Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-10-22
I GUESS HE'S EITHER DEAD Oh ELSE RAv1Ne MAD. :"

philosophers and the British aristocracy.
| Elsie WAS an ideal in his eyes, rare in gifts
and graces; no less a jolly girl than high
born lady. He had often told her how he
liked her sensibleness, and she fully under
stood the value of such tribute from such
| a man.
If he had poured a stream of pretty moth
ings upon her beauty and such-like Cthe
makeshifts of loye-talk among the witlings)
she would have smartly swept him out with
| other rubbish. That was one of the
chains she held him with, though she hardly
| knew IL.
On the other hand, he was popular with
all the mothers of all the manageable girls
of the day; indeed it needed all his abun-
dant to free himself from unintentional en-
tanglements. A smile from Sir John was
interpreted as the equivalent of solemn
proposal from most other men. Know
ing the extensive field of choice that lay
! around him, ne naturally felt in no particu-
lar hurry to decide. Some worthy BritonS
have shown a staying power that has en-
abled them to wait from young bachelorhood
to old fogyism until death, or other inter
position of merciful providence, has released
the object of their life's-love from her mat
rimonial bondage. Sir John had no thought
of counting any such will-o'-the-wisp as
that If ne ever cross examined his inner
consciousness upon the matter the outcome
would have been something to this effect:
certainly have Elsie, in spite of my will,
! may say, though have no desire not to.
She fights shy SO far. but then, probably 1t
is my own fault. i have not yet really made
a business of courtship. AT all events, we
can both afford to wait while, and the
sweet little cherubs that sit up aloft, and
Shift US chessmen as suits their fancy, will
most likely give US move one OF these line
days that will settle the game.
The history of MIR. Hogg's courtShip OF
~, ah.,hjp &c IpcS tn
tell. He was considerably her senior, or
what the average bride considers ''consid-
erably' whatever that vagueSt OF words
may mean. Put it at from ten to fifteen
years His bent of mind was grave and
philosophical: hers exactly the opposite.
These are two of the good reasons why
they drifted rather than fell In love. Genle's
viyacity balanced his more ponderous ten
dency. and she had learned to love where
she had only expected to admire.
There was no courtsnlp, properly
SO called. Mr.. Hogg's young manhood
had been chiefly spent in libraries, the study
and the fields. When Miss Bennison, who
was his lifelong friend and adviser, took
Miss Dabchic into her fold. the inquisitive-
ness or a bright girl. eager to avail herself
of the results of Mr.. Hogg'S invaluable
stores of knowledge, first charmed and
then captivated him. In Genie he found
new and Sweeter sense OF companlonshlp
TO taste the ecstasies felt by young teachers,
divines or others, when they realize the
proud sense of mastership, the conscious
ness that lesser souls are lovingly feeding
on their provender; and if this is SO keen
delight when the dependents are youths or
mixed audiences, how unspeakably more
enjoyable when the scholar is fascina-
ing damSel.
Mr.. Hogg received quite as much benefit
and amusement as he impaired. Under
his tuition Genie grew wonderfully wise,
she felt, and under hers he lost half his ma
tive clumsiness. OF course it was gener-
ally assumed that their frequent compan-
ionship in study and walks and drives
would end in what a cockney foo man once
called "the bride at the haltar." Yet if
Mr.. Hogg had been fairly summoned to
state just what he felt about it, he would
have stopped short good mile on this side
the Rubicon.
Good as she might be as a pupil, compan-
ion, or even as L mild f1irt, he would have
to give the whole question of matrimony a
thorough and deliberate think-out Like
herr OF course. Love herr Well. no
doubt But there's love and love. don't
you know, and a man may miss the
browning favor in the cup of bliss by drink
ing it hastily.
Genie, too, while she chuckled to think
every body credited her with the conquest
of so desirable husband. had a mental res
ervation of her own. She would always
like to hold him as her very dearest, lovablest
friend-until a dearer might turn up; and
even then she would like him to keep on as
before. This was her airy, superficial way
of looking at most things. Grim Time soon
enough knocks that enviable apology for
philosophy out of the giddiest of us.
The departure of the two men for the
West had an unlOoked-for effect upon the
whole of the four. The shutting of cards
makes wonderful changes in the suits, as
may possibly have been observed by other |
original thinkers. Slowly, all but uncon-
sciously, the two men had discovered char
acteristics in their fair associates that
somehow, seemed to be working a singular |
change in their relations. Sir John actually
found himself one morning looking up the |
word affinity in all the dictionaries he |
could get hold OF. There seemed to be a |
new and yaster significance in it than he |
had suspected: in fact, he had always re- I
garded it as a dangerous cant word and no |
more. Miss Dabchic was certainly remark |
ably clever girl, said he to himself stSome-
thing SO, so-what the duce can a fellow |
call its The iolliest, winningest, piquant |
little puss l ever met. And how she would 1
corruscate.iD the shircs Elsie is-well, |