The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1907-01-03

had n bath and dressing room. VIII
q complete wardrobe. Thus. by hur
rying little over my toilet. ana by
making my chauffeur crowd the speed
limit. I WAS AT Dcimonico's only tw"nt.
minutes late.
Sam. who had been late also. as usual
was having "A cocktail ana was ordering
the dinner | smoked cigurrt and
watched him. At business ar at any
| thing serious his mind was all hut USE
less: hut at ordering dinner and things
81 that sort. ne shone. Those small ne.
! Cumpiishnents ~ his had often moved
me Ia "a sort of plying contempt. as u
one saw a man OF talent devoting him
SELF Ia engraving the Lords prayer ON
| gold dollarg That evening. however.
rs saw how comfortable aud content
ed he looked. with not care In the
| world, since lac was tn have good
| dinner and good cigar afterward. as
! I saw how much genuine pleasure ne
was getting cut az selecting the dishes
and giving ia. walter minute direc-
lions for the chef. I cnvicd him.
What I.aEgdon had once said came
back to me. we are under the tyranny
Of tomorrow. and happiness Us inpos-
sible." And I thought how true that
was but. FOR the sammyr. high and
low. there II no tomorrow. He was
somehow impressing me with sens
that he WAS my superior. HIS race
WAS weak. and. In weak way. bad:
hut there Was ~ certain fneness OF
quality IN n. "a sort of dollhouse look.
as ~ he had been sheltered all hts life,
aud brought up ON especially selected
food. Men like me-" thought I with
"a certain envy. rise and fall. but his
sort Of meu have got something that
can't be- taken away. that enables them
la carry ofr with grace, poverty or the
degrade ton OF being rpongers ana beg
gars." This shows how fnr ! had let
that attack NJ snobbishnsss eat into me.
I glanced down at my hands. No dell
Cnt-ncss there: certainly those fingers.
though white enough nowadays. and
long enough. too. were not made for
fancy work aud parlor tricks. They
would have looked In place round the
handle of n spade OF the throttle OF an
engine. while Sans seemed made Tor
the keyboard Of a piano.
You must come over To my rooms
after dinner. and give me some music.
said l.
Thanks he replied. but I've prom
lscd To go hom. aud play bridge. Moth
cr's got few IA Ia dinner. and more
are coming afterward, I believe"
Then I'll go with you. aud talk tn
your sister she doesn't play"
me pass my hand over my face. i
learned NJ least part of the reason for
my feeling at disadvantage before him.
I had forgotten tn shave. and as my
beard IN heavy and black. IL has tn be
looked after twice day. oh. ] can
stop at my rooms and get my face into
condition in few minutes. said ].
And put ON evening dress, too" he
suggested. You wouldn't want TO no
A., !, dtppar n..kct
can't say why this was the last
straw" but Il was.
"Rothcr." said !. my common sense
sma shing the spell OF snobbishness that
had begun TO reassert itself as soon rs I
got into his unnatural. unhealthy at
mospherc. I'm 20 a. ] am. beard and
all I only make myself ridiculous. try
irg To- be- sheep. I'm "A goat. and n
goat I'll stay"
That shut him into himself. When
he re-cmcrged. II was TO say: Some
thing doing down town today. ch?''
sharpness I'm his voice and In his
eyes. too. made me put my mind ON
him more closely. and then I saw what
I should have seen beforc-that he was
moody and slightly distant.
Seen Tom Langdon this afternoon
asked Carelessly.
lie colorod. "Yes-had lunch with
him." was his answer.
I smiled for his benefit. "Ahal"
thought l. 80 Tom Langdon has been
fool enough To- take this paroduet into
his confidence. Then ] said To him:
lis Tom making the rounds. warning
the RI IL tn leave the sinking ship
what do you mean. Matt?" he de-
manded. - ~ I had accused him.
I looked steadily at him. and i'm
aginc my unshaven jaw did not make
my aspect alluring,
That I'm thinking Of driving the
rats overheard" replied !. The ships
sound. hut IL would he soundcr IL there
were fewer OF them
You don't imagine anything Tom
could say would change my feeling to-
ward YOU he pleaded.
Il don't know, and ] don't care n
damn" replied I cooily. But ! do
know, before the langdons ar any
body else can have Blackjack pie.
they'll have first to catch their
Biacklock.'
4 saw Iangdon had made him un-
easy, despite his belief In my strength.
And he was cropping for confirmation
or reinsurance. But" thought I. III
he thinks | may be going up the spout.
Why isn't he more upsetI lie prob
ably hates me because I've befriendcd
him. but no matter how much he hated
me, wouldn't his fear OF being cut on
from supplies drive him almost crazy"
I studied him I'm vain for sign Of deep
anxiety. Either Tom didn't tell him
much, I decided. or he didn't believe
rom knew what he was talking about.
What did Tom say about me-" I
inquired.
"oh. almost nothing. We were talk
ing chiefly of--club matters" he an
swered. In "a fair imitation OF his usual
offhand manner.
When does my name come up
there said I.
He flushed and shifted. Il was just
about To tell you" he stanmered. But
perhaps you know
Know WHAT"
That Hasn't Tom told you? He
has withdrawn--and--yo have to
get another secona--if you think-that
is-unlcss you--I suppose you'd have
told me. n you'd changed your mind?
Since had become no deeply inter-
csted Ia Anita. my ambition-ambition
to Join the Travellers had all but
dropped out OF my mind.
II had forgotten about e." said l.
hut, now that you remind me. l want
my name withdrawn. IL was n pass
ing fancy. IL was part and parcel OF n
lot OF damn foolishness I've been In
dulging I'm for the last few months.
Hut I've come To my scnses-and It's
me To the Wild where I belong. Sam