Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-07-18
/. strike at the old wolf, not at the

you. | strike at the old wolf, not at the
cubs
..You leave that to metz excitedIy
exclaimed LemueI. ''lt is all l have
been working for 1 tell you love this
girl, and 1 am going to have her, and
he flung himself with a defiant air into
his chair.
Love! Listen to the man. A wretch
like you to talk of love.
''Why should 1 not love? Do you think
1 am not like other men? Besides, II
there were no other reason, would mar
~ her just to spite young Houston. -
''why should you wish to spite hlm?''
''Because [ hate him. 1 have hated
him from the time L was boy, though
he was not aware that 1 even knew
him. -
That sounds as queer as most of the
statements you have made to me, - OBJ
served the elder man, who had seated
himself on table and was swinging his
long legs as he pulled a black looking
cigar.
cts God truth, though, - returned
Lemuel, who did not seem to mind the
slur cast on his veracity, ''and / may as
well tell you why and he wheeled
around in his chair so that he faced the
other. Ny mother was poor woman,
Mr.. Smith, for my father died when I
was quite young, leaving her in poverty
She had to make her own living, there
fore, and, much against her will, for she
was proud woman in her way, she ac-
cepted a situation as housekeeper with
young married couple in New York.
Her mistress was young and beautiful,
but, belonging as she did, to one of the
old New York families, she was cold and
oil
she idolized. She treated my mother as
though she were beng of a different
and lower order, and time after time in
suited her and made me feel the degra-
dation of her position. Young as 1 was
then, l can remember her pacing the
floor of the room where she and l slept,
for she was allowed to retain me with her
until after midnight, muttering threats
against the rich and happy young wife
who was all that my mother was not.
When she heard the wheels of the car
riage which was bringing her mistress
home from some ball or reception stop
at the door of the old-fashioned mansion
she would steal to the window and peep
down at the dainty creature wrapped in
her furs being lifted out by her proud
young husband. Then my mother S rage
would burst out and she would shake her
fist at the unconscious beauty and curse
her.
Zone day, however, her mood al
tered, and instead of cursing or raving,
she used to smile and laugh softly to her
self as she watched the couple. To me
all this was a mystery. l only knew that
my mother hated her mistress and that
hated her too, because she must have
hurt my mother, thought L. But L could
~ hot ofn bod
over the young master and mistress of
the household, as well as over my
mother. The husband grew moody and
taciturn, the wife spent her days IN her
own room, emerging with pale cheeks
and reddish eyes to rattle along with
what, child as l was, could see was
only forced gayety and all the time my
mother smiled and laughed to herself.
Then one day the husband went away.
He was going to travel for many months,
we were told, curious course for q
young married man to take, when he
knew that in a very few weeks there
would be a child to call him father,
but ne went Notwithstanding, and
from the day he left the house his wife
never smiled. She seemed to droOp
away, and she who was once so arrogant
and proud, became as meek as the hum
blest maid i'll her employ. Her child
was born and she lived but a week after
its birth.
''Then my mother sought other en-
ployment, anu years after she told me
the story. It was she who parted the
husband and wife. Skillfully forged
letters and an intimate acquaintance
with the habits of her enemy enabled
her to convince the husband that his
wife was false to him. To avoid scan
DIAL, and after a distressing scene with
his wife, he went away and never
returned. -
During Strange's story, which was
delivered in a low, hesitating fashion,
the elder man remained perfectly i'm
passive, but a close observer might have
observed that he had let his cigar go
out though he still held it between his
teeth AS Strange ended the teeth
closed with nervous snap and the upper
portion of the cigar bitten clean through,
fell to the floor ''What has this TO do
with young Houston? said he
''Simply this: That is the son of the
woman who, for two years, tortured my
mother until she was driven to commit a
crime His father, l imagine is the in
dividual whose death is accountable for
Mr.. Nugent's present uncomfortable
state of mind -
CHAPTER XIII.
MIR. SMITH EXPLAINS.
Much to Strange's surprise this dis