New-York tribune., 1906-07-08

why Don't You Ever Try the Work You Can L
lated confidence and intimacy and liking So an
hour passed, and when the bell rang and he to
go, it was with sense of time pleasantly spent.
You will come soon again, hope, she said, and
he felt she meant it, and promised gladly.
So the friendship began, and it became one in
way Trevor had never dreamed possible between
man and girl. He saw Marion Brett often, and
found himself talking with her of his ideas and
bitions, as he might have but never had with
chum. 1t the sympathetic feminine of his
dience that drew him out and, through it ALL senti
ment had never shown its face. There was some
thing about her that did not provoke sentiment and
yet it might have puzzled him to tell why.
Trevor not especially inclined to analysis
Perhaps he did little OF himself once IN awhile, but
with a subject he frankly admitted its
futility. He had notion that the principal reason
held them hOpelessly complex was that they
in reality essentially simple, moved by single
controlling motive at each particular moment, seeing
as far into the horizon a could, but seeing
only small segment OF it at time, and altogether
ObhVlOus OF relative values and proportions The
hardest thing in the world to understand is SIM
plicity when you persist in thinking it complex.
More than year had passed since their second
meeting. He was spending few days at the Brett
country house, great rambling structure built in
the worst possible taste but surrounded by spacious
grounds that owed their beauty a trend of nature
that old Brett had not had time to spoil and that his
daughter had developed with feeling and judgment.
An elderly, most respectable, and altogether unOb-
trusiVe companion of his hostess filled the Office
of chaperOn acceptably. Trevor and Marion Brett
sitting beneath an arbOr in hemicyCle that
f. ed bit of grass and a sun-dial Beyond lay
s ..den with thick box borders narrow pebby paths,
and Old-fashioned flowers. They had been talking
in desultOry way.
Suddenly she turned to him. "Why don't you
ever try to do the work YOU can dor"
Trevor smiled. Because on the one hand am
not at all sure can. and on the other, | know
can't Then, seeing her puzzled look, he went on:
I'm afraid haven't the glorious confidence in my
ability that one, at least of my friends has and
frankly, | believe | would starve before l got a
chance to satisfy myself that l right and she
was wrong
'NonsenseT' she said decisvelv Surely YOU
could live without giving all your time to newspaper
drudgery?"
Trevor flushed. Well as he understood Marion
Brett there were times when her brusk frankness
hurt a little. The trouble is" he said that
there is room in the newspaper world for who
don't give it all their time and all their thought.
There are too many others who do and who are try
ing get chance to. Your quarrel is with the am
btion OF the age, not with me for accepting the
situation as it is"
"GuyOn Trevor, how old are your?
"Thirty-fOur.' He laughed.
What have you ever accomplished bv selling
yourself into slavery and trying do your best
Well, he said, Il doctored poor pup once into
oblivion and won the friendship of a very charming
woman.
Don't be foolish. If you had established yourself
IN anyway and married your work might have iusti-
ted itself at least by twentieth century standards
n man ought to marry"
" am sorry he said pententv; but am afraid
any sensible woman would consider such suggestion