is q
name of such luster that no bearer Of it,
whatever his misbehaviors, could tarnish
it. 1t is also 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 quarrcled with his father and
his allowance was stopped he didn't care
"Why the devil, if you want to reform,
can't you stay here and do it?"
"Becausea chap can't in his own town"
He can if he's any character.
mo, he can't
t. it, say he can What tho 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 unanswerable, known to childhood as
getting even" He cut off the allowance,
but graciously permitted his ungrateful
SOD 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 sorts of string instruments,
and with pictures of his family, and Of
some girls who had liked him, and of pro-
fcssional beauties who were not nearly SO
beautiful as his own sisters, for his family
was handsome, as well as 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
different languages.
The change was not unpleasant. He
looked after his stock, and played the mu-
steal Instruments and read the books in
five languages for a twelvemonth. He de-
cdcd that he was reformed then and be-
gan to grow tired Of being a patriarch over
his own herds. Patriarchs, as he under
stood it, had wives and children. He had
| only horses, and they didn't take the place
| of society. He was fond Of society. So
! he made the acquaintance Of some of the
officers at Kcogh. They gave him stag
| dinners in Miles City and they entered
| him at the post club but they did not in
! wife him to tlCir houses. He did not meet
their daughters or their wives. An Eng
| lishman has to grow wise before he learns
that this Is a small world and that the
| tight little isle is not too tight for runurs
| to escape from it--that the ruuIOrs more
over, are frequently exaggerated. Lovat
! began to grow wise At first he wondered,
then he understood He asked himself
what, after all, is the reward of virtue,
| and he determined that 1t has none. There
are those who hold otherwise, but the
| question Is not yet settled. He was lonely,
exratrlatCd and homcsiCk. He was also
| young and full of energy and anxious to be
met half way, But he could not travel the
| whole road alone. He turned and went
| back to where he had started from. There,
! at least, there was feminine companion
ship-of its kind. His vice was less gilded
than of yore, but that was the fault of the
/ country. He threw over once and for all
every hope of admission to the society of
his equals in the garrison The service is
critical and jealous of its women. But he
was still entertained by the men.
When it was too late to mend-for, copy
books to the contrary, Notwithstanding,
ii frequently is-he came to repent more
heartily than ever before, aye, bitterly, He
met and fell in love with Constance Cham
bcrlain as many another man has done
md still does though she is Mrs. Brook
field now. She was even prettier then than
today, for she WIS very young just IS.
Loyat knew her by sighr, but he had
never spoken to her or heard her speak
which was harmonious treat-until he
came upon her one day some five miles
from the post. She had dismountcd to
tighten her saddle girths, and sho was
alone. How should Lovat have guessed
that she had seen him coming ere she had
slipped to the ground, and that she was pur-
poscly goading her placid black steed to be
Interchangeable He came to her aid with
al ALLOW me to be of SERVICE" which she
answered with Il You arc very good
thank you,
"You should not be away off hero alone,
Miss Chamberlain" he said.
II know It, "
at is not safe. "
Il am so tired of being safe" Her voice
was sweet, low and Unconditional There
was no suggestion in 1t of unfominine re.
bvlIion And Loyat, who had not heard
ASroIITA.