Willmar tribune., 1906-06-20


q person. He had been very plain sort
OF boy and an exceedingly plain sort Of
a youth and now he was most CON-
spicuously plain young man.
He had always worked hard and re-
ceived the minimum compensation
therefor. AS boy he did the heavy
end Of the chores and his brother got
the holidays and the praise. AS 4
youth he did the hard studying and al
ways remained at the foot of the
classes while other fellows walked away
with the prizes. AS a young man he
was always given the hard ana dis
agreeable tasks at the store and when
there was promotion in sight some
body else got it.
Homer did not complain, however,
but plodded on, living out the law OF his
being. He never was jealous OF those
who were advanced over him. In fact
he rejoiced in their good fortune. To
be sure he grieved at times that none of
the gifts of the gods were his, but he
laid it all to some defect in his charac-
ter. To be sure he was trifie slow and
not at all brilliant, but he was as steady
and reliable as a plow-horse and his
employers knew, even as his parents
and teachers had known, that when he
was given task it was sure to be done
no matter how long it took. But the
high places were for those with more
spectacular qualities and nobody ever
really thought of Homer when tney
were to be filled. Truth be told Homer
never thought of going after them him.
self. In fact Homer never pushed him.
self. Folks said he was not am
bilious.
But the years with all their toll anu
hardships and disappointment brought
one great joy and light to Homer's life.
1t was woman, of course, and her
dainty, feminine ways gave the love-
| starved lad a glimpse into new and
marvellous world. He never ceased to
! wonder that she crowned him with her
! favors-he who ever had been by
stander in all the joys and softer side
of life.
| The: result, isl easy to guess. He be-
| came her abject and devoted slave. Her
| lightest wish was law and there was no
strenuous for him to make at her most
| simple suggestion. Because she loved
society he plunged into the gayties OF
the town, where he cut most sorry fig
ure, as he was only too painfully con-
scious and where he became the butt
of the clever ones, as he was in all the
walks of life he assayed. Because she
| ~ ;r;r 11o III
convictions and haunted the church of
her denomination, studying it's creed
with desperate earnestness and blindly
accepting its code. He even attempted
golf and as last sacrifice joined
home study circle where after a hard
days work he sternly kept himself
awake.
And the woman. Well, she was a
daughter of Eve, and having failed to at
| tract any very big fish and having ar
rived at the period of a maiden's life
when she begins to realize that it is time
to cast an anchor to the windward, she
turned to Homer. Not that she was old
or devoid of charms, but she had set her
standard rather high and the knight of
her dreams had not appeared. Besides
she was young woman of discrimina-
tion and she saw below the common
place exterior Of this simple hearted
man, the true gold OF his unselfish char
acter. She appreciated this and she
shrewdly realized that with him she
would be absolutely queen.
But, ah, We daughters of Eve, when
ever did reason govern your hearts and
your desires? Whenever did not-and
when does not and will not-the gay
cavalier fire your hearts and imagina-
tions and make the plain sturdy plow-
boy seem commonplace and impossible?
And who shall say that the fair Agnes
did not accept Homer with a mental
reservation? And who shall say that
the vision of the gay cavalier did not
still abide in her imagination?
Be all that as it may the fact remains
that one glorious evening she plighted
her troth to Homer with a dainty gasp
Of surrender which so filed him with
joy and reverence that it must abide
with him forever. It was many weeks
before he could thoroughly believe that
|
being had selected him of all the world
for mate and he bowed in reverence
and thanksgiving every time he
thought of it, which was some thousand
times day.
! Always frugal and saving, he now be-
gan to lay aside money with more than
miser's avarice against the blissful
day when Agnes should come to his
arms He was not impatient, as most
lovers are. 1t was enough for him to
know that she was his. He could wait.
He had bee compelled to wait for
everything ever since he was born and
he had learned the lesson III patience.
Probably this was mistake becaus1
women like to be sought ardenti.' and
impatiently-but how was he to know
that, this being the only woman he had
ever known?
Well, it was the same old story.
secure in his happiness, the cavalier
came along, smiled upon his mistress
and poor p1odding Homer was forgot
ten. Just how it all happened has been
forgotten in the chronicles of the town
However, one T. Seymour Esterly ap-
peared on the social horizon of the town
, with more fine clothes than the John
nies ever had seen and with an auto.
mobile and a debonair air and much
superciliousness. He was there, he an.
nounced, for rest and recreation after {
strenuous season on the stock marke,
in Wall street. Need it be recorded how
he swept everything before him? How
mammas courted him and papas gave