Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-08-25

interfered with for a week by pleasant
sunshine. No, sir. The event of import-
ance to the Californian at this moment is the
mysterious something that has happened out
at sea, and there is no excuse for his asso-
ciating summer breeze from the east with
it, except that there is something peculiar
about that breeze that associates it in the
mind with the predominant mystery"
smiled. "You will pardon me, Judge,
trying to invest the whole affair with an
occult significance that is subjective. I
suppose that in few hours the matter will
be explained and forgotten"
This sudden endeavor to impute to a mere
meteorological phenomenon some inscruta-
BILE and portentous shadow, annoyed me a
little. felt that it was childishly SUPER
stitious, and I would have turned the sub
ject of conversation into another channel.
But he would not have it.
''The difficulty" said he, as he spread a
piece of toast, with the young man who
has reached your vital condition is that he
has but one form of faith, and it amounts
to this: whatever has been will be. You
can't make him understand that the only
warrant for believing that the sun will rise
tomorrow is a kind of childish idea that it
has risen and set so long that it cannot
stop. But suns have stopped. Other sys-
TENS have been suddenly plunged into end
less night by the extinction of their central
luminary."
resented this attempt TO work upon my
reason through my fears and ignorance, and
was about to make a rather rash reply, when
1 looked at Kate. Her two hands rested on
the edge of the table. her head was inclined
slightly forward, and she was gazing at her
father with that distracted air that had SO
often noticed, but which now plainly
showed that something in his thought
timidity. The consciousness that
her father was weak enough to play with a
woman's credulity did not help to make me
very amiable, and before 1 had thought
had answered.
81 think" said, "that when a man
reaches my vital development he has at least
learned one of the most useful lessons OF life
which is that one can lind troubles enough
in his experience without going to his imagi-
nation for them"
In a moment we were in one of those
foolish little wrangles in which, so far as
argument is concerned, the younger man is
at great disadvantage. when the elder,
however unreasonable his claims, enforces
them with the advantage of age and position.
/ remember that the desire to convince Kate
on the one hand that was free from what
conceived to be her fathers unreasonable
ness and sustain my independence of views
on the other hand, led me to say much more
than was polite, for 1 exasperated the old
and with a curt and not alto
gether complimentary remark he go. up and
lett the room.
The moment he was gone I turned to the
daughter and laughingly said: "Well, my
dear, 1 am afraid I have offended your
father without intending it, but you at least
me, and are free from his super
stition."
To my surprise, she regarded me with
serious air and replied, 81 do not know
what you mean by superstition. MY father
believes that something has happened and
feel that he is right"
You do not mean to tell me-" said,
that you believe anything has happened
that can corcern us?''
She made no reply. I looked at her with
some establishment and wondered if had
offended her by opposing her fathers child
ish views.
Perhaps" Ipersisted, "you, too, think 1
am stupidity unreasonable because will not
to be dishonesty chimerical.''
we'll remember the look of reproach