The times., 1898-09-04


In the middle of the path with a face like
three rainy days. Now. old shaver,
what has crossed you, asked the Ass.
How can one be merry when ones
neck has been pinched like mine2 an
swered the Cat. Because / am growing
old and my teeth are all worn to stumps
and because l would rather sit by the fire
and spin, than run after mice, my mis-
tress wanted to drown me; and so l ran
away. But, now, good advice Is dear,
and l do not know what TO DO.
Go with US TO Bremen. You under
stand nocturnal music, so you can be a
town musician. The Cat consented and
went with them. They could not, how
ever. reach Bremen in one day, and at
evening they came into a forest, where
they meant TO pass the night. The ASS
and the Dog lay down under a tree, while
the Cat climbed into the branches. Be
fore she went TO sleep, she looked around
all four quarters and soon thought she
saw a little spark in the distance; SO,
calling to her companions, she said they
were not far from a house. for she saw
a light. The Ass answered, If 1t is
so. we had better get up and go on
further, for the paSturaGe here is very
bad and continued the Dog, Yes, in
deed a couple of bones with some meat
on them would also be very acceptable'
So they made haste toward the spot where
the glow was. which sh0ne brighter ana
brighter until they came to a well-lighted
robbers cottage. The Ass, as the big
ges;, went TO the window and peeked in.
What do you see, Grayhorse?' asked the
Cat. What do L see?' replied the ASS;
"a table laid out with savory meats and
drinks, with men sitting around enjoying
themselves.
That were the right sort of thing for
US, quoth the Cat.
Yes, yes l wish we were there, said
the Ass. Then these animals took coun-
sci tJgether how they should contriye to
drive away the robbers. At last they
thought of a method. The Ass had to
place MS fore feet upon the window
ledge, the Hound got on his back, and the
Cat climbed up upon the Dog. When this
was accomplished, at a gTven signal they
commenced together TO perform their
music; the ASS brayed, the Dog barked,
the Cat mewed, and they made such a
tremendous noise, and so loud, that the
paues of the windows were shiyered.
Terrified at these unearthly sounds the
robbers got up in great trepidation,
thinking nothing less than that some
spirits had come and fed off into the
forest The three companions immediate
ly sat down to the table and quickly ate
up all that was left, as if they had been
fasting for six weeks"
When Wildred Alexander left his ma
tive village few of his friends were much
surprised. True, there were some idle
bodies who were ready to declare it fool
ish that any strong, healthy man should
leave a position in which there was both
promise and salary for the uncertainties
TO which he was prompted by his am
bition. But the aspirant neard nothing
of these for the very excellent reason
that they gave him advice only when he
was absent.
Those who were frank were also enthu-
siastic. From boyhood he had heard lit
tie but their praises and the things they
promised reused in him a certain egotism
that showed itself not so much in the
long hair and eccentric apparel he had af-
fected as in the energy with which he
worked and toiled for the fuIfllment OF
his hopes. Day after day he spent in the
counting house, and night after night he
abandoned the pleasures that seem ne
cessities to men of his age that he might
spend the time in poring over old plays
and repeating their lines in front OF a
mirror. And when, exhausted and weary
he had fallen asleep, it was always tc
dream Of lights and music and applause
quite as sincere and much more far.
reaching than that at his home. Dis
couraged easily. and still more readily
enthused. sensitive and yet confident. he
finally left the home of himself and OF
those whom he held dearest of all the
world, to visit New York and there steI
into the wonderful future that he had
not permitted himself to mistrust
Once within the great city his heart
failed him, and all the little doubts that
We're left came to the surface, but he BIZ
his lips alternately and struggled on. a
few days sufficed to show him that sue
cess was not lightly won, and that the
labors before him were to be a thousand
times more difficult than those behind
more difficult because accomplished alto
gether without the faith of others and
partially without that of himself. His
money soon grew less, too. and when he
began tramping about to find position
he discovered that all who were willing
could not work New York, with its
great palaces and warehouses, had nc
room for the struggles of a poor man, and
did not interest itself so long as he re-
manned poor.
Alexander was too proud to write home
of his failures and had not the heart tc
invent successes. Thin and pale he tool
TO wandering about at night and talking
with men whose penury and loss of hope
had made them bitter and unreasonab BILE
/ men with watery eyes and notified
! faces and trembling h&ncs. They told
him that genius and energy counted
! nothing in a vortex where the weak were
! pushed aside by the strong and the world
rolled onward. though the creaking of IL
axle seemed to say continually, Kill Oh
! be killed"
One day the aspirant discovered thai
| outside of the great theaters of the me-
frnnnllG rhnra
! men might try to entertain, and succeed.
ing, might find the entrance to a future
once more he began toiIing but this
time with an object that made his labor
easier. He secured a place on the bill oi
down town house one night and spent
much of his preparatory time in watch
ing the performers there, that he might
learn tricks of the trade None of them
! seemed to equal the things he hoped to
do.
When the great night came he was a,
the door of the building two hours early
| He wondered if the stage hands were
not looking at him admiringly. and wher
ne found that they were only watcbin.
a man in the fly gallery. he thought tha-
! their attention would be turned a diff
/ ferent way soon. He made up crildel,
| but carefully and trembled all over whar
| he walked on the scale that was to iudg.
| his worth. Try as he would, he couI(
| not force his attention to the lines h,
was speaking there and the words he Mt
! tered were mechanical. He could not re
/ alize that this was not the most import
ant hour in the life of everyone befor,
| him. and felt II strange that the men il
| the front rows seemed to pay no particu
/ lar attention. When he left the stag
! and stood in an agony of fear outside h
was astonished to note that there wa
/ nothing in the way of sound coming from
! the crowd The audience WIS indif