Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-01-13

violets grew, while the raven, with hun
grv eye, looked down on the sffrighteo
lambs in field and meadow.
How futile now seemed all Melanie's
dreams in the psst-dreams Of love and
10y that could never be realized.
What was the helpless creature to dc
now9 This was about the very time
when she had expected him home, pro
NOTED, or that she was about TO go &c
him in the distant east and be married.
Uncle Grimshsw, though far from i'll
pleased at the turn her affairs had taken
still looked grim indeed; yet she had nc
other future, il would seem, than he
could give-no other home than he chose
to accord her, unless she left her equslly
helpless brother to his mercy and went
forth into the world to earn her bread.
She looked at Reggie, and her hear
felt ready to burst when she thought OF
! all the handsome young sailor had beer
and what he was now.
Reclining on his couch near the win
! dow, he seemed more listless than ever
with crimson couvre-pied her industri.
Gus fingers had made, spread over him
He looked IS II all that remained of hi:
youth and manhood had gone, his hollow
cheeks were pale, his large brown hand
some eyes were more dilated than ever
more sad and weary, his hands were thin
ner and his voice more weak.
HIS future appalled, her more than thai
of the needless healthy Dick-far more
than her own.
Where had Montague died-in city, IN
forest, or the river? How had he met his
death? Like soldier-like gentleman,
she could not doubt. Where was his
grave, if he got one? His last thoughts
doubtless, they were Of her.
Hope had gone, so strength OF mind
began to fail her.
Spring would come and go-summer
with all its bright loneliness would follow
brown autumn nex-so days and weeks
and months would follow each Sther; but
he could come no more. He had dropped
out of her life-or rather the latter
seemed ended, so far as object was con-
cerned.
Where Montague lay there was heart
-snd there her hopes were buried.
But Melanle forgot she was young, and
that ere long the realities of the world
would press themselves upon her. Just
yet, however, she felt crushed, giddy, be-
wiIdered, till kind OF cold despair took
the place of her more passionate grief.
And when once again the cold pressure
and the threats Of her two relatives were
put upon her, she clasped her interlsced
fingers and exclaimed:
"What shall do-oh, what shall do?"
Often did the words come to her white
lips at this crisis.
On one hand she knew that by her sac
rifice of self, Reggie would be free from
her uncle's uncomfortable home. and
Dick have all his fondest aspirations of
being sent 10 Sandhurst fulfilled. II not,
she knew what was before them all-her
"boys" especially, as she called them.
The gloom, the wesry disgust-the
longing to have done forever with mem
DRY and thought, past and present, even
with existence itself, the great longing
for rest, were all strong in the mind of
Melsnie now.
Would time ever come, she asked her
self, when agsin she would smile, or
laugh, or singer even work IS OF old,
and take an interest in anything?
To Melanie, as yet, "the ghost of a
dead past was reality-an undeflnable
and even mysterious present"
CHAPTER LNs-WlLL HE ESCAPE!
OGce more we change the scene.
From the banks of the muddy Thames
to those OF the Irawaddy seems only an
instantaneous feat Row, as in our time We
surpass the boast of Puck that he would
put girdle round the earth in forty min
utes.
Lonsdsle calculated, we have said, that
he might within three days, or less, reach
the eastern bank of that great river,
which is to the Burman empire, what the
Gauges is to Bengal, and the Nile to
Egypt; and be within hail of some of the
river steamers, if any were passing up
ward or downward just then, an impor-
tant doubt on which he rather shrenk
from dwelling.
Full of the horrid aspect presented By
the executed Burmese near the monas-
terry, and too we'll aware that some such
fate awsited himself if the Dscoits caught
him and had time to dispose OF him in 8
leisurely manner, he hurried on, anxious
only ct first to get as far away as possible
from the vicinity of his late place of cap
tivity.
1t was difficult to think of such barbara
ties being done in land where education
had certainly made good progress since
last we fought them in 1852, when hali
the male population are said to be able to
read and write, and when school books
are issued IN the vernacular, setting forth
the elements of mathematics, geography,
astronomy and human physiology; yet SO
1t is.
He paused more than once to examine
the edge and hilt of the dab, and the
charges in the revolver, on which SO
much, to him, depended now; aud when
darkness was fairly in, he found himself
in locality famous for adventures in old
romance, to-wit-the recesses OF forest.
1t was of teak, g species of tree which
attains the height of seventy
feet without branch or twig, and then
throws out roof OF foliage so solid and
leafy as to exclude the rays of MONDAY
sun. There the darkness was dense then;
under such an outrageous canopy in mic
sir not star was visible, nor could 9 ray
of the most brilliant planet penetrate;
but the surface under foot was clear of
all brushwood; though, IN places near
the river. there grew jungle grass more
than twenty feet in height. For years
these vast teak forests have supplied no.
BILE materials for the dock yards of Ran
gocn, Madras and Calcutta.
Around him was solitude awful and
Elephants, tigers, bears and
leopards abouuded, he knew, in the wild
places of Burmah; but none, as yet, dis
turbed him, and stretched among soft
moss and the dry dead leaves of the past
season he took his repose, and in the
awoke to find that he had slept
slept-long and soundly, and
felt, though little stiff, ready to face