Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1908-08-13
sTLAs K K. HOOKING.

4 heart, 1t had also Quickened his brain.
The old condition Of laissezfaire had
been broken up and destroyed. Love
had widened his outlook and enlarged
his view of life and responsibility. He
had become unconsciously new man
with a new outlook and new sense
4 Of the greatness of things.
l., Since he left Oxford he had done
| nothing, and, worse still, he had been
| content to do nothing. His mother
had been partly to blame for this, no
/ doubt. He could play at being an ad-
ministrator or a local legislator for
in every district the gentry" were ex-
pected to dab1le in these things But
that he might add to the wealth OF
| the nation, or contribute to his own
maintenance by anything he might do,
was an idea that never occurred to
that estimable woman The Nav
gans were country people ard had
been for generations. So were the
/ Tresinneys, of which she was mem
Der. They derived their income from
land. They did not till the land OF
course. Other people did that-the
common people, the working classes;
the gentry appropriated the larger
portion of the harvest, and were gen
orally disappointed that the harvest
was so small
An arrangement so sensible and so
1 just would naturally commend itself
to her. There was nothing vulgar
| about it. Trade was essentially COM
mon, and even the professions
smacked more or less of plebeianism
for professional men had to earn
1 their living by their own exertions
1 But those who derived their incomes
/ from the land stood in quite differ
ent category. They might be as poor
as Lazarus, but they did not belong to
4 the common herd
Mrs. Mawgan rarely expressed her
views on social economics, for neither
of her children agreed with her
Nevertheless, Clement made no seri-
4 Gus attempt to depart from the course
4 of life she had marked out for him
Seeing how strongly she had set her
4 heart on his remaining at home and
4 playing the part in small way, of a
Il
! her nsSshes, and had tried to believe
that his whole duty lay in that di,ec-
ton.
For awhile he had been fairly CON
4 tent, but theIconstant pinch of poverty
was a serious drawback to his enjoy
4 ment. He could not afford to keep a
/ hunter. could not afford a town house
could not afford yearly trips on the
/! continent--conld not afford a dozen
4 things that other young men had in
4 abundance,
i He tried not to complain, but he
4 grew a little bitter, especially against
/ the scoundrel who had robbed his
4 father.
Then came his Introduction to
Edith Tremayne and his pursuit of a
fortune. This became a little excit-
ing, and his spirits rose in proportion.
4 Life became interesting and the out
look cheerful. He saw wonderful pos
sibilities in Ediths fortune; he saw a
i great many charms in Edith herself.
Propinquity increased his ardor He
honestly believed he was in love-
Then Edith Tilted himand not only
! Tilted him, but laughed at him. 1t was
an unexpected blow. and for while
he felt stunned He had reverenced
i all women up to that point--had be.
!! lieved them incapable of treachery or
4 deceit; and for Edith--the woman he
4 had idealized- to turn round and
f1aunt her heartlessness and perfidy
in his face was like taking away the
VERY foundations of things.
He did his best to put a bold face
on the matter, assumed don't-care
attitude whenever possible, and took
to cynicism as some men take to
4 drink. He grieved less over the loss
Of Edith's fortune than did his moth
i err 1t was the loss of an ideal that
wounded him so deeply
Mrs. Mawgan thought nothing OF
\ the loss OF the woman. Being wo-
A man herself, Edith had little or no
q value in her eyes apart from her for
4 tune. Girls. are cheap" she said, In
4 her short, dogmatic way, land none
i of them worth picking up except. for
a what they possess,
A It was not the best kind Of seed to
SOW in her sons mind just then, but
she did not think Of that. She was
sanxious, il possible, to save him from
4 unnecessary pain. 5 5g
From that day Clement began to
q look for the worst in people instead OF
q the best. and, naturally, he found
. what she looked for. He did not talk
4 much, he went less and less into com
pany, and he took less interest into
4 lle;.al .esirs
Esther rallied him again and again
a His mother assured him that there
y were half-a-dozen girls with fortunes
. either OF whom might be had for The
& asking; but frequently he did not take
81 the trouble to reply When he did re
ply. It was With SO much vehemenct
4 and bitterness that they were glad t
( let the subject drop.
& @ So matters continued until The
1 wreck or the Nebraska and the rescu,
1 FOR Marion Vest from the clutches q
a the deep. That moment marked a new