The Mobridge news. [volume] (Mobridge, Walworth Co., S.D.) 190?-1917, 1914-11-20

!
good reason. that she seriously doubt
ed him, any influence whatever on his
deep pleasure when he discovered that
she did not-did not because she could
not, not because she would not
Men DO not think clear to the bottom
Of these things. They take what WON
en- give them when they give them
anything and are humbly grateful and
surprised because they get a smile
when they deserve one, rather than a
brick when they do not deserve one
Nothing which the world has ever Of
fered to the gaze OF the philosopher
| has been one-half so pitiful as the as
tonished gratitude OF the right-mnded
male when he finds that the one fe-
male for whom he has begun, con
! sciously or without his knowledge. 10
live his life and DO his deeds does not
utterly condemn him when he has
done his level best and that best has
been worthy. Men are the worlds nat
ural "come-ons,' women the worlds
natural vendors Of psychological, sen
tim.-tal and often very raw gold
bricks.
SO when Josie soulfully declared
that she had known he would. Broad
way did not let it pass with an uuap-
rrcciatiye, "Of course YOU did" but
looked at her with gratitude alieht in
his pleased face and humbly queried.
Did you?"
L-,,, % ,,,o,.-~,,+ 3D., r,o+ .1,4 -ro 10
clared that she had known lie would be
decent and not yil,ainously selfish so
completely overwhelmed him, Dand
please do not forget that she, within
minute, had admitted that she thought
him capable Of basest selGshuess) that
he could not find words with which to
proceed couyersatioually. All men are
that way.
But presently he recovered selfpos
session and continued:
Now, don't know anything about
business, and l don't know anything
about money. / never did a days work
in my life for the simple reason that
never had to-
He looked at her with a shamed
smile, the first evidence that he had
ever shown of anything but pride in
his ability to live idly with enormous
and successful effort.
The only trial of Skill into which
have entered since | went from Jones,
vile to New York hss been general,
endless contest with the world at large
10 see which could stay up the latest.
have generally won-won in a walk"
She was listening intently All wom-
en- are intent to breathlessness when
they are hearing any man tell his un-
worthiness; if there is hint of a con
fession Of real Wickedness in his decla-
ration they will listen with an absorp-
ton which approaches a hypnotic
trance.
I've never done anything good be
cause I've never had anything good to
do" Broadway went on, before he
reached the next full stop.
She sat absolutely spellbound. Did
she feel a vivid hope that ne would go
into detail OF the things which he had
done which were not good? Such re.
citals always pain good women ex-
quisitely, yet they never shun thcm
never interrupt them-never, by the
way, forget them or fail to have them
at their tongues ends afterwards.
when, by recalling them, they can
abash the man who in a moment OF un
guarded foolishness has made them.
But Broadway told no details OF his
villainies. This WAS not brilliance on
his part II was sheer luck
IL she was definitely disappointed
her distress was more or less allevi-
ated the next moment. for he burst
forth somewhat wildly:
What I've needed all along was an
Notwithstanding to spur me on
something to inspire me. What I've
needed was"
He could not complete the sentence.
II was as If his tongue had found an
insurmountable obstruction in the
groove of language which it had begun
to follow and had to leap out to side
groove An expression of disgust
grew on his face. He hesitated flushed,
then reached his hand into his pocket
and drew forth the paper on which ne
had labored with such assiduity and
such a tensely working, cheek manipu-
lating tongue in the small hours that
morning.
What I've needed was'-he once
more said, in desperate endeavev to
remember what came next, and. find
ing 1t impossible to continue with his
recitation. looked at her wild eyed. dis
appointed, selfdisgust writ plain upon
his face, and dropped his hands In
helpless and disorganized fashion TO
his sides.
Can you beat that?" he demanded
of the fascinated girl. Il knew that
thing by heart when | left the hotisl."
Almost angrily he thrust the paper in
to her receptive hands.
1T took me hours to write that" he
earnestly declared Hours full of mos
quito bites! I got up early, too. and
learned the thing by heart. But !
might have known that I'd forget It! |
never could remember anything"
She took the paper, glanced at II
with highly kindleG interest and was
on the point Of reading 1t when there
came an interruption. 1t was Sammy
z %. a5t a