Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-02-03

Lonsdale, CURLY.
she is so delightfully."- wicked ~
laughed Hilda, who took in the whole sit
uation and enjoyed it exceedingly; you
were watching them, saw"
Lonsdsle made no reply to this unpless-
ant speech.
"Don't they seem handsome coupler"
asked the merclless Hilda, who neither
forgot nor forgave Londale's Indifference
to herself, particularly amid the many OPP
portunities afforded in the Pagoda to
Suez.
"ODlY one is very much older than the
other" said he, coldly.
"Ah, but Melanie Talbot is an odd girl
she always rather affected elderlies.
But Mrs. Chillington says she will make
him most suitable and charming wife"
"Wife! HISS he proposed-are they
engaged?"
Don't you know? Oh, Montague, OF
course not, you have been so long in
Burmah, and have not heard what her
own circle says; but you will soon know
all about it. Her allowance is to be cut
down to less than half if she marries
sgsip, hear. The selfshness OF the up
per ten, even in dying, is really disgust
one Of that upper circle, which don't
think Mrs. Chlllington admits, now that
they have higher rank in view"
And in this more than vague way she
continued, with her sweetest smiles, to
''stick pins and needles" into her unhap-
py listener.
81 would rather see Melanie dead than
the wife OF such g man," was the lstter' S
thought.
"HiIds-Mrs. Musgrave," said he, with
an irritation he cared not TO conceal now,
fare you aware of all thst your words in
fer to me?"
Under his angry eye her smile faded
out.
81 only know" she replied, falteringly,
"that Lady Braybrooke's name is mixed
up freely with that of Lord D'Oyley,
under the influence, guidance, what you
will, of her sunt, Mrs. Chillington."
81 can easily believe that"
81 know ne has come down to the
weakness Of O'Clock teas st Piccadilly,
and he seems to be able to command her
society at WILL"
Hilda was piqued, indignant now, at
being taken to task.
"And 1 ever thought her perfect, "mut-
tered Lonsdale to himself yet Hilda
heard, or guessed, the remark.
"Ah, this comes Of raising SO much
upon idealIty." she said. "In love we
picture the object as perfection, yet have
often in the end only the prossic reality
disappointment and deception. Is it
not SOP" she added, while half percepti-
bly, pressing his arm with softly gloved
hand.
Once again Melanie and D'Oyley pass
ed him in the same place unnoticed-in
the same gay promenade-and it seemed
horrible, unnatural.
One fact seemed unpleasantly plain.
She hao married Sir Brisco, and seemed
ready enough, if all he heard was true, to
marry sgain; and ell this seemed, for the
time being, to bear but one Interpretation
to him-that she wss doubly false.
He might have followed, intercepted,
and spoken with her, ending perhaps thst
tete tete promenade; but Lolsdsle's
pride Was alike aroused and crushed, If
we may use paradox. He felt choking.
He resolved TO quit the fete and return to
his rooms; and he did so, ignorant that
the Viscount had casually mentioned his
name to MelaDie as that of q brother Of
and had Just seen now.
"Seen?" thought the girl; $50 we have
actually been in the same place-almost
ether-yet never met Oh, Amy, is it
not horrid?" she exclaimed to her friend;
"why was l not told sooner"
"He was too well engaged under the
willows with Hilde Tremayne-Musgrav
mean," said Mrs. Chillington, malici-
ously If not coarsely, and she left nothing
unsaid or unlimited to make it appear that
the lsggard Lonsdale and the coquettish
Hilda were engaged in one Of those petty
affaires du Ceur, for which the latter had
become so celebrated, as one of the most
dangerous Of married fIrts, as she had
also bloomed into the dubious honor of
being a fashionable beauty; and Ions
dale could not know that Melanie, sitter
quitting the Botanic Fete, had also gone
home to Piccadilly, disappointed, dis
gusted, and grieved to the soul.
"Wss it for all this sort OF thing"
thought Lonsdale, "that every hour was
away from her, and thousands of miles of
ocean rolled between us, seemed to be
eating my heart out, and she was my first
thought in the morning, and the last at
night? That had nerve given me to en-
dure and face all l faced and endured
among those ID Decoits and savage
Burmese? That l was spared to outliVe
the deadly fever of the Rapgoon river, and
vet come home, from the land where go
many better fellows have left their bones?
Surely not--suTely not!"
But his melo-dramatic thoughts and
ba)f uttered speeches failed to soothe
him. His heart was burning with great
and anger. In this mood, re-
solving at once TO start for the Continent
to spend the time, till he could, via
Brindisi and Suez, return to the regi-
ment, he wrote that night to the Adjutant-
General fer the usual leave to travel
abrosd, that he might put the "siIver
streak" between himself and his unfore-
seen troubles.
And as he and that blase dragoon, Val
Bike, had s little supper of devilled
plovers' eggs and slightly iced champagne,
the latter. who saw he was cut up about
something, said, quoting some book,
though he read little, certainly:
"Don't be down on your luck about
bill or girl, if possible. would advise
you avoid misanthropy. Amuse yourself
with your fellow creatures, make friends
OF them, make use of them, make all you
can out of them, but don't always impute
bad motives to tLem. Our motives are
like ourselves, q mixture. That is my
advice to you, old fellow"
To be concluded merit ageek.
THE SHEAR TRUST,