Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-10-25


copyrighted, 1900. Daily Story Pub. Coz
Once there was a fool. There was
nothing in particular % commend him..
except that he was unassuming. He
accepted his lot with something like
philosophy, for. he knew he was moth
ing but a fool. People said so, and
with him that settled it.
He was unfortunate in thai he al
ways did the wrong thing at the
wrong time. People blamed him and
emphasized the fact that he was a
fool, with sundry expressive adjectives.
He was not admired in society because
he did not talk when he had nothing to
say 1t occurred to him, finally, that
il some one would get a dozen or so
monographs put them in the same room,
and start them all talking at once on
different topics it would be society-for
the talk would be there. But, you see,
that was only a fools idea.
Moreover, he did not bother himself
about c~ultivating those fates and graces
who spun the threads of social destiny,
the warp and wool whereof which is ell
ther success or failure. The latter por-
ton of the fabric fell to his lot-but h
did not care. Consuming salads and
standing about in evening dress listen
ing to dissertations Upon private affairs
of other people did not seem the apex
of earthly glory and the chief end of
man, to say nothing of seeing his name
in the society columns of the newspapers.
All of which was evidence that what ev-
erybody said about him was so.
And then. in a business way, he was
not much of a figure, wor whenever his
nnn1OVar tria1 tn h,11Iv biy, no mould
not stand it. He demanded the same
consideration eXacted of himself. He lost
two or three situations, whereas, if he
had not been a fool, he would have kow-
towed and cringed when his boss came
around, and would have laughed hyster-
ically at that augus persons would-bs
witticisms. Then, maybe his feelings
would not have been hurt 50 many times
and his salary might have been raised a
few dollars a month. Instead of think
ing how he could show the boss what
a really nice, humble, servile fellow he
was, the fool generally went on working
n paid not the slightest attention to
him., for, being nothing but a fool, he
was always thinking of a woman. He
had gotten in the habit of thinking of
her a few years since. and, unfortunately
TOR him, he could not break himself of it.
She encouraged him at first. His great
numbering self; his habit of looking at
people straight out of his clear blue eyes,
and his honest admiration-these took
her fancy greatly. His reverent adora-
ton was entirely new to her after being
thrown constantly with young men who
smoked cigarettes and parted their hair
in the middle and tried to be swell chaps
on ten dollar,a week. He made a des-
perate effort to olerate society for her
AXE and in o der that he might be near
her often l.. Rat his second campaign
was more disastrous thar his first. The
young men who chewed gum N We're
very particular about their trousers
being properly creased reviled him and
the girls made game of him to his face.
made him more uncomfortable than
ever, and he, being a fool thought it
might embarrass her to have a cavalier
who served as a butt to her friends. So
he gave it up again.
But he persisted in going to see her,
and on those occasions she would drop
all her outside airs and graces, and
they would be very happy together. She
promised to marry him after a while
sometime. So, he went on, and lavished
the incense of his sou upon her. He was
saving his money, too, for they had de-
ciaed upon the sort of q house they want
ed for ttseir home. the way they We're 60
Ing to have it furnished, and the flowers
that should bloom on the galleries and
In the little yard. She was almost entire
~ satisfied at the prospect, and he did not
xpect more of paradise than that.
She would have liked to marry a
prince, or a millionaire, or something Of
the sort, but, as fate of that kind was
manifestly improbable, she accepted the
fool, with mental reservations. Women
generally a mental reservations about
matters Of this sort. She was pretty, and
In society, and who knows what may
turn up? So, their engagement was not
definite: Best les he approved of long EN-
g~agen,ents. people rrght to know one
another thoroughly before marrying he
had said. And all the time he went OH
loving her, blindly.
The time came when he was to drain
the cup of bitterness to the dregs, and
Of course, she caused it. There came
into her life a man from one of the great
cities. Everybody said he was immense
ly wealthy, and upon the strength of
this, society received him with open
arms. However, nobody knew definitely;
every person had heard it from someone
else. lie Talked a SOOQ dedl aDOut MIS-
yacht, and his horses and his summer
home IN the Adirondacks. He was hand
some, and unmarried. and seemed 10
greatly fancy her. She was ~ecstatic over
his attention-he was the incarnation of
the mental reservation she made when
she accepted the fool, and she resolved
that if feminine ingenuity could drag
him to THE altar, he should tread with
har tho oScln tyh{oh Ioolct lno-%
When tie stranger was well headed in
that direction, n was being lead docil-
ly,she administered the coup de grace to
the fool. He was thrown aside with about
as much regret as an old hat is consign-
ed to the ash barrel. His unfaltering de-
votion, his knightly reverence, his stead
fast love all went for naught, and with
that touch of fiendishness which makes
people delight in hurting those who love