Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1885-12-25
THE GAZETTE, FORT WORTH TEXAS FRIDAY, DECEMBER g.

| sonallty remain vivid, insistent upon his
souls personality?
Esme At that name what vision floatod
before his closed eyes2
| A splendid face, cream-whlte against
its blue-black circling hair, with noble
brow and lips that might have kissed TO
death some crimson-stalned nowerl A
marvellous form and some strange trick
OF speech or glance that set ones heart
throbbng in mad, inexplicabe fashionl
The bearing OF young princess-im-
perlous at times, at times radiantly gra-
clous. For she was no less proud than
himself--with n righteous sort OF pride In
her own youth and beauty and parentage.
Was she not Van Nostrand, q daughter
OF old knickcrbocker stock2 And could
she not trace back upon her mothers side
10 certain noble ancestor, whose daugh-
ter, Lady Esme Glaston, she was named
after and said to closely resemble2
Du Viyler's brain teemed with these
and thousand kindred recollectlons.
The most vivid and engrossing was the
recollection Of that last nlght--their last
mceting-in the conservatory of her
fathers New York mansion. IL hardly
seemed as II the space OF months, the
width Of an ocean, interviewed just the
old story of coquetry, passion, shattered
faith and Il jealous heart lashlng itself
into wild, wild fury from the depths Of
which words were spoken that should
never be forgiven or forgotten. Burning,
terrible words. All! that last night In the |
conservatory when his brain seemed
whiring and music Knocked him from the |
distant ball room, as with heaylng breast |
and flashing eyes she spoke the one word, |
go" After all his love, after all they /
had vowed TO each other, they should |
part to meet no more foreycrl
Foreyer what weary, weary word
Aud so it had come that Maurice Du
Viyler must sit alone with his own un-
happiness In cherries parlor of that
country Inn, on Christmas eve of all the
,ear!
The intensity of the gloom which
PRESSED upon him must have proven ex-
lausting; his head sank still lower, his
yes were closed and his fingers thrust {
ard into his ears, as If to shut out every :
light or sound.
He remained in this attitude for some
time-pcrhaps one hour
erhaps seyeral-he was not positive af. {
erwards Then, though he had NOT '
TIRED, he became conscious of a strange :
Iteration In the surrounding atmosphere, !
lmost rs If, through window flung sud a
enly open, a stecl-cold wind force came =
lshing in TO peryade and possess the n
)om. Then this pervading and possess a
X force seemed gradually to gather it. u
III up, TO concentrate and resolve itself y
ITO something which, though yet intan-
.ble, had shape and form and capabiity a
motion. For it seemed to advance u
owly and hover above him in myste- u
rious outline. And curiously he felt u
either fear nor awe, but pressing his Ct
ayers the harder in his ears remained W
otionlcss. n
And now the lowering presence at his CT
dc seemed slowly to increase i'm might an
d irrcsistibility, Human or SUPER III
Iman-which was it? He felt no mortal n,
'dy, but ever mighty impelling mnu- II
ce, as II whirlwind Of mir were about u
awing him up out of his hopeless atti- 10
de into itself cl
He shiyered when cold breath tren. gu
'd ON his cheek and on the hand that .,
rtly shaded IL. The nlckerng draupht a.,
is something strange beyond descrjp. -,
N. II seemed to grow upon him MS W. w,
wing SENSE and purpose; to penetrate VI, wa