The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1902-03-21


Percy Haddock sat lolled back in q
rocking chair. the blue smoke softly
putting and curling from the half con-
sumed cigarette. which he held in his
hand.
A look Of comfort pervaded the room
and the IRE threw q delicious crimson
light until the air seemed an ethereal
lied wine-and yet he thought he was
unhappy, desperately and irremediably
unhappy. Two mighty passions. he
said to himself. tugged at his heart,
the love Of his art and, of course, the
love Of a woman.
Ever since he could remember he
had purposed to become a great writer.
He had resolved to devote himself en-
tirely to art. and allow nothing to in
terfere with this conservation. He
must observe and know the passions,
but not feel them. To feel passion
would be to be swayed from the atti-
tude of impartiality the artist must
feel to depict life perfectly. OF course,
20 cOnsecrated. he must not allow him
self to become entangled in the
meshes Of love and matrimony.
But things. as they have a provok-
ing way Of doing, were about to turn
Y differently from what he had pro-
posed. He was about to be. or rather
he had been, swerved from this per-
feet calm essential to literary exacti-
tude by Miss Kate Murchison. He felt
humiliated at the thought that 80
slight Q thing as . mere girl could
swerve = man like himself from the
plans Of . life time. Had it been some
noble ambition, some great opportun-
ity like that Of becoming q great
statesman, whose plans could change
the map Of the world and alter the
course Of history, the humiliation
would mot have been SO great, nor the
wound to his vanity 10 profound.
But alas! He was undeniably in
love, in love. like any other ordinary
mortal who had no dream Of literary
greatness and no higher conception Of
life than that Of having . good time.
Not only was he, the seeker after
literary immortality, In love, but he
had to acknowledge that he actually
enjoyed the sensation and 1t times
questioned whether he would derive
greater delight from winning ! kiss
from the girl than he would from
achieving applause from : sonnet. He
knew this was : 1apse from his higher
nature, but he either could not or
would not help 4
And ut no had been warned.
Charlie Rawlins. his best friend, had
said 70 him, Look here, Perse, you
~ pntting In = lot ok time with Kate
Murchison. and the frst thing you
know II win b love and I cottage and
sOoA-bye 70 consecration to art and
the idol.
He replied. smiling the superior
smile a. the fatuous and complacsnt.
'Don't concern yourself. nm simply
studying sdas sWige we.bliche.' and
getting material for . mastsrpiece."
"Ah. I $500 said Charlie. You have
revised Pops's lines:
h woman-s Ways your study and de-
light
Be- Asr ~ Day and dream Of her BY
night,
Ard tAen the sale Of books that you
may write
WIN simply be. my boy. Ear ont Of
sight.s"
Accordingly he pursued his studies
veey ardenkly and found them mcre
and more pleasant = the days went
". He derived N addsd II ignobls
10y from the worry this courss Of
study ssemed a Give one Howard
Cftgssby. Howard was ! practical,
young lawyer. who had
always sco&sd at Percy's literary pre-
Tensions. and who when they were
boys It school together had generally
cone ahead and won the prises while
~ was dreaming about them.
II ~ amaxing to Percy how much
l0velter the world seemed to him whom
l4iss Murchison vas with him. Thers
49, something. No thought, hypnotic
shout her presence. The sunlight wa
never quite 20 golden - when flashed
back from her hair. Ones he had given
hsr = rose. ~carelessly observing and
snjoying it, red crumpled petals, and