The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1906-07-25
A Commonplace i.a.l.
BY ASA PRATT.


person. He had been a very p.;-n1~-.
OF a boy and an exceedingly pla-n.~..us
q youth and now he was a M~-, .~-
spicucusly plain young man.
He had always worked hard and IL
ceived the minimum COEllCn.~-oA
therefor. AS a boy he did the L-@',
end of the chores and his brother 81
the holidays and the praise. as ::
youth he did the hard studying Il -
ways remained at the foot o. tE9
classes wniie ether fellows walked away
with the prize. as Il youDo L-.-L ne
was always given the hard an IS
agreeable tasks at the store ant wien
there was a promotion in sight 1In.e-
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 r~ejoiced 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 a trifle slow and
not at all brilliant, but he was as steady
ind reliable as a plow-hOrse and his
employers knew, even as his parents
and teachers had known, that when he
wa given a task 1t 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 they
We're 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
l. .ious.
NJ the -:cars with all their toll ana
- -shiis and disappointment brought
= sreat JOY and Ugh: to Hcmer's life
!! w 8 a woman, CT course, and her
4 nty. feminine ways gave the love-
rived lad q glimpse into a new and
-re,o-s wcrld. He never ceased to
=" -te- that she crowned him with her
T-ers-he who ever had been a by
;.--er in all the Joys and softer sid
Tie result. Isl easy to guess. He be-
e re her abjecl and devoted slave. Her
/. a'est wish was law and there was III
T. :r!fice too great, no endeavOr toe
{ renuous for him to make at her Eosi
Simple suggestion. Because she love-
society he plunged into the gayties c
the town, where he cut a most sorry fg-
u-e, as he was only toe painfully cen
s .ious and where he became the but.
OF the clever ones. as he was in all the
We ks Of life he assayed. Because she
approved of religion he smotherei hi
convictions and haunted the church 0.
her denomination, studying its creed
VIII desperate earnestness and blindlS
&c, eoting its code. He ever attempted
golf and as a last sacrifice Joined II
hcme study circle where after a hare
Gays work he sternly kept himse.'
And the woman. Well, she was
daughter of Eve. and having failed t at
tract any very big fish and having a.
rived at the period of a maiden's IL.
when she begins to realize that it is time
to cast an anchor to the wfndward, she
to Homer. Not that she wal old
or devoid Of charms, but she had set he.
standard rather high and the knight C.
her dreams had not appeared. Besides
she was a young woman of discrimins-
ticn and she saw below the common
pace exterior of this simple hearted
man, the true gold of his unselfish char
acter. She appreciated this and she
shrewdly realized that with him sho
wrrld be absolutely queen.
But, ah. ye daughters of Eve, when
did a govern your hearts am
your desires? Whenever did not-and
when does not and will not-the gay
cavalier fire your hearts and imagina-
lion and make the plain sturdy plow-
boy seem commonplace and impossible?
md who shall say that the fair Agnes =
lid not accept Homer with a mental
And who shall say that
he vision of the gay cavalier did nos
's-'l abide in her imagination?
ce all that as 1t may the fact remains
lit n glorious evening she plighted
,ec troth to Homer with a dainty gasp
II surrender which SO filled him with
oy and reverence that it must abide :
With him forever. 1t was many weeks :
'arcre he could thoroughly believe thai !.
splendid creature, this wonderful =
had selected him of all the world :
CT = mate and he bowed in reverence !.
Al thanksgiving every time he
! light Of it, which was some thousand !.
mas a day. .
ways frugal and saving, he now be-
Il to lay aside money with more than !,
;Hiser's avarice against the blissful !.
ay wasn Agnes should come to his :
He was not impatient, as most