The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-07-27
A Vanishing Hero.
By IRVING LEWIS.

By IRVING LEWIS.
Sybil. If he had had the naming of her
she would have been called Mary Jane.
after his mother, who had taken more
prizes at the county fairs for the best
ten yards of rag carpet than any other
woman in Monroe County. His wife had
insisted on the name Sybil. however. as
she had found It in a weekly story paper
and rather than have trouble tho hus-
band had let it go at that and always
abbreviated the name to "Sib.
Sybil is a romantic name. and the girl
grew up chuck full Of romance When
she was Il years old she stood at the
gate and hoped for q knight to come
along When she was IA she wanted
to be the young lady who jumped
through hoops Of fire at the circus. At
Is she went to the city and lived for two
years with an aunt. and she returned to
pastoral life more romantic than ever.
She wanted permission to go on the
stage. She had been to the theater a
dozen times and had become a hero wor-
shipper. She did not know any actors, but
she reyerenced them and looked up to
them with awe. Senators. Judges. ana
millionafres were not in 1t compared to
the hero Of the melodrama who slid on
a cliff, leaped q ravine and killed three or
fo.- outlaws to save a sunburned maiden
TITS all burned nonsense and you can't
CO." was the fathers edict.
Some one has got to help me wash
and bake and make soft soap and / can't
spare you" was the mothers reply
when appealed to.
syb,l had to put on a checked apron
and 60 to work, but she held to her
romance and bided her time. 1t came
one juno day. While the farmer was
in town he was accosted by a stranger
who wanted to spend three or four
weeks in the country at a quiet place.
Terms were soon arranged and Angus
tus De Quincy rode home with him In
the farm wagon. Augustus hadn't stated
his profession, but was supposed by the
farmer to be q wire-fence man, seeking
rest from his strenuous labors of con-
vincing farmers that cattle rubbing
against the barbs improved so per cent
over the old way. True. the stranger
used many big words and INDUCED in
many gestures, but perhaps he repre-
scented a new brand of fence, and these
characteristics were thrown In without
extra cost.
Mrs. Taylor looked upon the new ar
rival as a windmill man who had talked
himself to q standstill and wanted to
rest his lungs. but Sybil was not to be
deceived. She solved the mystery in five
minutes One Of her melodramatic
heroes had arrived. She had seen him
on the stage, and Of all her heroes he
was the choice. He had killed the most
outlaws and saved the most maidens.
On the three nights she had seen him act
she had felt his greatness SO much that
had they been introduced she would Ger
tainly have tainted away with embar-
rassment. Had she been possessed of
10000 instead of a few shillings she
would have willingly given 1t for a small
lock of his hair.
Farmer Taylor was troubled when he
learned who his boarder was. and the
wife shook her head and hoped that
trouble would not come of it. The
daughter was delighted. but did not
make the situation known at once. In
fact. she was bit disappointed. Her
hero didn't wear Buffalo Bill hair nor
carry an arsenal of guns and knives.
nor toy with q Winchester. He wasn't
posing against cliffs nor shouting for
the outlaws to come on. The summer
suit he wore had seen better days. and |
his straw hat had not been rejuvenated |
while he waited. As her hero of the |
stage she had supposed that he lived on |
angels food or something equally |
dainty. and she felt l. bit provoked
when he sat down to fried pork and |
other things and ate with the appetite
Of Z hired man. Later on she found !
that he smoked q pipe. and that holes |
could be seen in his SOCK when he put /
on his rundown slippers.
Farmer Taylor knew q bit about |
human nature. He knew the difference |
between hero on the stage and man |
boarding at farmhouse at - week
and sewing on his own buttons. He |
therefore warned his wife TO say moth |
ing. and he didn't warn sybil q. all |
When the nrst week was up and the /
boarder remarked that his remittance |
hadn't come the father simply alluded |
to the fact in Q careless way-Just rs /
he would have remarked that the old \
spotted COW wasn't giving quite as
much milk a. formerly. But for that |
careless observation Sybil must have |
that day surprised her hero by inform
ing him that she had seen him play |
and Vas dying to become . great ac-l
tress. She had her mind made up to Il i
but hesitated when she learned that he
has NOT squared up his board bill She
had never before thought Of heroes In |
with board BY the week. |
but she had been promised that - 10
buy q new pair Of shoes with. aao that |
altered the case.
4 ~e-s 49, 1919 savn ~ru,~ s->~.S 4