The Washington herald., 1914-11-08
CcOunsht as)


IN no sense of humor.. His OBJ
ject in life was to marry Mis-
Catherweight For three year
she had tried to persuade him this coul,
not be, and finally, in order to conyincl
him, married some one else Whel
the woman he loves marries anothel
man, the rejected one is popularity sup
posed to take to drink or to foreigr
travel Statistics show that, instead
he instantly falls in love with the bes
friend of the girl who refused him
But as Herrick truly loved Miss Cath,
erweight, he could not worship am
other woman. and so he became a loyel
of nature. Nature, he assured his. mer
friends, does not disappoint you. ThS
more thought, care, affection you give
to nature, .fhe more she gives you in
return, and, while, so he admitted, II
wooing nature there are no great mo
ments there are no. heartaches. Jack
son, one of the men friends, and OF
frivolous disposition, said that he
also could admire landscape, but he
would rather look at the beautiful eyes
of girl he knew than at the Lakes
of Killarney, with full moon, a set
ting sun, and the aurora borealis for
a background. Herrick suggested that,
while the beautiful eyes, might seek
those of another man, the Lakes of
Killarney would always remain where
you could find them.
Herrick pursued his new love in Con-
necticut on an abandoned farm which
he converted into a @modef one. On
it he established model dairies and
model incubators. He laid out old-fash-
ioned gardens, sunken gardens, Italian
gardens, landscape gardens, and a game
preserve. The game preserve was his
own especial care and pleasure 1t
consisted of two hundred acres of
dense forest and hills and ridges of
rock. 1t was filed with mysterious
caves, deep chasms, tiny gurgling
streams, nesting springs, and wild
laurel 1t was barricaded with fallen
tree-trunks and moss-covered rocks
that had never felt the foot of man
since that foot had worn a moccasin.
Around the preserve was high fence
stout enough to keep poachers on the
outside and to persuade the wild anil
mails that inhabited it to linger on the
inside. These wild animals were squir-
rels, rabbits and raccoons. Every day,
in sunshine or in rain, entering through
a private gate, Herrick would explore
this holy of holes. For such vermin
as would destroy the gentler animals
he carried a gun. But it was turned
only on those that preyed upon his ia
vorites. For hours he would climb
through this wilderness, or, seated on
4 rock, watch a bluebird building her
nest or a squirrel laying in rations
against the coming of the snow. In
lime he grew to think he knew and
understood the inhabitants of this wild
place of which he was the overload. He
looked upon them not as his tenants
put as his guests. And when they fed
from him IN terror to caves and -hol-I
low tree-trunls, he wished he might |
call them back and explain he was
heir friend, that it was due to him
hey lived in peace. He was glad they
were happy. He was glad it was
through him that, undisturbed, they
,ould live the simple life.
His fall came through ambition. Her
rick himself attributed it to his too
great devotion to nature and natures
;hildren. Jackson, he of the frivolous
mind, attributed it to the fact that any
nan is sure to come to grief who turns
rom the worship of Gods noblest
by which Jackson meant
to worship chipmunks and
Plymouth Rock hens.
One night Jackson lured Herrick
nto New York to a dinner and a mu-
.c hall. He invited also one Kelly,
mutual friend of a cynical and com
'ative disposition. Jackson liked to
Iear him and Herrick abuse each other,
nd always introduced subjects he knew
would cause each to lose his temper.
But on this night, Herrick needed
10 goading He was in an ungrateful
mood. Accustomed to food fresh from
he soil and the farmyard, he sneered
t hot-house asparagus, hot-house
rapes, and cold-storage quail. At the
lusic hall he was even more difficult.
n front of him sat a stout lady who
yhen she shook with laughter shed
and man who smoked
american cigarettes. At these and the
team heat, the nostrils of Herrick,
-ained to the odor of balsam and the !
moke of open wood fires, took offense.
Ie refused to be amused. The mono
1gue artist in whom Jackson found
eight, caused HerriclI only to groan
he knockabout COMEDIANS he hoped
Iould break their collar-bones; the
ldy who danced Salome, and who fas-
mated Kelly, Herrick prayed would ,
atch pneumonia and die of it. And /
hen the drop rose upon the Countess
-. L. II I