J. Adelard René

“ I have felt that I was the cause of her death, and I know that my father would never forgive me."
"Poor Nellie," Edward said, holding her hand, tempted to kiss it.
"Oh! Edward, motherless, and without any real true friends, don't you pity me? The only time I am happy is when I look back to the days of my childhood; then I smile as one must when dreaming a happy dream in the quiet of the night."
During all this time Edward had listened with tears in his eyes. His sympathetic nature had thrown open the doors of his heart and soul ”

“ When the old man heard Edward's story, tears came to his eyes and he said: "Poor boy—my life was started like yours—and I pray you to abandon the idea of going on the stage. The life of an actor is the most miserable any one can live—of course, there are exceptions; men who are born actors, and find success at each step—but they are not many, and even among them you will often find unfortunate beings whose life is a drudgery. You are young, you left good parents who expect much of you; you have a sweetheart in your little native village, whose love is of the truest kind. ”

“ She thanked him, and when he looked into her large brown eyes he felt that they were the most beautiful he had seen in all his life. He went back to his seat, and felt sorry at once for not having spoken to her. The more he thought, the more he wanted to speak to her, until at last, he got up and boldly walked up to her seat, but imagine his surprise there—he found himself unable to say a word. She looked up, and seeing his embarrassment, said something that he failed to understand, but her kind smile brought back his courage and his power of speech. ”

“ Paul, Minnesota, and as he stepped aboard the train to leave Worcester he could not help but think of the difference between his departure from home and his leaving Worcester now. His heart was overflowing with gladness, and there was nothing but happy tidings in his soul. There was no sad parting at the station. No, his only friend was going along with him, and he felt a keen pleasure in leaving a city which had been so ungrateful to him. ”

“ The doctor saw at once that there was a romance somewhere, and in his anxiety to experiment, he begged sister Mary to come back to the room of his patient and sing for him.
"It may be the key that will open his brain to let in the rays of intelligence," he pleaded, and at last Sister Mary consented to go back and sing.
"Edward, Nellie will sing for you," said the doctor to his patient, watching carefully the expression of his face. ”

“ When they arrived at the great metropolis of the West, Edward offered to see Miss King to her home, while the Russian was to wait at the station until his return.
When Edward came back, his friend asked him: "Did she cry when you left her?"
"Ben, I don't like to hear you speak this way about her. No; I won't permit any joking about it."
"All right, Ed, but what do you know about her?"
"I know that she is a good girl, and that she is not making sport of me."
"How do you know it?"
"She told me so."
"Oh! la! la! la! She told you so, eh? Don't you know that women can say anything?" ”

“ Edward knew this and he also knew that the stampede was now heading toward a dangerous marsh where thousands would perish, unless something was done to prevent them from going in the direction they were then taking. It is a fact that the best way to stop a stampede is to get the animals circling round, and this is often done by the cowboys, who ride with the leaders of the stampede, and lash them on the head until they gradually keep turning; but it is one of the most dangerous actions that a cowboy can be called to do. ”

“ I will always remember you as the brightest star in the firmament of my life, and I will pray that you may never know the bitterness of misfortune. With a last loving kiss, good-by, and forgive me! My friend, Ben Oresky, will some day pay you back the loans you made me. "Yours, with best wishes for your future happiness, EDWARD."
He could not help but shed tears as he sealed this letter, but at the same time he felt satisfied. He felt like a man after accomplishing a hard duty ”

“ After lunch Ben went back to his work, and later Edward was on his way to Nellie's place. This time he was firmly decided to speak business and find out if Nellie could help him get a situation at once. "I can't live on love," he said to himself, as he stood at her door. ”

“ His little mare, a perfect type of that class of horses, called "bronchos;" was the prettiest and swiftest on the ranch, and he had named her "Nellie," and indeed, any woman would have been proud to give her name to such a beauty. There were twelve cowboys on Goodnow's ranch, and every week, one of them had a day off, which was spent at his own discretion.
Cowboys as a class are a queer lot of men. They are fearless and brave to excess, and being isolated from society so much, they are often eccentric ”

“ Her voice bad won great success for her from the beginning, but when the excitement of the first success had passed, she found herself lonesome, unhappy, craving for some one to love, some one who would care for her, and not for her success. ”

“ He knew that to try and stop the maddened steers was an utter impossibility, but felt that it was his duty to try and do something to prevent the terrible disaster which is always sure to follow a stampede, when thousands of valuable animals fall of exhaustion and are trampled to death by the others, or, as sometimes happens, they dash themselves to death from some high precipice, where the first ones to reach are pushed over by the oncoming, until thousands have been sent to destruction. ”

