His Day of Triumph

From the Rock Island Argus, February 10, 1913.
 By S. E. Kiser.
 

 He left her at the gate, one day
     Because his plea she had denied;
 But as he turned to go his way
     His breast, though sad, was filled with pride.
 “Some time,” he said, “you shall regret;
     Some time the world shall grant me fame
 Upon a height my goal is set
     And well won honors I will claim.”
 
 She merely smiled and let him go.
     He went out in the world to strive.
 Though fortune dealt him many a blow
     He bravely kept his hopes alive.
 He toiled for years with all his might
     And thought of her and of his vow
 His goal still gleaming on the height
     And deep lines forming on his brow.
 At last his day of triumph came.
     He was rewarded with success;
 The world accorded him the fame
     Which he had sworn he would possess;
 Through ceaseless efforts he had won
     The crown of honor for his own;
 For splendid things which he had done
     His name o’er all the land was known.
 
 Then, having played a splendid part
     He turned from where his goal was set
 And started back to break her heart
     To overwhelm her with regret.
 He found her, but unhappily
     Discovered that she did not care.
 The crown of fame was his, but she
     Was married to a millionaire.