The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1905-08-17

have, and now he's-well, he's a cheap
schoolmaster. He's made a sacrifice
of himself, and the fire doesn't seem to
descend on the altar. There's an i'm
moral tale for your Gray Leaf"
Does he understand it YETI" asked
Mccain curiOusly.
Probably not, but he'll have to soon
enough. He's old; he's used up; he's
killed himself for a fool of a woman
that he didn't care two sous for"
Certainly Lindsay had no idea that
he was used up. Next morning he sat
down before thick pile of foolscap
and opened a new bottle of ink. He
had brain full of ideas that had bF-0
accommodating for years, and he sea
work upon a story of the middle west
his own country, that he had long been
revolving. 1t came hard; the ideas re-
fused to run freely into words, and he
was forced to build up his tale in a la
borious patchwork of slow sentences.
So, thus launched, Lindsay fought
his fight. 1t was hard and bitter, for
on one side stood the horror of failure,
Of financial failure in New York, and
this to 4 man unaccustomed to risk is
totally destructive of mental poise,
and on the other side iron habit held
him down in a groove of orthodoxy
The rejected manuscripts began to
come back in about five days, and for
three weeks Lindsay listened for the
postmans whistle as for the trump Of
doom. AS the manuscripts came he re-
read them in cold blood, and the result
was sickening He quite agreed with
the editorial decisions. He said that he
wouldn't print such stuff in a maya
zine of his own. But he knew that he
could do better; he knew that he had
ideas that We're novel and striking, and
he plunged desperately into work
again, ready to have dissected his own
heart if it could have taught him the
lost secrets of his craft
Five days later Russell came into his
friends room and saw the wastebasket
standing in the middle of the floor,
crammed with torn paper to the brlm
Lindsay was sealing an envelope.
Hello, old man! What have you been
doing?" he cried.
Lindsay turned up a colorless face.
why" he began vaguely, but with an
attempt at dgnifed cheerfulness, "I-thc
fact IS, I'm going back"
Going back?"
Yes. to Rameses. My successor hasn't
been definitely appointed yet, learn, and
1 can have my old place back at-ah-a
slightly reduced salary. It's no use, Rus
sell; you must have seen it, can't work
at high pressure any more. If 1 ever
could have done anything it's too late
now. l suppose can do my college work
Don't fancy, though, that I'm going back
from a mistake to the real work of my
life. l never liked teaching, and 1 never
was any good. They'll take me back be-
cause l was there so long, but there won't
be professions or bonfires on the campus
at my return. But it's the only thing that
/ can do. You see, l had always built
my best hopes on something else"
He looked at Russell, and there was alb
solutely nothing 10 be said.
Russell went 70 the depot next evening
and saw him Of. II seemed to be an
older, more stopped more gray haired
figure than had come. He could have
wept or cursed from sheer rage and pity.
Poor devil"" he muttered bitterly as he
was being carried back up Forty-secr
street HE has lost the world and ga
his own soul or is II the other way-of@
has he lost both?'
The car stopped, and Russell got OFF.
broadway strong. triumphant, Numbered
and hared before him. IL was the visible
expression Of the typical New York mood;
unconsciously its presence colored Rus
sells thoughts.
There must always have been weak
ness In him." he said to himself. await
ing his car. 1T led him TO his marriage;
II posed as stern morality all his life; Il
made him throw up the sponge here Did
we always overestlmate him? Did he
ever really have the strength to reach
success? l wonder"