Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1914-07-07
What Fate
Did
A Story Of the Ideal and
the Practical
By eDnn v. ROSS

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Barton Kenwood was a great dlsaR
pointment to his father lie WAS an
only son. His father had built up good
business and was extremely desirous
OF training the boy to take his place as
its manager. But Barton's tastes were
not for business. In the first place. he
was too tender hearted for the man
agement of concern wherein many
disagreeabls things must be done for
which the manager must take the re-
sponsibility. A customer whose credit
Is tottering Is near failure: he must be
jumped on and bis ruin completed
Dull times come on. and persons de-
pendent upon the concern for living
must be laid of. II Is the managers
business to speak the word that dc
prives them of their daily necrssaries
and comforts.
Barton as boy heard Of some OF
these hardshlps- hardships for his
father as we'll rs the others concerned
and conceived n great dislike for what
he understood business to he. Knt this
did not satisfy his father. VIII" r"nSid
cred It the part Of man to do h''''>
sarily disagreeable things when they
came in the line of duty. When his son
came to be eighteen years Of age the
father proposed to put him I'm his fac
tory at the bottom Of the ladder and
elevate him as rapidly as he showed
himself capable Of being advanced
Barton demurred. declaring that h
wished to so to college.
Here was q breach between father
and son that was never healed. Barton
went to college. and his father put II
the place Ire had intended for him Il
nephew, Evan Swift. who gave e,i
dence of possessing those qualifications
which Barton lacked. Evan was bus
ness man from the crown Of his head
to the soles of his feet He could SAY
mo" when mo" was necessary. H.
could detect expenses that were NJ
necessary and cut them Off. no matte
who was hurt by doing so. He cou'
figure profit and loss. and. NO mnttci
how hard the times. there wils AWAY
some profit. BY those who undrrSt"n'
the requirements of the concein l' Wa
respected; by those whose minds w"r'
intent simply on their own interest H.
was hated.
Barton ut college deveiUle'! taste.
that his father considered waste -
time to pursue The bones ut dl;.
saurs. the skulls Of cave men. OF r'..
dwellers, Of extinct lake men who >,'
eral thousand years ago lived III lI"r>'
built over the surface of trlnGni. ~:
ters, absorbed his attention.. IL ais
had a fancy for digging in the dirt :
exhume ancient buried cities. liz ~
as much delighted at discorrrin. ~
earthen pitcher made 5000 yeas N
as his father was at hitting upon
new article Of commerce that could l'
manufactured at profit
When Barton was graduated IRON
college he desired to go with IN exp"
dition to Asia to look for the lost SITE
Of q city that fourished n thousanc
years before the Christian era Iii
father, who considered the object use
less If attained, refused to furnish hin
the necessary funds. But so impor
tant was Barton to the party that hi,
alma mater supplied them. 1t was
through Barton Kenwood's researches
that the site was found
There was girl who had been q
schoolmate Of Barton Of whom be hnd
from the first made cOnfdant HeI
name was Grace Bingham Even as
child she showed evidence Of both In
telligence and practical common sense
In that respect resembling the elder ant
the younger Kenwood. At first she ad
vised Barton to accede to his fnther''
wishes, but before the break betweeI
them came about she realized that tn,
two looked upon values from opposite
standpoints and that Barton neve
could be made a business man Sh'
therefore reluctantly advised him t,
follow that for which hr wns bes
fitted
After Barton went away Evan Swift
who had entered his uncle's emplo.
with q view to reapins the emolnment
that his cousin had turned aside. be
gan to pay attention to Grace Bing
ham. Grace from little girl was pre-
disposed to Barton. but after he wen
to the university she saw little Of him
Whether during that period OF rapi'
change between fourteen and twent,
he passed out Of her mind or lay Their
dormant Is not to the point What l
pertinent Is that at twenty years o
age she found 1t time and necessit
that she should take husband.
Swift was in all respects desirabl
person. he had already been made sec
ond to his uncle in the management o
the KenwoOd Manufacturing company
and It was expected that he woul'
soon assume full control. Mr.. Ken
woods fortune was all In the business
was necessary to the business. and
was surmised that he would leave 1t
the man to whom be proposed to tax
Ms place instead Of his son. who wa
considered to have sold his birthrigh
for old bones.
Be these things as they may. Grac
Bingham did not throw so favorabl
an opportunity for settling herself TO
life over her shoulder. But Swift wa
some time gaining her consent. IN
there were those who said that the ret
son was that the nan she desired. fo
himself alone, was Barton Kenwoo<
But, given q practical Girl. q 6ne bus
ness man with u prospective fortun
and q pennIless deliver for stone Jug
the result must necessarily be a unio
between the practical girl and the prot
porous man.
Evan Swift was as much absorbed u
the Kenwood Manufacturing compan
as bis cousin was In old pots and ket
ties. Unfortunately. Evan was not YER
strong physically. and about the tim
bo hacauno onpappd To be married hi