The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1906-11-01

before ] learned that he had beer
specutating, mor.saging. k1tlng noles'
doing what he called. and Dug
business" on a large scale. he re-
carried business as beneath the dlsnlty
and the intellect of a gentleman
how my gorge does rise at that Word!
So ne put his great mind on IL only IoT
a few hours now and then; he reserved
the rest of his time for what ne re-
gardel as the prouer concerns OF q gen.
misunderstanding to social .dutles,
reading ~pretenti~us books. LOOKING at
the pictures and listening to the music
dec,sej fashionar;e.
Tn<y charge that / put him lin a
hole" In fact, l found him at the bot
tom Of a deep pit lie had dug Tor him.
self. and when he first met me he was,
without having the sense to reaiiZe II,
just about to 6 smash. with not q
penny for his old age. lis soon as l
had sot this fact clear 81 the tangle,
l show ed it to him.
MY God, what is to become of me?'
he said. That Was his only thought
not, what Is to become of my wife and
daughter: but, what is to become OF
me" / do not blame him for this.
Naturally enough people who have al
ways been used tc everything become,
uncopSciously, monsters OF egotlsm and
| ~selfishness; it is natural. too, that they
should imagine themselves liberal and
generous If they give away occasionally
something that costs them, at most,
| nothing more serious than the foreSo-
ing of some e~Ntrnvagant luxury or 9TH
er. I recite his remark simply to show
what manner of man he was, what sort
| of creature I had TO deal with.
I offered to help him, and did help
him. Is there any one, knowing any
thing of the facts CT life, WHIT will CEN
sura me when 7 admit h with
delite.ation-simpty tided him ever,
| die net make for him and present to
him a fortune What chance should /
have had, if / bad been SO absurdly
| generuus to a mar who deserved moth
| ing hut punishment for his selfish n
bigutcd mode of life? l took away his
worst burdens; bu | left him more
than he could cary without my help.
Ana it was not until he had appealed
in vain to all his social friends to re-
| lieve him of the necessity of my aid,
not until he realized that ! was his only
hope of escaping a sharp e~orneGown
from luxury to very modest comfort in
q fiat somewherc-not until then did
| his wife send me an invitation to dim
ner. And l had not so much as limited
that ] wanted it.
l shan never forget the smallest de-
tail of that dinutr-it was a purely
FANNY affair, only the Ellerslys and
l.. | can feel now the oppressive at
nospnere, the lock as of impending
sacrilege upon the faces of the old
servants: l can see Mrs. Ellersiy try
ing to condescenu to be gracious" and
treating me as IL ] We're some sort of
museum freak or menagerie exhibit. |
can see Anita. She was like a statue
of snow; she spoke not a word; if she
lifted her eyes, l rallied 20 note it. And
When / was leaving-I with my collar
wilted from the fierce, nervous strain
l had been e~nduring-Mrs. Ellersly, in
thas voice of hers into which / don't
believe any shade Of a real human emo
ton ever penetrated. said: You must
come to see US. Mr.. Blackjack. We are
ALWAYS at home alter s."
looked at Miss EllerSly. She was
whie. to the lips HOW, and the ~spangles
on her white dress seemed bits of ice
glitteriug there. She aid nothing; but
| knew she felt my look, and that it
froze the ice the mere closely in around
her heart. Thank you" l muttered.
/ stumbled in sLe hall; / almost fell
down the broad steps. ! stopped at the
first bar and tool three drinks in quick
succession. / W.nt or down the ave-
nue., breathing like an exhausted swim
ner. "IlI give Ter up!" l cried aloud
so UPSET was l.
| am a mar of impulse; but ] nave
trained myself not to be a creature OF
impulse, at least not in matters of inn
portance. Without that patient and
painful schooling l shouldn't have got
whero l now am; probably I'd still be
bla2king boots or sheet-writine
for some bookrna1er, or clerking il
for some broker. Before 1 got to my
rooms, the night air and my habit OF
the sober second thought" had cooled
me back to nationality.
II want her, I iced her" I was say
ing to myself. Il am worthier of hel
than are those mincing manikins she
has been bred to regard as men. She
is for me-she belongs to me. II
abandon her to no Sinking puppe1
who'd wear her as a donkey would {
diamond. Why should I do myself ant
her an injury simply because she ha.
Deer too badly brought VI to know he
own INTEREST,""
Continued Next Week.)