Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-03-02


were uttered with blow that threw
Musgrave to the floor.
Then what a hubOub of voices, of
threats, and calls, and EXPLANATIONS
there wasi One of the pupil teachers
ran for the master, crying out as he
went, "Master! master! Come quick :;
Foster has nigh killed poor Musgrave. -
Robert was not cold now. He was
burning and blazing with passion. His
heart was beating like q sledge hammer,
ano every pulse in his body was keeping
its rafting time. "When the hour
strikes. The words were like trum-
pet in his ears. In few moments the
master entered, fussing and Tuning and
striking his stick upon every object in
his path. Musgrave had been assisted
TO his seat, and the boys stood around
him full of sympathy.
"What do you mean, sir?'' cried the
master, facing Robert. GLOW dare you
play the bully in my schoolroom? I'll-
I'll make you pay for it -
"Why did he say my father was a
thief? will strike any one down who
says that.
'See, master! See here? Musgrave s
mother sent the paper. Here it is. -
The master read the paragraph and his
broad white face flushed red at the news
''Foster is thief, - he said, positively :,
ca runaway thief. He has robbed the
man who has been his lifelong friend.
l do not know any meaner kind of thief
than that;'' for he had tutor on each
side of him, and blufing and badgering
the poor boy was q safe enough pleasure,
'My father is no thief. He would cut
off his hands rather than steal penny. .
do fof iC En
truest gentleman in Cumberland. -
"Foster, your father is thief, and
you are fool not to see it. -
s'Fosters are plenty in Cumberland,
sir. 1t may be some other of the name. -
''This is the Foster in Lonsdale's en-
ploy Do you think he would offer Gl00
for any common thief of a Foster? A
thieving lot are the Fosters-have been
for centuries
cit is a lie, wicked, dastardly meas
ureless lie. The Fosters are Border gem
tIemen, and always have been
s'Come, sir! March off to your room
I will attend to you tomorrow. Beg
James Musgrave'S pardon before you
go.''
81 would rather bite out my tongue.
Let Musgrave beg my pardon
a brutal blow from the masters cane
put the period to the sentence. Robert
took it as il he felt it not, but into his
eyes there leaped such an anguish of in
dignant reproach that the master turned
away, and stemmered out some order
relative to the examination of the hurt
which Musgrave had received
In the cold and darkness of the big
bare room, which was shared With many
other boys, Robert sat alone for more
than an hour. He heard the noises in
cidental to the serving Of the tea and
bread and butter, which was the usual
evening meal of the boys, and he was
aware by the silence which soon followed
when the hour for evening study arrived.
But he felt no hunger, nor yet was he
conscious of the bitter cold his heart was
in q fame, and the passion OF his suffer-
ing ano Indignation kept the blood at
fever heat For deny as he would,
cruel doubt at intervals stole like
tongue of fire into his brain. what If it
was true? Then he would ring his hands
and fall upon his knees and pray God to
forgive him for the base fear.
'iFor 1t is i'm possible, he kept saying
"Oh, it is impossiblel Ny fatherl Ny
father. 1t is impossible.
While these words were on his lips the
door of his room softly opened, and some
one entered. It was too dark to
distinguish objects, but Robert per-
ceiven that the figure was tail, and that
it came directly towards him.
81 am Reginald Derwent Foster,
have often been sorry for yen. bur my
father always said 20 me. Reginald.