Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-12-28

ance, Dut L SnOulQ be Stlil more UNFAIR II
l didn t tell you what honestly believe
that at your age you are apt to deceive
yourself, and, without knowing it, de-
ceive others. You confess you have not
yet decided upon your career, and you
are always looking forward so hopefully (,
dear Jack, for change in the future
but you are willing to believe that far
more serious things than that will suffer
no change in the meantime. If we con-
tinued as we were, I who am older
than you, and have more experience +,
might learn the misery of seeing
you change toward me as have changed
towards another, and for the same rea-
son. If were sure 1 could keep pace
with you in your dreams and your ambi-
ton, if 1 were sure that l always knew
what they were, we might still be happy
but 1 am not sure, and dare not again
risk my happiness on an uncertainty. In
coming to my present resolution do not
look for happiness, but at least 1 know 1
shall not suffer disappointment, nor in
volve others in it. l confess am grow
ing too old not to feel the value to a wo-
mana necessity to her i'll this coun-
try-of security in her present and
future position. Another can give me
that. And although you may call this
a selfish view of our relations, l believe
that you will soon-if you do not, even
as you read this now-feel the justice of
it, and thank me for taking it.
With smile of scorn he tore up the
letter, in what he fondly believed was
the bitterness of an outraged trustful
nature forgetting that for many weeks
he had scarcely thought of its writer,
and that he himself in his conduct had
already anticipated its truths.
CHAPTER XIII.
The master awoke the next morning,
albeit after a restless night, with that
clarity of conscience and perception
which it is to be feared is more often
the consequence of youth and a perfect
circulation than of any moral convlc-
ton or integrity. He argued with him
self that as the only party really
aggrieved in the incident of the
previous night, the right of remedy re-
manned with him solely, and under the
benign influence of an early breakfast
and the fresh morning air he was in
clined to feel less sternly even towards
Seth Davis. In any event, he must first
carefully weigh the evidence against him,
and examine the scene of the outrage
closely. For this purpose he had started
for the schoolhouse fully an hour before
his usual time. He was even light heart
ed enough TO recognise the humorous
aspect of Uncle Ben's appeal to him,
and his own ludicrously paradoxical
attitude, and as he at last passed from
the dreary fiat into the fringe of upland
pines, he'was smiling. Well for him,
perhaps, that he was no more effected by
any premonition of the day before him
than the lately awakened birds that
lightlp cut the still sleeping woods around
him in their long flashing sabre curves of
flight. A yeliOw-thrOat, destined to be-
come the breakfast of Il lazy hawk still
swinging above the river, as especially
moved to such Il causeless and idiOtic
roulade of mirth that the master listen
ing to the foolish bird was fain to whistle
too. He presently stopped, however,
with slight embarrassment. For few
PAGES before him Cressy had unexpected
ly appeared.
She had evidently been watching for
him; but not with her usual INDECENT con-
fidence. There was strained look of the
muscles of her mouth, as of some past
repression, and shaded hollow under
her temples beneath the blonde rings of
her shorter hair. Her habitually slow
steady eye was troubled, and she cast
furtive glance around her before she
searched him with her glance. Without
knowing why, yet vaguely fearing that
he did, he became still more embarrass-
ed, and in the very egotism of awkward
ness stammered without Il further saluta-
ton: ga disgraceful thing has happened
last night, and m up early to find the
perpetrator. My desk was broken into,
and
81 know it, - she interrupted, with q
half impatient, half uneasy putting away
of the subject with her Ii tie hand
"'there-don It go all over it again. Paw
and Nav have been at me about it all
night-ever since those Harrisons in their
anXiousness to make up their quarrel,
rushed over with the news, I'm tired Of
it.''
For an instant he was staggered. How
much had she learned. With the same
awkward indirectness, he said vaguely:
"But it might have been your letters,
you know"
''But it wasn't - she said simply.
"It ought to have been. l wish it had
- She stopped, and again regarded
him with strange expression. "Wen, -
she said slowly, "What are you going to
do?',
''To find out the scoundrel who has
done this, - he said firmly, "and punish
him as he deserves. -
The almost imperceptible shrug that
had raised her shoulders gave way as she
regarded him with look of weared COM
passion.
''No,'' she said gravely, "you can
not. They re too many for you. You
must 90 away at once -
"Never, - he said, Indignantly.
Given if it were not cowardice. 1t
would be more-a confessional
''Not more than they already know"
she said YEARLY. "But, I tell you, you
must go. [ have sneaksd out of the
house and run here all the way TO warn
you. If you-you care for me, Jack
you will co.
81 should be traitor to you if 1 did, :"
he said quickly. 81 shall stay
"But if-if-Jack-if-'' she drew
nearer him with new found timidity,
and then suddenly placed her two hands
upon his shoulders: "If-if-Jack-I
were to go with you?''
The old rapt, eager look of possession
had come back to her face now; her lips
were softly parted. Yet even then she
seemed to be waiting some reply more
potent than that syllabled on the lips of
the man before her.
HoWbeit that was the ONLY RESPONSE