The day book. [volume], August 31, 1914, LAST EDITION, Image 18

About The day book. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1911-1917

Image provided by: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, Urbana, IL

                
THE "BRIGHT LIGHTS"
By Augustus Goodrich Sherwin.
(Copyright by W. G. Chapman.)
"She is too good .for me, but I um
going to make myselfworthy of her,"
declared Roy Wilder.
"As how, now?" question his
Wunt and practical uncle, who oper--ated
the weekly newspaper at Lipton
and had made friends, a little money
'iMjftAA x -
Roy Told of Far-Away Lipton.
and felt that life was worth living
every hour of the working day.
"Why, I'll tell you, uncle," explain
ed Roy. "I love Lesbia Thorne, as you
know. I believe she knows that, too,
and perhaps likes me a little in re
turn.' I was at the commencement
when sne graduated and the beautiful
sentiments she spoke attracted me.
She is a poor girl, but she has high
ideals. I cannot help but believe it
would dwarf all her ambitions to
spend her life in a humdrum country
village. She is going to try the city
so am I!"
Old James Ridgely shook his head
slowly and sadly. Fondness and in
dulgence were manifest in his kindly
face and voice as he said:
"Nephew, I won't blame you, but
when you have seen the bright lights
and tire of the lure of the magnet city
and find out as I did once, that all
that is fair to the sight, but at the
core holding but bitter dust and
blight, turn back to the old man and
remember I am always your friend."
Like some knight errant gaily and
hopefully entering the lists to battle
for some great cause, Roy Wilder re
paired to the distant metropolis. He
had only a little money and started
out on his budding career with real
sense and economy. He was fortu
nate in finding a true friend, if one
without much influence.
This was a man considerably older
than himself, one Rolfe Lismond. He
was a cynic, he had gruffness for al
most everybody. A "has-been," a fail
ure he designated himself, managing
to pick up a few crumbs from the
overloaded table of literary lords who
used his hack services when they
were too indolent or incompetent to
tackle subjects it meant hard work
to traverse.
He showed Roy the paths, and
thorny ones they were. He educated
him into the mysteries of cheap hall
rooms and inexpensive lunches. His
delight was to fill his old pipe even
ings and sit dreaming while Roy told
of far-away Lipton and its rural de
lights. At the end of six months he
had managed to work in Roy as an
occasional writer of sketches for a
society fad paper.
Roy felt the meanness and disloy
alty to his true soul principles every
time he slurred rustic life, for it was
because of his familiarity with coun
try character that he was engaged.
His publishers required satire, ridi-
cule. He was obliged to deride the
simplicity of the annbuncement that
"Si Green was painting his front
fence," or "Our pastor had a rousing
donation party last week." In con-
tradiction with this, he was com-
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