Evening star., 1907-09-03
Xxx.
A Declaration of War.

had not been long in Camden-by-t
Sea before | discovered that l was inordi-
nately fond of automob!ling. Many thou-
sands of men were discovering the same
thing for themselves at the same time and
no doubt to all of them 1t was as delightful
a discovery as II was to me. AS soon as
had mastered the intricacies of the big ma
chine / set the chauffeur aside, and drove
forth alone or with Mrs. Randolph or Je-
rome.
began to learn also, in those days how
pleasant d thing ii is to be in the posses
sion and enjoyment of wealth True, /
had for my very own but the scant 5000
that had been in my pocket when l entered
Mrs Randolph's carriage in New York. i
had used little of it. l desired to hoard it
against "A day of need. But | required no
money Mrs. Randolph's purse of Fortu-
natus showered me with everything with
out my asking. 1t provided the house, the
automobile, the yacht, the servants, Je-
rome and the chauffeur; its resources were
unstinted and apparently unlimited. Money
had been offered me several times; / had
refused it. and tried to feel ease of con-
science in my fancied Spartan virtue.
The freedom from financial care which
money brings was thus impressed on my
mind. l had lived a hard life in that,
school IN Philadelphia. for the pay of
instructor Il small l did not doubt
that one of Mrs. Randolphs dresses.
though they seemed so elegantly simple. if
] may use the term, cost more than such
an instructor received for a whole year of
perplexing and wearing toll. Anxiety, lest
Illness come or loss of position and the
money fail, together with the inability to
get even few dollars ahead of the grind
ing needs of the preSent-iS that which eats
the heart out of the toler and the poor
As We steamed into Camden one o the
stokers had come up for breath of air.
out of the hot stoke-hole, where. while we
fled over the seas. he had been laboring in
a heat so great that the very color seemed
To have been washed out of his faca. He
looked at the mountains, cool-topped, be-
fore him. fancied / knew the thought of
his heart Freedom from grinding toll
Such freedom money brings | wonder less
that men worship 1t than that they do not
worship il more.
The love OF ease and the things that
money can supply so lavishly l found
growing in me. The world is beautiful in
Maine, in June. 1t was money (which
might be mine If | willed) that enabled me
10 enjoy the glory of the sunset from the
mountain top. and the surprising beauty
OF the sea, with its CirClinS guls, its i'm
purpled islands and the flashing sails OF
the schoOners. deep-laden with lumber from
:he mills of Bangor. IL was money (and il
might be mine il l willedl which placed at
my disposal that auto-car in which ] flashed
over the mountain curves and along that
charming sea-g girt highway called the Bel
fast road.
And often when alone with these things
weighing on me the temptation TO accept
the situation. to say irrevocably that | was
Julian Randolph and none other, assailed
me. BY yielding / should gain wealth:
above all, | should gain the most beautiful,
the most charming. the most lovable OF
women for my wife. Sometimes the Sc
GIctive thought intoxicated and almost un-
manned me. Yet always something rose
within me In protest, ! could not do it. !
did no: believe was better than other men
j believed ! was worse; daily l anathema