The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1906-11-22

My petty and inevitable Success With
that helpless creature added amazing
~, lu6icrously, to thai dangerous ella
ton which. Is ! can now see. had been
growing in me ever since the cay HOE
buck Welded 50 readily TO my demands
as 10 National Coal, The whole trouble
with me was that up 10 that time l
had won all my victories by the plain
est kind of s-traishtaway hard work 1
was imagining myself victor in contests
of wit against wit, when, in fact, no.
one with any special equipment OF
brains had ever opposed me; all the
really strong men had been helping me
because they found me useful, Too
easy Success-there IS The Clue to the
wild folly that seems utterly lncon-
sistent with the reputation for shTewd-
ness l had, n seemed 10 have r
/ can find . certain small amount OF
legitimate excuse for my falling under
Langdon's spell. He had, and has, fas-
cinations. through personal magnetism,
which it is hardly IN human nature TO
resist. III for my self-hypnotism in
the cas OF Roebuck. I find no excuse
whatever for myself.
He sent for me and told me h
share in National Coal they had de-
cided 10 give me for my N~ianasquale
mines. 'Langdon and Melville" said
he, think me too liberal: far too liber-
al, my boy. But l insisted-in your case
I felt we could afford TO be generous
as well as just All this with an air
that vas a combination of the pastor
and the parent.
I can't ever offer the excuse of not
having seen that he vas a hypocrite. l
felt his hypocrisy at once, and my first
impulse was to jump for my breast
works. But instantly my vanity got
behind me. held me in the open, pushed
me on toward him. If you will notice,
! a1r,ort oil sio1,EInNro' or I nG rG1U for
success chiefly upon e'1listing a mans
vanity to play the traitor to his judg-
ment. So, instead of reading his lib
crafty as plain proof OF Intended
treachery, I read it as plain proof of
my own greatness, and of the fear it
had inspired in old Roebuck. Laugh
with me If you like; but, before you
laugh at me, think carefully-those of
you who have ever put yourselves to
the test on the field of action-thlnk
carefully whether you nave never found
that your head decoration which you
thought a crown was in reality the
peaked and belled cap Of the fool.
But my vanity was not done with me.
Led on by it. | proceeded to have one
of those ridiculous generous
L persuaded myself that there must
be some decency in this liberality,
in addition to the prudence which
fattered myself was the chief
cause. Il have been unjust
to Roebuck,'' I thought. Il have been
m~isjudging his character" And in
credible though it seems. / said to him
with a good deal of genuine emotion:
Il don't know how to thank YOU, Mr..
Roebuck. And, instead of trying, I
want to apologize to you. have
thought many hard things against you;
t have spoken sorne of them. | had bet
ter have been attending to my own
conscience, instead Of criticising
! yours
! I had often thought his face about
5 the nncst repuisive, hypocrisy-glazed
!. c~oneourse of evil passions that ever
/ fro1ted q fiend in the flesh. It had
( seemed to me the fitting result of a
long career which, according to COM
non report. was stained with murder,
!, with rapacity n heartiess cruelty,
: with the most brutal secret sensuality,
, and which had left in it's wake the
2 ruins of lives and hearts and fortunes
5 fnaaEnerable- / had looked on the vast
wealth he had heaped mountain high
as 4 monument to devil daring-other
2 R4asl had, no doubt dreamed Of doing
the ferocious things he had done. but
] thsir weak. human hearts failed when
it anne TO executing such horrible acts,
z they had 10 be content with small
er fortunes. with the comparatively
/ small fruits of their comparatively
e small infamies. He had dared all, he
: had won: the most powerful bowed
4 with auaking knees before him, n
/ trembled lest they might. by a blunder-
e ing look or word excite his anger and
e cause him to snatch their possessions
: from them.
Thus I had regarded him, accepting
e the universal judgment. believing the
thousand and one stories. But as his
1 eyes, softened by his hugely generous
act. bealned upon me now, I was
: amazed that I had SO misiudged him.
4 Il r., kAD% f11N ryt,sal r - I 1---n
: there was, to my hypnotized gaze, the
look of strong, sincere-yes, holy-beau-
" ty and power-the look of an %archangel.
u THANK you, Blackjack" said he. in
a voice that made me feel as If I were
n little boy In the crossroads church,
believing / could almost see the angels
h floating above the heads of the singers
in the choir behind the preacher
Thank you. / am not surprised that
you have misjudged me. God has given
7, me a great work to do. and those who
do His will in this wicked world mugt
6 expect martyrdom. I should never have
had the courage to do what I rave
IS done. what He has done through me
!? had He not Guided my every step. You
k are not a religious man?'
az try to do what's square," said I
4, But I'd prefer not to talk about that,
That's right! That's right" he ap
proved earnestly. "a mans religion i.
L q matter between himself and his God
But I hope Matthey, You will never for
le get that, unless you have daily, ho,isl,
he communion with Almighty Cod. yci
will never be able to bear the grea,
lie burdens. to do the great work, fearless
to Is, disregarding the lies of the wicked
,r and. hardest of all to endure, the hon
1T e.stly mistaken judgments of homes
+ linen
1t ..Isll look into it, said T. Ard / don
know to what lengths of foolish speed
50 i Il should have gone nnd ~ not haa,