The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1905-11-18

Patrick is worth the trouble, and under
any circumstances would 90 far-only he Il
90 farther with me TO help him. His
earnestness may seem little absurd to
worldlings like YOU and me, but | respect
it-respect it tremendously. He has Just
the right limitations to make an enormous
success Of his life You have to be a trife
thickheaded, you know, to really rise to
the very top And what he lacks in
nimbleness of brilliancy, if you like
he makes up for twenty fold by his sturdy
character, high principles, and cast-iron
rectitude. You needn't look so depressed
about it ! Hes a great man in embryo,
and some day you'll see statues of him in
parks :
''Oh, I'm not doubling it, - | said.
1T takes all kinds of people to make a
world, Freddy
''You musn' lead yourself astray with
| phrases and theories. The important
thing, the only thing (when you get down
to it,, is whether you really and truly care
for him. Now, do you p
/ She nodded
Positively the real thing, mean p
She nodded again.
Then you never really considered Lei
cester Phipps or Niger Whatd' ecallum p
Not after | met him, no.
In fact, they were carry,oyer from
your old, care-free, heart-free, don t-giye-
a-darn for anybody days ?"
''Oh, Freddy, it 5 all so much clearer to
me now for having talked it over with you
never drew any of these men so carefully
or deliberately to myself. Somehow
couldn' The whole three were hopeless
ly merged together for, of course, the
money was a temptation, and there are
whole streaks Of Stapleton, sort Of somber
genius, Freddy, that it seemed simply
couldn't let 90 Of. -
well, you must
"0f course | must r.
You had better clear your feet as soon
as yeu can
I'm 20 to the Hot Springs tomorrow
or perhaps, to the West Indies with the
Lyttletons
Anywhere, so long as it is far enough
of.
''Oh, ifthey all three turned up together
| have heart failure
And you ought to tell Patrick Haggity
the truth.
"Oh, couldn't Freddy; you simply
muStn ask me TO-
That just where man ; advice will
help you. Lefty. You said you wanted my
point Of view, don't you Well, my point
of view empha,ically requires Haggity to
be told. Remember, he'll forgive you
now. when he wouldn' later
/ don ike you to say forgive.
"Wel, allowances. then If he's all
you describe, don start By deceiying him
Make clean breast of it, After all, it 5
a compliment to ike him best,
He puts me os such pedestal, Fred
dy
Be honest with him, even if he has to
lower it a foot, The chances are he Ii
think more of YOU than ever
He's sure to
Then that settled, i it p
"Ye-s.'
Honest Injun, cross your heart and
hope You may die ?
Lefty performed the rite with an air Of
sweet submission, though she looked for
the first time shade depressed.
How l hate any other girl who was
engaged to three men at once, she said
plaintiyely. 1t Is horrid, isn' it p
"One can hive down anything, l re-
turned.
still | would hate her Freddy.
Well, tell him that, too Pile it on,
you know. If you are going to grovel,
sou may as well grovel good r.
II will
Now. suppose You tell me how it all
happened about Patrick; | mean about
your first caring for him How did it be-
gin
Il shot him iu the leg
shot him in the leg
Yes. indeed, | did =
/ How wY
With my little gun, stupid p
/ Where
In the kn- Oh, the Adirondacks,
when we were all there, staying with the
/ Melton Powells It's nothing
to laugh at 1t was awful -
II suppose it was, | said, restraining
I myself But il was so unusual, so out of
the beaten track in such things, so refresh
ing, compared to the haekneyed dinners
and dances, and will YOU be at the Jones $
/ Thursday
You mustu't think shot him right
of. Lefty went on gravely, ''We were
/ quite biz party, fifteen or twenty, and
/ il was several days before we worked up to
/ that, aud though couldn' help taking in
Mr Haggity with the rest, there was moth
/ inc to make me feel had met my fate
| | sat next to him the first night at dinner
| and felt 4 little hurt they hadn' given me
one Of their swagger Englishmen (they had
two perfect loves-the Honorable Some
things, but | trotted out to make myself
agreeable, and act as though didn mind
/ | soon found out he was in politics, and
/ obligingly ran the talk into his own channel
/ so as to give him chance to shine But
he made awfully poor weather of 1t, and
as serious as though he was speaking to
me over the coffin of his dead friend; and
so. after guying him bit about the Tam
many Tiger and the average price of votes
/ in Greater New York, switched off on
my other neighbor, and ignored him for the
rest of the evening. thought | had
queered myself with him for ever mot that
| cared two cents), for that kind Of man
is usually as vain as peacock and never
forgives anything that touches the least
way on his pride 1t takes a man Of the
world to be kicked all around the block
and turn up smiling! But | had mis-
Judged Patrick, for the next day he
sneaked up to me with pamphlet of his
on Tenement House Reform, and said
humbly that if it wouldn't bore me to death
he hoped I'd try to read it, | couldn' t
help saying l was surprised he 4 care to
bother about any one as frivolous as was;
and what do you suppose he said
That he was surprised, too, perhaps ??
.sNot bit of it! Said the world was
such grim old place we ought to be
grateful for what little gaiety and laughter
there was in it,