THE BEAUTIFUL LADDER. 
97 
gratifying a passion, and giving noble impulses 
to the human heart. I think I begin to realize, 
in some proper sense, the true purpose for which 
the mind was bestowed upon man; and hope I 
may be enabled to put what little I may possess 
to a better use hereafter.” 
“Glad to hear it, chum,” was the response; 
“ but I have still to confess that my mental op¬ 
erations continue in a rather mixed-up condi¬ 
tion. To tell the truth, I am in a strait to deter¬ 
mine whether I am endowed with mind enough 
to make it worth while to pursue any definite 
purpose; nor can I now determine whether the 
little interest which I perchance feel arises mere¬ 
ly from the spice of novelty that I find in our 
present surroundings, or a slight quickening 
of the small modicum of brains I may really 
possess.” 
“ Oh, Charley !” exclaimed Rudolph, “ I was 
hoping that you had quite recovered from the 
‘ dolefuls,’ but I fear that you are incorrigible. 
Do shake off this mental nightmare, and put 
your mind to a better purpose than grinding out 
such musty grists of misanthropy and false phil¬ 
osophy. There are too many beautiful things in 
Nature to enlist earnest' study, and too many 
y G 
