The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1903-06-18
A Joust by the Moderns.
BY III. S. CANFIELD.


E 81 north Of Thirteenth street
81 knew anything against John
q @N LEstrange, except that his in
come was less than $4,000 a
year. He was undoubtedly of good blood,
young, well-mannered, handsome and
poetic, with a certain quality of hon.
esty in him that should have made him
q marked man. The hostesses of the
best drawing-rooms were glad to well
come him always, for the long history
of his line contained no mention of a
man who was not a man, nor of any
woman whose desire for notoriety, ex-
element, sensations or riches had led
her to besmirch her name Young
L,Estrange, last of his family, endeav-
oring earnestly to understand the vast
financial springs which move New
York and sirkened each day by fresh
instances of chicaneries and wrongs
which approached so closely to crimes
that only the name of their perpetra-
tors kept them out of Sing Sing prison,
sometimes fancied that he was out of
his element. He would have given up
the gaudy metropolitan life long be-
fore and in some new land founded
himself afresh except that he loved a
woman. There generally is woman
somewhere around watching Satan
find mischief for both idle and busy
hands.
Her name was Eva Hardesty, %
years old and most fair to look upon
The men who came to her mothers
home in Fifth avenue said that she
was "a daughter of the gods, divinely
tall, and so forth The men who lived
around the Cherry Hill neighborhood.
where she was interested in settlement
work, said that she "hit the ground
like mad ewe'' In other words, she
had a queenly bearing and figure to
back it up. 1t is believable that she
would have been a good woman all
through but for training which was
nasty. She had been taught to believe
that love in a cottage was delightful
thing, so long as the cottage was plac-
ed at Newport. She had longings for
bread and cheese and kisses, but the
bread must be the finest fruitful vision
OF Vienna baker, the cheese Parme-
san OF the first cheesiness and the
kisses accompanied by gold. In the
light OF after events it is not hard to
say that John L'Estrange failed utter
ly to see under her white skin.
The third character in this tale was
named Francis Arthur Arnold, and
the people of that part of New York
city north of Thirtieth street know
nothing Of him except that his income
was more than 100000 year Some
in awed whispers stated the intoxicat-
ing total at $5,000,000. He was middle
aged, unromantic, fat and notified.
The puffiness under his eyes told of
Turkish baths, and when he awoke in
the morning he swore violently at his
valet. which showed that his nerves
were bad. Being a bachelor, he was
at liberty to marry, and being beyond
30 years old he felt desire to settle
down." which in his case was equiva-
lent to settle up" He looked for a
wife as he would have looked for
head groom or a record-smashing
PAGER, and, having viewed the stables
of Fifth avenue, decided that Miss
Hardesty waste quote himself-''the
filly he needed"
In race of this character, when
the track and the kind of the purse
are considered, it is we'll for the wise
to back the old horse. To the credit
of that part of New York city north of
Thirtieth street, be it said, no mistakes
were made by the bettors. In fact,
they placed their money so universally
on Arnold that there were no LES
TRANCE takers. Only L'Estrange him
self knew nothing about it, The won
derful William Baxter" now dead,
but also immortal, said once:
eff $4,000 people knew something
about g. woman. my number is 1899,
and the husbands number is Is 900. 1t
seems strange strange, but the husband
always seems to get wise last"
That which is true of a husband is
true also of man in love. Most lovers
90 blindly to their fates and L'Estrange
went blindly to his. The fate met him
in the conservatory of the Hardesty
home and in this fashion:
"You know that I haven't much to
offer you, Miss Hardesty, except my
self; but you know, too, that love you
and l am willing to work l am work
ing / say nothing about my family;
there is no need. l ask you to give
yourself to me, promising to love you
always, to cherish you and to do my
best to give you that place in society
which you are fitted to adorn. Old
fashioned avowals have gone out of
custom, I am told, but l wish to say
now wish you to remember-that I
love you very dearly and will love you
SO long as 1 live"
The girl stood leaning against bank
of chrysanthemums, the white of the
huge blossoms showing almost with
vividness against the quietness of her
evening gown. Her eyes were down
cast, a faint flush was on her cheek and
one slippered foot tapped the floor rap
idly though noiselessly. She felt
moved by the passionate pleading i'm
the young mans face and by the ear
nestness of his voice. She glanced at
him once shyly and then looked away
Immediately. She could not trust her
self to look at him again. She felt too,
that she could not bear to put him out
of her life She did not love him, yet
he attracted her more strongly than
apv man she knaw Hprc wac NOT a