Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-12-07

| INNING ruleS-Whlcl, alter sll, are DllC
ling only upon sentiment-hnd whlc
your SUCCESS hiss proved TO be utteTl
| imprkcsicsl?"
"fhere was another reason, Mr. Fms,
said Unc'e Ben, wipiug away an eE82sr
rassed smile with the back Of his hand
"thst is, TO be square with you, why
thought CT coes1ltin' you. l didn't kee
to have McKinstry, snc-" he sdoe.
hurriedly, sin course Harrison too, know
that bought up the tile to thar bound
sry"
III understand" nodded the master
81 shouldn't think you would"
'iWny shouldn't VIZ" seked Uacle Bsr
quickly.
DWELL don't suppose yen care t,
quarrel with two passionate men,"
UGcle Ben's fsce changed. Pr. sently
however, with his hand to his face, hs
managed to manipulate another smile
Eonly 1t appeared for the purpose of being
US awkwardly wiped away.
"Say one possionase man, MIR. Ford
II "Well. one II you like" returned the
master chseriully. But for the mattel
Of that, why any? Come-do yoa mind
telling me why you bought the land 81
all? You know It's Of little value to any
but McKtnstry and Harrison"
"Soppose," said Uncle Ben slowly,
with great efsctation Of wiping his IL k.
spotted desk with his sleeve "soppose
that had got kinder tired Of SEEM Nc.
Kinstry and hsrrison allus fghtinf and
scrimmsgin' over their boundary line
Soppose kalkilRted that il warn't the
sort o. thing to inouce folks to settle
here. Soppose reckoned that by gettin'
the real title in my hands I'd have the
Seadwood on both o. them, and settle the
thing my own way, chr"
"Thst certainly was very laudsbie
Intention" returned Mr.. Ford, observing
Uncle Ben curicusly, 'ald from what ycu
said Just now about one passionate man,
l isuppose you have determined slreSdY
who to favor. hope your public Split
will be appreciated by Indian Spring at
lesst-if 1t isn't by those two men"
F. IssssEou lay low ami keep dalk and
youth see," returned his companion
%ith G %hopef1lness Of speech which
his somewhat anxious exgeruesg how
ever did not quite bear out. "Bu.
you're mot goin' yet, surely" he addac
as the smaster sgain abstrsctedly con-
Quilted his watch. "It's on'y half paet
four. It's true thar sin't any more to
tell" he added simply, "but hal an ides
that you might hev took to this yer little
story CT mine more than you pear to be,
and might be rskin' questions and kinder
beGevlin' me with jokes tz to what WIGS
goil' to dc-and ell that. But p'raps it
DON'T seem SO wonderful to you erter all.
Come to think Of it-squsrely now" ne
esid, with a singular despondercY, "'m
rather sick Of IL mvself-ph2D
"My dear old boy" said Ford, grasp,
ing both his hands, with swift reVnl-
sion Of shame at his own utterly selfish
abstraction; ~ am overioyed at your
good luck. More than that l cku ssy
hor estly, CID fellow, that it
couldn't have fallen in more worthy
hands, or to any one whose good fortune
would have pleased me more. Ther=l
And If I've been slow and stupid in taxi
ing Ii In, it Is because it's so wonderful,
80 like fairy tale Of virtue rewarded-ss
il you were Kind Of male Cinderella, old
mani He had no intention Of lyiLg-he
had no belief that ne was; he had only
forgotten that his previous Impressions
and hesitations had arisen from the very
fact that he did doubt the consistency Of
the story with his belief in Uucle Ben's
weakness. But he thought himself now
so sincere that the generous reader, who
no doubt is always ready to hail the per-
feet equity Ct his neighbours good luck
will readily forgive him.
In the plepitude of this sincerity, Ford
threw himself at full length on one Of the
lopg benches, and with 3 gesture invited
Uncle Ben TO make himtelf equslly at his
ease. 'Come," he ssid, with boyish
geisy, "let's hear your plans, old man. To
begin with, who's to share them with
Ycu? OF course there are she old FOLKS
81 home first; then you have brothers
and perhs ps sisterE2" He stopped and
glanced with q smile at UGcle Ben; the
idea Of there being G possible female Of
his species struck his fancy.
Uncle Ben, who had hitherto always
e1ereised stvere restr&int-partly from
respect and partly from caution-over his
long limbs in the schoolhouse, here
Slowly lifted enc leg ever another bench,
snd sat himself sstr!de of it, leaning for
ward or his elbow, his chin resting be-.
tween his hands.
GAS ikr SIS the old folks goes, Mr.. Ford.
I'm kiCd CT an orphan"
ga kind OF orphan" echoed Ford.
eyes," said U -cle Ber, leaning heavily
on his chin, so that the action of his jaws
with the enuncIation Of each word slight
ly jerked his head forward as II he were
imparting confidential Information TO the
bench before him. "Yes, thst is, you
see, Pm slI right ez far IS the old msn
goes-he's dead; died away back in MI
zouri. But ez to my mother, it's sorter
betWixt and between-kinder IN
ssrtain. You see, Mr.. Ford, she went
off with O city s,4eAer-an enfire
stranger to me-aforesthe6ld man died,
and that's wot broke up my. schoelih'
Now whether she's hereY there. orsTRn,
can't be found out, tEaugh SqufrasT Qshp-
kins allowed-and he%Were 8 lsHs<f-
that the old man could get q divorcedRhe
wante d, and that yonssEe Eokld mkse ne
a whole crphsr, eff keeret tosRFofe Titles
q tho lawyers say. Well-:tut sortef
let's the old folks out. Then my brother
WAS crc't drowned in the North Pistt,
and never had any sisters. That don't
leave much family for plsrrin' abcu:-
does TT"
HNo," SAID the master refectively, gsz-
ing at Ulcle Ban, "urless you avail your
self OF your advantages now and have one
Of your own. Isuppose now that you are
rich, you'll marry"
Uncle Ben slightly changed his position
and then with his finger and thumb be-
gan to apparently feed himselt with GER
tsin crumbs which had escaped from the
chlldren'5 luncheon baskets and were
still, lying on the bench. Intent on this
occupation and without raising his eyes
to the master, be returned slowly;
dwell, you see, I'm sorter married 81
resdy."
The master sst up quickly.
"Whst, you married-no1?"
"Well, perhaps that's question. It's
. coo5 6oeI Ito nv hcaynI an nynhun-