Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1891-06-11
AN HEIRESS FROM REDHORSE.
Ambrose Bierce in San Francisco Examiner.


ed in him. 1t is not, am sure, his-d
you know any noun corresponding to tn
adjective "handsome?"- does no
like to say "beauty" when speaking of
man. He is handsome enough, HEAVIER
knows; should not even care to trus
you with him-faithfulest of all posi-
BILE wives that you are-when he look:
his best, as he always does. Nor do
think the fascination of his manners
has much to do with it. You recollect
that the charm of art inheres in that
which is indefnable, and to you and me
my dear Irene, l fancy there is rather
less of that in the branch of art under
consideration than to girls in their first
season. l fancy know how my fine
gentleman produces many of his effects,
and could perhaps instruct him to
heighten them. Nevertheless his man
ner is something truly delightful.
suppose what interests me chiefly is the
mans brains. His conversation is the
best | have ever heard, and altogether
unlike any ones else. He seems to
know everything, as indeed he ought,
for he has been everywhere, read every
thing, seen all there is to see-sOme-
times think rather more than is good
for him-and had acquaintance with the
queerest people! And then his voice
Irene, when hear it | actually feel as if
| ought to have paid at the door, though,
of course, it is my own door.
july 3.
/ fear my remarks about DR.. BarritZ
must have been, being thoughtless, very
silly, or you would not have written of
him with such levity, not to say disre-
spect. Believe me, dearest,he has more
dignity and seriousness (of the kind, |
mean, which is not inconsistent with
manner sometimes playful and always
charming) than any of the men that you
and ever met. And young RaynOr-
you knew Raynor at Monterey-tells me
that the men all like him, and that he is
treated with something like Difference
everywhere. There is a mystery, too
something about his connection with the
Blavatsky people in Northern India
Raynor either would not or could not
tell me the particulars. l infer that DIR.
Barritz is thought-dOn't you dare to
laugh-a magician! Could anything be
finer than that? An ordinary mystery
is not, of course, as good as a scandal,
but when it relates to dark and dreadful
practices to the exercise of unearthly
powers cold anything be more piquant?
1t explains, too, the singular influence
the man has upon me. 1t is the indie
Unable in his art-black art! Serious
ly, dear, 1 quite tremble when he looks
me full in the eyes with those unfath-
omable orbs of his which have already
vainly attempted to describe to you.-I
How dreadful if he have the power to
make one fall in lOvel Do you know if
the Blavatsky crowd have that power
outside of Sepoy?
July 16.
The strangest thing! Last evening
while aunt was attending one of the no
tel hops q hate them) DIR. Barritz call
ed. 1t was scandalOusly late-I actual
ously believe he had talked with aunty
in the ball room and learned from her
that was alone. l had been all the even
ing contriving how to worm out of him
the truth about his connection with the
Thugs in Sepoy, and all of that black
business, but the moment he fixed his
eyes on me, for l admitted him, I'm
ashamed to say was helpless. L trem- |
bled, | blushed. 10 Irene! Irene, |
love the man beyond expression, and
You know how it is yourself
Fancy! l, an old duckling from Red
horse-daugbter they say of old "Ca-
Iamity JIM certainly his heiress, with |
no living relation but an absurd old |
aunt,who spoils me a thousand and fifty
absolutely destitute of everything |
but 100000 and hope in Paris-I,
darling, to love god like himl My
dear, if l had you here l could tear your
hair out with modification.
lam convinced that he is aware of my |
feeling, for he stayed but a few mo-
ments, said nothing but what another |
man might have said, half as well, and |
pretending that he had an engagement |
went away. learned to-day "a little
bird told me-the bell-boy) that he went
straight to bed. How does that strike
you as an evidence of exemplary habits?
July IL
That little wretch Raynor called yes
terday and his babble set me almost |
wild He never runs down-that is to
say, when he does run down score of
more or less, he does not
pause between one reputation and the
next. (By the way, he inquired about
you, and his manifestations of interest in
you had, confess, a good deal of genu
inc vraisemblance.) Mr.. Raynor OBJ
serves no game laws; like the death
which he would inf1ict if ISLANDERS were
fatal, he has all seasons for his own. But
| like him, for we knew one another at
Redhorse, when we were young and
true-hearted and barefooted. He was
known in those fair days as "Giggles,"
and 10 Irenel can you ever forgive
me?-I was called "Gunny" God knows
why; perhaps in allusion to the material
of my pinafores; perhaps because the
name is an ALTERATION with "Giggles,"
for Gig and were inseparable play
mates. and the miners may have thought
it delicate compliment to recognize
some kind of relationship between us.
Later we took in third another of
adversity's brood, who, like Garrick be-
tween tragedy and comedy, had chron
ic inability to adjudicate the rival
claims Ito himselD of frost and famine.
Between him and the grave there was
seldom anything more than a single
suspender and the hope of a meal which
would at the same time support life and
make it supportable. He literally pick
ed up precarious living for himself
and an aged mother by "chloriding the
Dumps" that is to say, the miners per-
mitted him to search the heaps of waste
rock for such pieces of "pay ore" as had
been overlooked. and these he sacked
up and sold at the Syndicate mills. He
became member of our firm-"Gunny,
Gigples and Dumps" thenceforth-l