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

instead of shooting peoples heads of
'What sociological writers call victim
of environment
Hes an extraordinary person. Freddy;
really and truly he is Tall and graceful
and pantherish with that dashing look OF
a man who has been broken in to every
kind of physical exercise. Take the hand
soonest vaquero of Buffalo Bill Show, i'm
agine him gentleman, well read, at home
in three languages, absolutely au lait, and
you have Niger Stapleton!
"Jimini, - | cried, ''let : telegraph and
hold him
''Oh, he's held all right.
But you seem to be putting that alder
man fellow first p
There was quite pause, while Lefty
leaned forward in her chair and gazed into
the fire.
The truth is, | don't dare love that
man, she said at last.
Don dare p
mo-
But you have it in you to do SO :!
I'D pay too terribly for it,
Pay? How p
In downright unhappiness! 1t would
be the kind of love that is fever aud a
torment to Il woman. the love you some
times see in stage tragedies. with people
tearing their souls to tatters and yelping
for a precipice to throw themselves overI
you don want to play Desdemona to
Niger Stapleton' Othello?
''Oh, it isn' that at all | could have
got on nicely with Othello-any American
girl could, Freddy He had profession,
an interest in life, a place,
We'll, hasn't Niger
I'm tell you what's wrong with him,
Freddy; he 5 too well off A cheerful lit
tie mcdiocri,y ike Leicester Phipps sails
through existence every dollar of his ten
millions. But Niger moneys curse
to him He Is man Of strong character,
energetic, clever, daring, and filed with a
pent up capacity He's peculiarly man
for whom the world Is battle ground
Hes sent here to hustle and fight, and he
can't find anybody to hustle and fight
with. and somehow he lacks the imagina-
tion to let a punching bag do instead! He
has struck out in a dozen directions, aud
has had no trouble in making a third-class
success 10 every enc. But his large in
come prevents him from following them up.
Why should he work for twenty dollars a
week when a hundred times that comes
rolling in without his lifting his little I'm.
cer, Hes always checked in full tide by
the words: What the use ? Il makes
him moody, restless, diseonten,ed He's
absolutely the most miserable man | know.
He has no place in the world he nothing
but : melancholy driheri a superfuity J
Hes At once too intelligent and not intelli-
gent enoaSh He ought to be boarding
pirate SHIPS. and l. condemned instead to
booking at the freekles on his soul Id
20 mad IL lived with him week
You never can cell. | said Per
hars you might moald him
The trouble Is he mould me Freddy
He j slowly pat the out Of all coneeit with
life. tlil L d ,hruw myself down well, Or
elope with an optimts,
Il wonder YOU didn think of all that
before YOU goi engaged to him
The boshering thing Is that you sim
ply can, say no to him You throw mp
yoar hands. wondering why you do IL. If
he happened along this minute 10 hansom
and said jump in i d jump, not be
cause | want 70. but because couldn
help i, That's why wrote and told YOU
| was in such 4 tigh, place, When I'm
With him, pooy Patrick fades away Ike the
Blue AtsAtian Mountains; and when | IN
With Patrick feel could run blocks just
to avoid Niger.
Fascination versus true love- said.
How trumpery one feeling sound
when reduced tn w0rlis, she exclaimed
II have always envied ants being able TO
talk with auteunae, it L. antennae, ism t
.u9 /, would surely take the edge of
such commonplace
Ii would reduce all intercourse to but
,ouhoIiRg. I said tartly. Think how
YOU hate an ant that woald hold on to
YOU aud wouldn let 20
1T i fascination, she said.
That's what said when you suubbc'i
me
Il eau, bear to be associated with the
obvious, Freddy.
There are certain oommonplaces in
life that the best of u cannot escape
..Of course, know couldn't do any
thing crazier than to marry him, she
went on, disregarding my remark in the
greater interest of her own thoughts. In
six weeks we be separated, and | d have
to travel with a policeman to keep him
from shooting me-
"A gloomy prospect, ~ | said. 50
awkward at hotels, too, and on mali steam,
ers-Niss Lefty Hargreayes, maid aud
policeman
..You' We an awfully literal mind
wonder can be 50 fond of you.
Il suppose its because I'm such an
angel listener, returned ''Such a
help to a lady thinking aloud, YOU know.
Il am beginning to wonder if you are
such help e.
am beginning to wonder if YOU have
any thinks worth thinking!
.Of course, if you are going to get
rude L n ring for tea, and We Il talk abou;
the war instead They seem to be raising
crop of little brown Deweys over there,
don they; only they ought to call them
by numbers so we could tell them apart
Il don care for any tea, | said, land
as for the war, can get all want at the
club-and some over. Besides, L m not
going to take my hand from the plow half
way. X X think we pretty well
settled it against Niger, don t you?
Freddy" she said, instantly getting
serious again, 4 woman-a woman of the
world like me, you know-wants to share
the life of the man she marries Niger
has nothing to share; nothing but his rest
lessness, his moodiness, his frutile revolt
against the commonplace. Metaphorically,
he's walking up and down a cage like a
lion at the Zoo, and you can imagine how
little ambition | have to walk up and down
with him After all, wealth is not every
thing in the world; it 5 the badge or prize
of most success, but, in sense, 1t merely
emblematic This comes home to you with
Niger. who has so much that he has moth