Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1913-03-01

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masters he preferred their romances
to their novels. He even wrote poetry
in secret, and when his mother discOv-
cred the fact she cried over the senu-
mental verses. The father had 10 be
told. He laughed and declared that
the boy would some day develop into
a good writer Of advertisements. This
quiet laughter. unburdened as it was
with ridicule, was enough TO set
Georges muse a-winginE, and she
never came back.
After leaving college he was given
a modest letter of credit and told TO
90 where he pleased for whole year.
George started out at once in quest
Of the Holy Grail, and there are more
roads to that than there are 10 Rome.
One may be reasonably sure of get
{ ting into Rome. whereas the Holy
Grail diversified, variable, innumer
able) is always the exact sum of a
bunch of hay hanging before old Dob
bins nose. Nevertheless, George gal
Hoped his fancies with loose rein. He
haunted romance, burrowed and
plowed for It; and never his spade
changed unsteady against the hidden
treasure, never a forlorn beauty in
distress, not so much as chapter one
Of the Golden Book offered its daz-
cling first page. George lost some con-
fdence.
Two or three times a woman looked
into the young mans mind, and In his
guilelessness they effected sundry
holes in his letter Of credit, but left
his soul singularly untouched. The
red corpuscle, his fathers gift. though
1t lay dormant, subconsciously erected
| barriers. He was innocent, but he was
no fool. That one year taught him
the lesson, rather cheaply, too. If
there was any romance in life, 1t came
unlimited, and If courted and sought
was as quick on the wing as that erst-
while poesy must.
The year passed. and while he had
not wholly given up the quest, the
practical George agreed with the ro-
mantle Percival to shelve 1t indefi-
nitely. He returned to New York
with thirty-two pounds sterling out Of
the original thousand, fact that reju-
venated his paternal parent by some
ten years.
Jane, that boy is all right. Perez
val Algernon could not kill boy like
| that"
do you mean to infer that It ever
could?" Sometimes a qualm wrinkled
1 hno r.
| told her that her son ought not to be
shy and bashful, that It was not in
the nature of his blood to suspect
ridicule where there was none. Per
haps she had handicapped him with
those names; but it was too late now
| to admit of this, and useless. since
| it would not have remedied the evil
Jones hemmed and hawed for a
space. NO" he answered; but
was afraid he might try to live up
to It: and no Percival Algernon who
lived up to it could put his nose down
TO a Shah Abbas and tell how many
knots it had to the square inch. III
start him in on the job tomorrow"
Whereupon the mother sat back
dreamily. Now, where was the girl
worthy Of her boy? Monumental Ques
ton, besetting every mother, from Eve
down, Eve, whose trials in this direc
ton must have been heartrending!
George left the cellar in due time
and after that he went up the ladder
in bounds, on his own merit, MIND
you. for his father never stirred g
hand to boost him. He took the in
terest in rugs that turns buyer into
a collector; It became a fascinating
pleasure rather than a business. He
became invaluable to the house. anC
acquired some fame as a judge ant
an appraiser. When the chief-buyel
retired George was given the position
with an itinerary that carried him hal
way round the planet once a year. t
Greece, Turkey, Persia, Arabia, anC
India, the lands Of the genii and th'
bottles. of arabesques, of temples ant
tombs, of many-cOlored turbans ant
flowing robes and distracting tongues
He walked and always in a kind o
mental enchantment.
The suave and elusive Oriental
with his sharp practices. found hi
match in this pleasant young man
who knew the history Of the yer,
woods and cottons and silks wovel
in a rug or carpet. So George pros
pered. became known in strang
places. by strange peoples; and say
romance, light Of foot and eager o
eye, pass and repass; learned tina
; romance did not essentially mean fall
. ing in love or rescuing maidens fror
, burning houses and wrecks; that, o.
, the contrary, true romance was kale
: doscopic, having more brilliant facet
, than a diamond; and that the ma
who begins with nothing and end
with something is more wonderfu
than any excursion recounted by Sill
; bad or any tale by Scheherazade. Blu
| he still hoped that the iridescent goC
, dess would some day touch his shou
y der and lead him into that maze {
: romance so peculiar to his own fame!
). And then into this little world {
y business and pleasure came deaf
= and death again. leaving him alon
r and with a twisted heart. Richie
| mattered little, and the sounding It'll
r of vicepresident still less. 1t wa
B with a distinct shock that he realize
n the mother and the father had bee
e with him so long that he had forgo
q ten to make other friends. Frol
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