Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-10-25

could rise above the sordid factionisn OF
the rabble.
CHAPTER NIv.-IiOsS.
The happiest day. the happiest hour.
My scared and blighted heart hath known.
The highest hope of pride and power
Ifeci hath fowl
And pride, what have now with thee,
Another brow may N inherit
The venom thou hast poured on ne
Be still my spirit!
Day after day increased Blarnaby's anxi-
cites. Time did not seem to be up on his
side now Difficulties followed fast on the
heels of disappointmentS; fresh clouds
gathered when mists began to melt away .;
hope itself was on the hover, as il posing
its wings for flight.
To mis- associates he was still CHEEKY and
confident and resolute as ever: at least, he
seemed to be. To himself he was frank,
and allowed the spurious confidence, that
in these times tries hard to dupe US, no
footing in the cold chamber OF his mind,
Weak folk like to take the whole parish
into their confidence. The strong man,
somebody has finely said, is strongest
alone. Blarnaby gloried in his bearing his
burdens silently, secretly, burying them, if
he might, deep in the sepuicher of his own
heart.
He looked ont upon the gray dawn of
each newborn day all wistfuly TO discern
the 81 gns of its promise. He saw vague
clustering clouds, that might gather into
one black, threatening mass, as pail for
the dead hopes of yesterday: or they might
dissolve into q flmy veil for the bridal of
joy and success. The Scheme. the Scheme
how are the fates dealing with that vital
matter now Those provoking paragraphs
in the Patriot ever harping upon the great
Scheme, nice to the eye, yet with some
thing between the lines that leaves tart
favor-are they really meant 10 help or to
hinder.
Hogg-is he scheming scheme of his
own. Is it possible he is running a counter
plot beneath the surface, trying, perhaps,
to brighten the English investors out of
confidence?
Blobbe-is Blobbe tickle or faithful out
and-out friend or half-and-half traitor?
FOtneringham, the Indispensable, the all
powerful man of affairS-cIn he be only
playing for his own hand2
Euphemia Shicksper, a good woman sore
tried martyar, and, diplomatist withal-
surely, surely she viii never turn and rend
me. now.
Lady Ossnlstonc. dear lady mine .-ah,
she is my goddess of fate.
Blarnaby's thoughts flew wide afield in
these blustery days. Many d devious chase
they led him, but they unfailingly brought
him back to her. Halt distrustful of his
Judgment now, as he felt himself growing,
more ana more did he come to be convinced
that she, and she only. was the solution of
the crisis now impending. Political vic
tory. as he saw it. involving in his case the
higher triumph of large craftsmanship, de-
pended upon commercial and social status,
and the social conquest he was SO near
achieving was bound to command the sue
cess of the others. To win her ladyship
now would be TO win all along the line.
The play is hazardous, but the stake is
tremendous.
!Itt1 ., IT. 3
late. The opportunities for even a mo-
ment's exchange of greetings had been very
rare. Writing was out Of the question.
Net il was not only important. but a6so-
lutely essential. that he should meet her,
and that right soon.
He made up his mind 10 see her at once.
\ hundred devices he thought of, and dis
missed. The occasion was not of a kind
that any of the familiar schemes of young
lovers would serve. The gravity OF it de-
manded the fullest dignity and deliberate
ness OF circumstance. There was nothing
for il but 10 call openly at Miss Benndison's
and trust TO luck. So he would have lightly
phrased it. but underneath there would
have been IN his tone grim consciousness
that luck, however good, would heed full
backingup by his trustier henchmen, Tact
and Determination.
Good luck may snatch the fateful inter-
terView. thought he, but what if love gladly
yOucnSateS IL! SO may 1t be.
He paced the streets that morning with
an Observation-Disclosures wholly new 10 him.
He was not absorbed in wistful contempla-
ton of the paving stones. On the contrary,
his eyes amused themselves by quizzing
things, anything and everything, as never
before since school-boyhood. They were
having holiday. Even such absurdly COM
monplace objects as the patterns of iron
ratings, the shapes of the sham stone
mouldings on house tops, the exercise of
finding out which fronts were real brick
and which We're painted stucco; these, and
every conceivable variety of impish actiy-
ity, gave his eyes plenty of occupation all
TO their bright selves; but their master was
otherwise employed. He looked through
windows at the near objects. but saw them
not. His vision pierced far beyond all these
things, right into the mysteries to come, yet
without seeing any more clearly there.
Some of lis think we do our thinking, or
what we Halter ourselves is cur thinking.
best in solitude or in darkness. Doubtful,
very. if we do; we who have not trained
our thoughts to jump when ordered. There
is a SoliJ de OF silence, a solitude of the
surging sea, 4 solitude of the sick room,
solitude of the enthralllng book. Each to
his taste, and that which best serves the
end; but for me the solitude of the roaring
city street. Darkness, silence, loneliness,
so overwhelm the unaccustomed brain with
the reverberations Of its quickened throbs
that calm self-possession is hard to COM
mand until too late In the rushing crowd
there is 4 double spell that engages the
outer faculties sufficiently to secure the in
ner consciousness unhindered liberty to
dive or soar.
Passers-by saluted the Hon. De Witt
Blarnaby as he strobe their way. and he
returned their civilities, but purely auto
matically. They were swelling with the
proud qualification of having their minor
selves recognized by the great man of Ne
hour. How would they have WINGED if Ney
had known it was only the motion o5the
great mans self-acting machinery. Net
where would beloved conventionality> he
without its automatic signal makeshifts for
honesty?
Now he comes near the house The omen
was favorable. Miss BenniSon and the two
young ladies We're Just coming down the
stoop, bent on shopping expedition.
$50 delighted to have another. and prob
ably the last. opportunity of receiving your
good wishes before the battle said he,
gaily enough, in response TO their stimuli
taneouS greetings. THANK you. no: I
really am quite unable to stay for more
than single moment. even If | had the i'll
grace to intervene so long between any lady
and her mission to the dry goods heathen.'
Miss Bennison smiled gentle rebuke TO
the rather ill-chosen sarcasm, and the girls
smartly rallied their teaSer on the still
stronger weakness some otherwise in
nocent men have for political wares
Mr. Blaruaby felt he had been Unskilful
this time, and quickly pleaded the spelling