Iron County register., 1882-06-08

her father knew that she had been per-
mitted to meet me constantly his anger
would be excessive. She said that /
might write to her once, and give the
letter to the wife of the porter of the
hotel where she was staying.
81 did so. l poured out my soul in
that letter, and she sent me an answer,
which got after she had left Florence.
have got it still; in all my wanderings
it has never left me-. . Yet it told me
that there was no hope, only that she
would be forever faithful to me, and
called on me to trust her through ab-
sence and silence.
"Mv energy tagged, but I whipped
myself up. 1 determined to be worthy
of her, and hoped that perhaps I might
win her; but six months after this my
father died suddenly, and reeled under
the blow. 1 lost not only him, but the
last chance of hearing anything of Lucy,
/ for, since our meeting at Florence, Mrs.
Clark had ceased altogether to write to
me.
"My student days were past, and the
sum of money Mr. Clark had generously
given me was expended; but I had q
small fortune left to me by my father,
quite enough for me to feel independ-
ent.
sIt is hard to work at art at all sue
| cessfully when ones brain is in constant
need of urging to do it's best. In the
excitement which follows any great
shock which, while shattering an actual
happiness, yet appeals strongly to the
artistic feeling is likely to find its pow
ers abnormalIy increased, but a reaction
is only too likely to set in when the i'm
agination has to be excited by the will,
and in most artistic temperaments the
will is not particularly strong, except
when it acts spasmodically.
81 found all originality of design
passing from me; no picture worth re-
and my very power of execution seemed
failing. My health, too, began to give
way. Just then | read a glowing ac-
count of the Kimberly diamond fields.
In fit of mingled hopefulness, restless
ness, and despondency, resolved to try
my fortune there. pictured to myself
dying in some tragic manner.
"Of course you know how it all end
ed. worked hard, and hoped and
hoped and hoped. I got some small
diamonds and very severe attack of
fever. Then [ tried farming and in
vested my money in a wool-washing
business, but [ was not sharp enough to
look after the agreement as to the sup
ply of water that was to be allowed to
me from the little river which ran
through my farm, and, after the deeds
were signed, the man I bought it of
sold the right of taking more than half
the water to a farmer to whom he sold
property higher up. [ went to law,
and lost my case and great deal
of money Then tried transport rid
ing, and lost heavily again, owing to
various diseases in my oxen.
''I don't mean to blame my luck, as
many men do. To a great extent a
man makes his own luck, so that each
misfortune which struck me disappoint-
ed me more and more with myself.
"Then came the finishing blow. I
came across an old English newspaper,
and in it I saw the advertisement of
Lucy's marriage, or 1 should say, the
announcement of her impending mar
riage. 1t was to be a grand affair, and
there were to be great many details.
After that went down steadily. l am
speaking too openly to deny that often
helped myself on the downward journey,
when 1 ought to have known better.
Yet have never parted with her letter,
nor with the belief that, though her
seeming faith may be given to another,
her true faith is mine, and mine alone
forever, as she wrote.''
Having finished these words, Frank
Heathcote stood up YEARLY. 1 took
his hand and pressed it, and soon after
he lay down to sleep. lay down, too,
and watched the flicker of the fire for
long, thinking over the story l had
heard. l could not sleep, and pres
emily 1 stood up and went softly over
to where my strange acquaintance lay.
He was lying with his rug flung par
TALLY off, and with one hand under his |
head. The other lay on his breast, and
his shirt being open, l could see rib
bon round his neck attached to small |
bag, which was partially concealed by |
his hand, and from which por-
ton of an old letter protrud-
ed. 1 could see it's worn and dis
colored edges by the light of the moon,
which had lately risen, and which fell
full on his haggard yet refined face, and,
as watched the expression of its change,
uulg dS Ilo uTcdUQ WHICH was pass
ng before him troubled his slumber, 1
thought of how the rays of the same
moon that shed her light on him might
De playing on the luxurious couch of the
he had faith in even through
The next morning induced him to
cave his companion and come with me-
was writing book, and 1 assured
him, and truly, that his artistic talent,
If which I convinced myself before en-
raging him, would be invaluable to me
n illustrating it, my own artistic pro-
iuctions being rather unsatisfactory.
He proved a very agreeable compan-
on, and enjoyed my wanderings much
more after he became my guest.
About two months after my meeting
With Frank Heathcote, we two were
iding in advance of the wagon over
he brow of a hill, from whence we
ooked down a gorge and over wide
xpanse of forest which stretched below