The Washington herald., 1914-01-04
BY JULIA CHANDLER MANz.

The-Man-of-wealth stood on the
threshold of adult life looking into the
years that were yet to come, and, true
to his youth, his first thought was Oh
his personal happiness. The skies that
hung above the future years were WIN
out cloud. The path over which he
was to travel life's way was altogether
in sunlight. with perfumed flowers on
either side. The-Man -of-Wealth smiled
eomplacentiy. lie was quite satisned tnat
no young man entered the years OF ms
manhood more auspiciously than he. You
see he was twenty-five, with culture. ana
health, and more dollars than he ever
took time to count to his credit There
were no strings to his money; no de-
mands upon his time. All things con-
sidered, he was very sure that HE owed
him happiness without flaw, II never
occurring to him that no such thing has
ever been found in all the history OF
human life.
First he decided he would see the world.
SO he invited a pal or two, and trotted
the globe in care-free manner for a
full five years, being in no haste to re-
turn 10 his native land. for when ne
, became ready for home and "he
he could pick wherever he chose, Tor
where was there a girl whose heart
would not warm TO the color OF MS gold!
So he Travelled from one fair place 10
another in the full belief that the plan
of life which he had carefully mapped
out as the road to happiness without a
flaw was the one sure way, and the full
significance of his plan was the spending
of money with a lavish hand, drinking
from the cup of life's heeting pleasures
SO fast that the dregs at the bottom
of the cup would never have time TO
settle.
Then The-Man-of-wealth grew tired Of
travel and decided it would be a glad relief
to renew the friendships of his boyhood
days IN his home town, so he prepared to
live as befitted his wealth, and when 1t was
nosed around that he had returned from
his European travels he was much wined
and dined and feted- He met many
women OF beauty and briliiance. who,
with their small talk and gay fiippancies,
tried to rope in his fortune a fact SO
obvious that The-Man-of-Wealth began
20 have strange deep yearnings TO be
loved for himself instead OF for his
wealth
The-Man-of-wealth grew so restless
that he spent an evening alone in his
luxurious apartment for the sake of in
trospection. That one with the money at
his command should not find happiness
wfthoutu a flaw he considered the height
of absurdity, and he was so determined
to find where the fault lay that when
his mind suggested that the trouble might
he that he needed a wife-a home OF MS
own and children. pernaps-to round out
his life he picked out the most brilliant
woman in his social set and asked her to
be his wife. Now, the girl Of his choice
had no wealth, so that the tongue OF the
world wagged overtime concerning her
good fortune when it was known that she
had accepted The-Man-of-Wealth.
On the night of charming dance In
the home of a friend The-Man-of-Wealth
fed from the congratulations and good
wishes of the gay throng for a moment
of Quiet in the deep recesses Of the con-
servatory. So deep in thought was he
that he was almost upon his fiance before
he was arrested by her sobbing voice
"I must carry it through. 1t means
ruin to nv family If don't Father has
done so much 10 help me make good
match and owe it to him and to mother
to bring money into the family" came
the words through the thick growth Of
ferns which shut the speaker from the
sight of The-Man-of-Wealth, but when
he turned and retraced his steps back to
the ballroom his face was of an ashy
whiteness, and his hand shook like an
aspen leaf as he complained OF sudden
illness and bade goodnight to his hostess,
and when he was alone in his apartment
he sent the girl letter which released
her from her promise to him.
The bue sky which had hung over the
years that were to come for The-Man-of-
Wealth lost their transparency OF color,
and the flowers along the path over
which he was sure he would travel his
way of life lost their wonderful fra
GRANGE. Yet he had as much money as
before-so much that he would not de-
wise means and ways of getting rid Of
it just for the sake Of his own pleasure.
His former friends bored him, and his
faith in women was turned to cynicism,
SO he ordered his valet to pack his clothes
and slipped away to a quiet little place
in a foreign land just for the sake OF
adjusting himself, and arriving-h he
could-at some conclusion concerning the
reason for his failure to extract happi-
ness from a life which the world agreed
with him he should find without a flaw.
And still the threads of his gold were
woven into such a thick veil Of selfish
ness that he could see no further than
the circle which encompassed his own
life.
The -Man-of Wealth met The One =
Woman in twilight hour carrying in her
arms a dirty little Italian child whose
foot had been badly cut on the high
way She was flushed and lovely as he
relieved her OF her burden, and in the
days of companionship which followed he
found her a revelation of womanly SYM
pathy and tenderness. His own mother had
died when he was but baby and he
had never known the ministrations of
any save the hirelings Of his fathers s
magn1fcent home, so he watched the
children OF the little Italian village gath
er around The-One-woman when IL came
twilight of every day when she had
formed a practice of telling them won
derful tales, and marveled at her will
ingness to give them SO much of her
time: marveled alike at her work for
the cottagers and the much giving of
herself to those who needed the help of
her hands, or the guidance of her super
ior wisdom; and the strangest part of II
ali to him was that she, like himself,
was only a traveller with no personal in
terest in the folk whose lives she glad
dened by the way.
When The-Man-Of-Wealth found that
nowhere save in her companionship did
he find peace and contentment he told
The-One-Woman SO and asked her to be
his wife. When she refused he looked
at her out of incredulous eyes, doubling
his very senses. for had II not been his
theory, that the color of his gold would
warm the heart of any woman And
when he would tell her Of the things he
could give her to make their life together
sF,1x 80 1r,xr