"Never yo mind the world my boy,
Or think that life won’t tell,
The work Is the work for aye that
To him that doeth it well.
Fancy the world a hill my hoy,
Look where the millions stop;
You'll find the crowd at the base my boy
There’s always room at the top.
A CASE OF DISCIPLINE,
Authority is a fine thing. “No family should
be without it.” Prejudices are bad, very bad and
antipathies may make more than one member of
a household miserable. But when the head of the
house turns his valued attention to disciplining his
wife and curing her antipathies, the attempt may
possibly result in failure, sometimes even in a
tragedy.
Julian Thorpe M. A., recently come out, was a
young lawyer practicing in Bombay and under,
stood to be connected with the Civil Service-
Very efficient in his profession and, as an agree
able consequence, very prosperous and above all
a great admirer of the talents and progress of J.
T., which is in itself not so bad. Put a low esti
mate upon yourself and all the world will benevo
lently agree with you. Think well of yourself,
act accordingly, and it is astonishing how many
will take you at your own valuation. So it was
with Julian Thorpe. His enemies respected his
talents and especially his incisive way of pleading j
his friends said his M. A. meant Monumental Ass,
—but this was harsh and hardly just, except per
haps as a prophecy. Yet so many men took J. T.
at his own rating that he was sublimely uncon ;
scious of certain sly remarks and criticisms
couched in figurative language and monosyllabic
yet pungent epithets that pin a man like a beetle
to the wall. Such were wont to be dropped just
after he had left the club-honse or come out into
the burning streets from the cool seclusion of
counting-houses, where he had somehow not im
posed upon certain sedate and wary men in white
garments to whom his wisdom was as foolishness,
and Europe a province, and the entire administra-
THE FREE LANCE.
tion of the Presidency dismissed with the simple
formula “no good.”
The Thorpes had been married a little over a
year and, as they were getting on marvelously
well for a young couple, had rented a trim little
bungalow in the suburb ofMagazon, where they
lived in great comfort, until such time as the rains
drove the snakes out of the jungle and into their
quarter, when they prudently retreated to the city-
For the Thorpes, in common with all their neigh
bors in that engaging settlement, were unanimous
in declininga struggle with the invading serpents;
recognizing them as original owners, better adap
ted to the soil and climate and thus, on the testi
mony of certain great names in England and much
practical experience in India, far more likely to
survive the contest.
In the city they had an intimate friend in Mrs.
Cunningham,'wife of a superanuated colonel. Or
rather, Mrs. Thorpe may be said to have cher
ished the colonel’s wife, for J. T. did not show
all due and fit enthusiasm in the acquaintance, nor
meet his wife’s views of Mrs. Cunningham’s per
fections in a proper spirit. Indeed, he had been
heard to say certain very short and ironical things
about her. For Mrs. Cunningham was one of
those useful persons upon whom rests an undue
share of responsibility for the good conduct of so
ciety, with a big S. She was popularly supposed
to keep incense burning before an idol represents
ing Mrs. Grundy in a corner of her compoundt
’and was a high authority on the sins and short
comings of mankind. She was never more felici
tous than when showing a young wife how to man
age her husband, and especially how to resist en
croachments upon her inherent rights and liberties.
Which was perhaps the reason why J. T. indulged
himself in some very dry remarks one day, not at
all aimed at soothing or conciliating Mrs. Cun
ningham, and having the immediate effect of
bringing tears to the eyes of his young wife. For
the same reason perhaps Mrs. Cunningham wa
wont to drop in upon Mrs. Thorpe at such time,
as her husband was abroad, struggling with the