The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-12-22
"CRBSSY. !"
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prise, and it must be added to his faint
discontinue, nOrwas il decreased when
Uncle Ben added with grave ndirete and
patroDizing pressure OF his hand on his
Rhoulder-''In course ez your taken il
on to yourself, and ez Lou Price amt got
no further call on me, they orter be yours.
Ez to who got 'em outer the desk, /
recon you amt got no suspicion OF any
one spyin' round ye-hey YEP
In an instant the recollection OF Seth
/ Davis's face ut the window and the cor
: rotation Of Rupert's warning flashed
across Ford's mind. The hypothesis
that Seth had imagined that they were
Cressy's letters, and had thrown them
down without reading them when he
had found out his mistake, seemed nat
ural. For il he had read them he would
undoubtedly have kept them TO show to
Greasy, The complex emotions that had
disturbed the master on the discovery OF
Uncle Ben's relationship to the writer OF
the letterswere resolving themselVesi into
aiurious rage ut Seth. But before he
dared revenge himself he must be first
assured that Seth was ignorant Of their
contents. He turned to Uncle Ben.
II have suspicion, but to make it
certain must ask you for the present to
say nothing of this to any one"
Uncle Ben nodded. "And when you
hev found out and you're settled in your
mind that you kin make my mind easy
about this yer Lou Price, ez we'll call her,
beiu' divorced squarlv, and bein, so to
speak, in the way o getting married agin,
ye might let me know--ez friend. l
reckon wont trouble you any more to-
night-onless you and me takes another
sociable drink together in the bar. No?
Well, then, goodnight" He moved
slowly towards the door. With his hand
on the lock he added" Ell yer writin' to
heragin, you might say ez how you found
melookin' well aud comfable, and hopin'
she's enjyin' the same blessin'. so long"
He disappeared, leaving the lnaGter in
Il hopeless collapse OF conflicting, and it
is to be feared, not very heroic emotions.
The situation which had began so dram.
atically had become suddenly unroman
tlcally ludICrous, without however losing
any Of its embarrassing quality. He was
conscious that he occupied the singular
position OF being more ridiculous than
the husband whose incincible and cOmpla
cent simplicity stung him like the most
exquisite irony. For an instant he was
almost goaded into the fury of declaring
that he had broken off from the writer OF
the letters for ever, but It's Inconsistency |
with the chivalrous attitude he had just
taken occurred to him in time to prevent
him from becoming doubly absurd. His |
rage with Seth Davis seemed to him the
only feeling left that was genuine and |
rational, and yet now that Uncle Ben
had gone even that had spurious ring
1t was necessary for him TO lash himself
into fury over tho hypothesis that the
letters might have been CresSy's, and
desecrated BY that scoundrel's touch.
Perhaps he had read them and left them
to be picked up by others. He looked
over them carefully to see il their mean
ing would to the ordinary reader appear
obvious and compromising. His eye fell
on the first paragraph.
~ should not be quite fair with you,
Jack, il affected TO diseblieve in your
faith in your love for me aud its endur-
anCe, but | should be still more nniairii
didn't tell you what / honestly believe,
that at your age you are apt TO deceive
yourself, and without knowing it to de-
ceive others. You confess you have not
yet decided upon your career, and you
are always looking forward so hopefully,
dear Jack, for achange in the future, but
you are willing to believe that far more
serious things than that will suffer no
change in the meantime. II we Contin-
ucd 0s we were, who am older than
you and have more experience, might
learn the misery OF seeing you change
towards me us have changed toward
another, and for the same reason, II
were sure could keep pace with you in
Your dreams and ambition, Il l were
sure that Ialways knew what they were,
we might still be happy--bnt / am not
sure, and dare not again risk my hap
piness on an uncertainty. In coming to
my present resolution | do not look for
happiness, but at least know lshall not
suffer disappointment, nor involve others
in ii. confess am growingtoo old not
to feel the value toR woman-a necCes.
ity TO her in this country-of security in
her present and future position. Another
can give me that. And although You may
call this a selfish view OF onr relations,
believe that you will soon-ifyou do not,
even rs YOU read this now-feel the JUS
tce OF it, and thank me for taking H."
With Il smile OF scorn he tore up the
letter, in what he iondly believed was
the.bitterness OF an outraged trustful ma
ture, forgetting that for many weeks he
had scarcely thought OF its writer, and
that he himselfin Misconduct had already
anticipated its truths.