Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-08-02

themselves at such places, By way Of keep
ing their hands 4.
OF my old friends l saw very little.
Olive md bpcorre very religious after the
death Of poor Willy Woodburn, who killed
himself while out shooting, and to whom
she had been engaged since they were chill
drcn, and she now gave up her whole time
10 sewing classes, Sunday schools and other
charitable employments. And as for Lofty,
she WAS too much occupied with her ap-
proschi0g marriage to think of anything
else. The only one OF my old frtepds of
whom | saw anything WIS, curioIisly
enough Bran BoUiiter. Bran appeared to
nc 80 have changed Il good deal He was
BY no mems so uniformly gay as he had
been. His humor was often wild and a
little dangerous and l noticed that he was
sometimes depressed.
Report said. moreover. that ne drank
good deal. myself lad often seen him
with flushed face and tumbled hair talking
il an excited manner. Once or twice /
heard it whispered that some girl had
treated him very badly; but l had no slls-
p.c.ou As 10 Who it could be- We were verv
good friends, but on account OF his changed
temperament did not take as MUCH pleas
IRE IN his society as | formerly had done,
and I rather preferred the iovial manner
and careless laugh of Captain Brague.
TneH, too, Bran made shift once or twice
70 get me 10 sy-npaJhiZe with his afflic-
ticuN. One afternoon, | renenb Der. we had
mule up party TO 60 ont TO our country
house aud spend Sunday, agreeing. rs
Bran hid put it, that we would fiv IRON
the Ozark and noisone bvways of the city
t. the green fields and the sunny cham
psiEn.
l. had been arranged that Bran should
DIVE me out IN the dog cart, everybody else
going IN the drag, Bran had been SO very
deli ghtfUl before the excursion, making
outrageous verses about seeking for mod
est yiols.s and quafing the fyouhing vint-
age O: the bovine. that promised myself
very Jelly time With him. but as soon as We
started | noticed that lis hu1nor had
changed. He scarcely spoke at all as we
drove uD 70 the park, ana began TO think
! shouid have to amuse myself with the
scenery. Quite contented with this idea,
wIs leaning little way from him and look
ing up the wooded slopes OF The s5chuyIkilI,
row family green, when he suddenly
turned toward me and asked me rather ab-
TupJly If | was not bored.
Not at all" said l. TO tell you the
truth, was looking at the river, and had
almost forgotten your existence"
He turned away and liicEed his whip AZ
the leader, who was u2ucing little: Then
he looked at ne very earnestly.
Mrs. Charter" sand he, \ am in bad
way. What ought 3 fellow TO DO when he's
IA bad way"
must say l felt rather aCgrieved at first
Why should people have aniictions2 Why
could not everybody take things easily, rs
did2 l was willing to be sorry for poor
Bran, but what could do for him. Such
ware my rather selfish reflections; but il
minute OF two l began to feel some Of my
old fopGuGss for him, ami vaguely wonder
ing whether It WAS about some girl or
about some otEer kind of q scrape that he
wa going to tell me, I laid my hand on
his arm without thinking much about it,
and said
Pm awtUlly sorry 70 hear it. Why do
you let Yourself think of it,
lie looked n my glove ard then back at
me and sad. with 3 curious laugh:
You could never guess what it is
about"
q don't know" said I, with a smile that
WIS meant to make him more cheerful, Il
might guess.
Perhaps you'd rather guess it than have
mc tel YOU His eyes cleaned little,
If he wanted me to say that / would
rather guess, but - l found, with a little
sense Of shame, that l did not care suit
cienrly about it TO do that, merely an
sHcred that he had better tell me.
By Jove.' said he. 81 have it. You
shall fad it out"
81 hate mysteries, - said l What is it
stocks.'
That's very good he replied. '-Yes,
did take stock in-in something. Look
here; II a fellow should hesitate about do
ing something, AMI then see another fel-
low 20 N for the same thing and nearly
succeed, don't you think the first fellow
ought 20 prick up his ears and go in him
selfs'
why, yes said !. "IIe either fears
his fare too much'-you know the rest"
'Hah" His exclamation was quick and
deep toned.
Il think it would be better for me to
drown my sorrows in the bowl-a jolly
s -h5 better
Again ! felt little Of my own softness
toward him, and I said in q sympathizing
tone:
Don't DO that-Bran."
lie gave the horses couple OF cuts.
which made them jump horribly, and then
pretended to be entirely taken up with
them.
Il don't altogether believe it's q girl"
said l To myself Dear me, [ hope It's
nothing disgracejul" And on that very
evening, as l was standing by myself or
the piazza enjoying the first soft breezzs Of
the Young season, he came up and took my
hand with something OF 4 clutch shall
tell you about that now said he.
| didn't mind his taking my haod,
though l did not think it was necessary for
him to squeeze it, aud as l was in q some
what sentimental mood just then l rather
fancicd the idea of consoiing him and be
ing a ElinistcrinG angel. so I said softly:
Yes, if you like
But he hesitatcd, and then, muttering
slowly that ne had not yet made up his
mind, he went away again.
After that, was it remarkable that l de-
cided th1t hIs sorrows were a little of a
bors> Why OF earth should people 81
trGgic' l was not tragic, | was rarely
out of temper-even with my dressmakers.
80 l settled it with myself that Captain
Brague was the man of our little circle
who best suited my disposition
Belmont L2schain and Jack Newmarket
were very devoted TO me, and were swfully
proud of me on horseback; but they-were
2 little narrow minded, and then they had
q way of talking OF their achievements
that didn't much care about. To be sure