Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1918-06-13
Van Vivier's
Scoop
@<s
By r, M. GILMER
copyright. 1913. Western Newspaper Union.

affair, though it had little enough
about it Of that strenuous life SO ar
IDENTIFY advocated by Mr.. Roosevelt. He
had youth, and health, and wealth, and
he pictured the future a gay kaleidO-
scopic mingling Of golf, and polo po-
MES, and grand opera, and little sup
pers after the play.
Then, too, to crown it all, there
was Madge. Madge, tall and Slight,
and svelte, with the tawny gold in her
hair, and the eyes that changed with
every changing thought-that were
as blue as summer skies when
she smiled, and grew black as
midnight when she thrilled to any
deep emotion. Philip could hardly re-
member q time when he had not loved
her. They had grown up, boy and
girl, together, with something singu-
larIy similar in their fate. Both were
orphaned children, left to the unten-
der care Of unwilling relatives, and
Philip never forgot the moment Of
their meeting. His uncle's place adj
Joined that Of Madge's guardian, aud
he had been wandering about the
ground a forlorn and lonely childish
figure, when he first came upon the
little maid. She gave one long look
at his somber face, and mourning
clothes, and then with the swift and
intuitive sympathy that Cod gives
to even the youngest child, she went
up to him.
'Tittle boy" she 1isped, for she was
scarcely more than baby, little boy,
is 700 lonesome, and doesn't nobody
love 'oo?"
"No," he answered with a sob
from the depths Of his hungry little
heart.
'Don't CIV, little boy" she comfort
ed, slipping her hand in his. 81 ill
love 700 and 700 won't never be lone
some any more" and, indeed, it seemed
to Philip he had never been lonesome
again. There was always Madge.
But who may count securely on the
future? Move the kaleidoscope ever
so gently, and its figures change. One
turn of the hand of fate and the bright
picture ones dreams painted are shat
tered forever. There came a day when
Philip had to do, not with visions
Of a golden future, but with a hard
and mcrCilCsS present. Suddenly as
an unexpected thunderbOlt came the
failure of the trust company in which
his fortune was invested, and he
oN 10 IN find
that most pitiable Of all creatures on
earth-the man who needs money, and
knows no way of earning it. He had
taken the blow standing, with a smile
on his lips, like the thoroughbred he
was, and just how deep the hurt went
none knew.
pheasant prospects," was his sole
comment, with a shrug Of his Shout
ders to those who would have con-
doled with him on his loss, "a beer
income, and a champagne taste. Do
YOU happen to know the best way to
adjust them?"
He might meet the situation with !
laughter and SOOTHING so far as others !
were concerned, but when it came to !
Madge it was another thing. Il can't |
ask her to marry a beggar," he said !
to himself, setting his teeth, and with !
Il face as white as death, "and I'm not |
pOitrOon enough to settle down and
live on her money" and there had !
been a terrible scene in which he |
had told her this, and released her /
from her promise to marry him.
"Oh, Philip, Philip" she cried
clinging to him, "what good is all my
money to me if can't make things
easy for you? Surely there is more
than enough for us BOTH
Then he tried to explain to her,
and haltingly, that some
thing that is dearer to man than even
love of wOman-that something which |
he must have, or die of self-loathing-
his own Self-respect.
81 couldn't live without it, darling"
he said at last, pasSionately, eff gave
in to fate without one struggle, and
was content to let you support me,
should imagine your contempt for such |
voice. / should see it in every glance !
of your dear eyes. No, no, must make !
my fight and win my place in the |
world of men, or will die fighting on
the battlefield. If / succeed 1 will !
come back to claim my own. If I
fail, q better man wins. Don't you
see how it must be that way?"
And in the end Madge "saw." The
that always understood 9TH
ers was part of her charm, and Philip
went away.
AT college he had rather distinguish
ed himself by some clever skits in
the college journal, and so it seemed |
natural to him to turn to journalism
as the most available way of settling
the bread and butter problem. A
friend obtained place for him on the
staff of the morning Asterisk, where
he began at the bottom of the repor-
tOrial ladder, and learned among other
bitter pieces Of knowledge that the