The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1914-09-26

I SOcI lNbSbhr t4AaA nAAt fOLb4F
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 wom-
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-mindad
male when he finds that the one fe-
male for whom he has begun. con
sciously or without his know ledge. to
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
timental and often very raw gold
bricks.
SO when Josie sGulfully declared
that she had known he would, Broad
way did not let it pass with an uuap-
preciatiye, "Of course you did but
looked at her with gratitude alight in
his pleased face and humbly queried,
Did you"
For moment the fact that she de
clared that she had known he would be
decent and not yillainously selfish so
completely overwhelmed him tand
please do not forget that she, within
minute. had admitted that she thought
him capable OF basest seliishnessl that
he could not find words with which to
proceed conversationally. AL men are
that way.
But presently he recovered sclf-pos'
session and continued:
Now. I don't know anything about
business. and 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 has been a general.
| endless contest with the world at large
| to see which could stay up the latest
have generally won-won in a walk
She was listening intently. All wom-
en- are intent to breathlessuess when
they are hearing any man tell his un-
worthiness If there is a hint of a con-
| fession of real wickedness in hls decla-
ration they will listen with an absorb
ton which approaches hypnotic
trance.
"Pve 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 vivid hope that he 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 them.
never interrupt them-never, by the
way, forge. 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 ia
guarded foolishness has made them.
But Broadway told no details Of Ms
villainies. This was not briliance II
his part; 1t was sheer luck.
If she was definitely disappoin' sd
her distress was more or less ail,vi.
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.
1t 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 a 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 he
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 endeavor to
rem ber what came next, and. find
| ing II impossible to continue with his
recitation. looked at her wild eyed. dis
appointed. self-disgust 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 hotel"
Almost angriiy he thrust the paper IL
| to her receptive hands
1T took me hours to write that!" he
earnestly declared. Hours full Of mos
| quito-bites! l got up early. too. and
learned the thing by heart. But
might have known that I'd forget It! l
never could remember anything"
She took the paper. glanced at II
i IL. lnA nd n