“ It was now nothing but a burning pile of cinders and it was with great difficulty that friends could induce Goodnow and his daughter to come away from the terrible scene, while Edward himself seemed to want to linger. At last they all went to the nearest neighbor, two miles from Goodnow's place. Later, they tried to find something of the remains of Mrs. Goodnow, but so well bad the fire done its work, that not a trace of the unfortunate woman could be found, nor anything of the old actor, who had failed to save himself from the fire. ”

“ After breakfast the Russian went to Dr. McNaughton's office, to make final arrangements about his position, while Edward sat in their room, trying to fathom the mysteries of the future. Getting tired of this inactivity, and knowing not what to do until the afternoon, when he was to call on Nellie, he decided to take a stroll and see something of the great western metropolis, that immense agglomeration of all nationalities, where men of all colors can be seen, but where every one seems to be in a hurry. People in Chicago seem to be always on the run ”

“ That does not mean that you will make money, no, the salary that you will command for the next ten years, granting that you will be successful, will not be more than enough to pay your expenses; and remember, my boy, once an actor, you will never be good for anything else; unless you are an exceptional man. Of course, you are starting under good auspices. Miss King is a great singer, and somewhat of an actress, but she does not know how soon her voice will fail her. ”

“ On their "day off" cowboys usually go to some saloon, where they drink and play cards, and generally have as exciting a time as they can to make up for the monotony of their life in the field; but Edward preferred spending these days at the home of his employer, whose daughter Grace showed much partiality for the French lad, or French Ed, as he was now called by every one on the ranch.
Mr. Goodnow's only daughter Grace was a splendid young lady of eighteen, and quite a musician. ”

“ As they sat watching gorgeously dressed women pass by, accompanied by men in full dress, they felt somewhat out of place, and it would not have been necessary to be a close observer to see that it was their first taste of high life. ”

“ His face was also badly bruised, blood flowed freely from his mouth and nose, and when some of the cowboys came to his rescue he was riding on his saddle like a drunken man. They made a sling with a piece of lasso, and after bathing his face in the water of a near-by spring, they decided that two of them would go back to the village with Edward, while the rest would remain and watch the still excited herd. They started very slowly, knowing that the motion caused by cantering or galloping would make Edward's arm pain him much more ”

“ A stumble of the horse and both rider and horse are sure to be trampled upon by the frenzied herd, and of course, that means destruction.
Edward could soon distinguish some of the other cowboys, riding furiously by the side of the running herd, but apparently unable to reach the leaders, and in a moment he made up his mind to do it himself, and immediately starting his mare at a rather slow canter, he let the stampede come nearer and nearer until he could hear their hard breathing ”

“ It is great fun for them to "break in" a "tenderfoot," by which name they call any aspirant to the vocation of cowboy.
The meanest bucking bronco is brought to him to ride and behold! if the poor candidate cannot hold on to the saddle while the kicking brute is playing circus, the cowboys add to the excitement by their yells, often throwing small stones at the bucking cayuse.
Edward went through all their initiatory proceedings, and came out with the respect of the lookers-on ”

“ The fraternal feeling which exists among these men is of the genuine kind, and they are exceedingly generous in helping each other in case of misfortune. They practice all sorts of manly sports, and the feats they can accomplish on horseback are wonderful. It is an easy matter for some of them to lean on one side of their saddle while going at a great rate of speed, and pick up a small object on the ground. ”

“ Edward knew that his friend was an enemy of womankind, and therefore he saw fit to close the discussion as soon as possible.
They left their baggage in the check-room and went to a cheap hotel where they had lunch, and afterward the Russian asked Edward about the program for the afternoon.
"My program is already made," said Edward. "I shall call on Miss King." They walked together in the direction of her home, where they parted, after having agreed to meet later at the hotel. ”

“ Edward thought how he would like to have Marie Louise as his bride and going West also, when he heard something falling and turning around in the direction where the noise came from he saw a beautiful young girl who was vainly trying to pull off part of her sleeve from under the window-shade, which had just fallen, causing the noise. Edward hesitatingly got up, and succeeded in releasing the young lady from her awkward position. ”

“ Some of them were young in years, beardless yet, but they looked old, and were "old-youngs," showing upon their faces the ravages of fast life. The walls of the club rooms were covered with lithographs of modern actors, among which Edward noticed Nellie's. Among the members of the club he felt a special liking for an old man, who; in turn, seemed to take much interest in him. This old actor, past sixty, had been at one time a very famous man ”

“ They are skillful shots in many ways, and one way that never fails to impress the "tenderfoot," is the shooting of a clay pipe at a distance of twenty-five feet, while held in the mouth of one of them, who apparently does not see much excitement in the act. ”