The morning call., 1892-07-10

Have good knock round, gaffer. au' when
its all burnt out come back again an mex
friends wi things"
| could see his ontstretehed hand and
mine went to it involuntarly.
long, gaffer," was all | heard as the
horse leaped away with me down the rough
track
$50 long" l said to the hot sflrnce and
the Western solitude, where had dreamed
my dreams awhile, tolerant Of the summer
loneliness rs long as / could people it with
fancy and see Doris and good company
beyond 1t. But to remain there with my
dead hopes ali about me grinning like
marl0Dettes which love had made caper
deiuded by its own magic; 70 live on
through the long m0notonous heat with no
opposite shore for the bridge Of thought to
touch, with no future but fogbank where
had been fair country. No, / could not.
CHAPTER II.
l need not dwell on that period it lies in
my memory more like hdeOus dream than
so many weeks and months of actual lie,
and Ike dream, there are only portions OF
it which stand out from the shadows-ad-
ventures, incidents, scraps Of scenery. seen
in clearer moments. Il is enough to say
that | game round gradually, and began 10
see things as they should be seen. But the
bate was all gone. and love alone was left
though badly nouTished. having no hopes to
diet il, and L got accustomed 10 think of
Doris as one who was dead and yet living
and very lovable withal. even as Beatrice
was TO Dante.
So a year passed on and left me minus
some thuus lnds of dollars. had found my
way into Colorado and was miner al one
OF the great jOlnt-stock claims, which have
taken the place of the old-fashioned dig
glDgS. The rough work suited my humoT,
and there was life and go in the town and
much distraction in the game of faro, of
which more in its place. For nine months
L had not heard from Canada and had
ceased to think OF the place. My father had
taken kindly to his new life, which was all
needed TO know. | wished to be, and was
solitary in the world, though ! mixed
much with men, finding more isolation in
crowd than IN lonely places. But was be-
ginning TO be restless again and 10 wish for
another change when something happened
which / had not looked for. but which
makes me always thankful 1 played faro
that night az Mdat
1t was nothing more than quarrel and a
whipping cut Of reyolyers, aGd then a sud
den lane Of rough figures looking on while
the Two Tired from either end. | heard the
low tbud Of the bullet a il struck Black
Jake and 1 caught him in my arms as he
fell backward with sudden limpness and
whitening face. | had only seen him once
before and he had reused vague reenlec-
ton which had made me look again at
him. wondering what it WAS about him
that was so familiar. lie had been al one
OF the far tables or perhaps his speech
would have given me the cue. Now as he
opened his eyes and stared up into mine he
turned MS lips from the flask and said God
forgive us-it's Master Sedley!'
That's SO. Take pull at this. and tell
me who you are. said ], surprised at my
own name.
The liquor was Of little use. for his heart
was slowing every moment, but 1t brought
Ticker to his face and word or two more
to his lips, "Gle me yer ear-clOser" he
whispered. hob Naturalization post
man-ay, yo' know me now. They want
me for robbing the bags. Tell 'em death
has got me, and tell young doctor chap as
hopes to. He larned me thu peginnin'-
he Yore letters-Miss Doris'-I stopped
EN- His money. Hope no harm done
siT-ChriSt save" His eyes glazed a
tIemble went through him and he slipped
OFT without another word. leaving me staring
at the dyed whiskers and dissipated fea-
lures with ringing ears and a thousand
thoughts and feelings all set loose together
to the overwhelming of my wits, which
seemed quite uDdOne.
Long after they had carried him AWAY.
and the noise and confusion was spent.
L stood leaning Oh the bar counter, staring
YacantIy through the smoke of the saloon
seeing and hearing nothing, but conscious
OF a growing hend within the and tight
ening OF my teeth as L reckoned things up
ana saw IN all Its clearDess the perfiy that
had become between us. The letter-was
not that part OF il? Could Doris from her
hearts heart have written such letter AT
ali? IL was forgery, a trick, and | had
been a fool to be duped by it-nay. n villain
in very truth; for | had doubted Doris and
given her pain and misery perhaps thou
sand times worse than my own.
ct the letter was clear enough, said the
ghost OF doubt, it was in her own charac-
teristlc handwriting, said memory; and
there was no forging that, put in doubt
again.
Then a resolution came to me. and |
walked out into the open air and breathed
IL IN with long Inhalation. as men do al
sudden relief or when stirred with new pur-
pose.
There were evil things in my heart, but
there was one little corner where hope
stirred, as If after a long sleep / could
feel 1t as looked up to the heavens where
the stars were twinkiing down at me. as if
they knew a thing or two, having seen
Doris only few hours agone
Next morning l started for New ork,
ana In Tour more days was on the Atlantic
gazing az the last point of Sandy Hook as
IL sank lower and lower, till the horizon
where.
But as we sped eastward through the long
days and nights. as | drew nearer TO Doris
and him and the truth, the tends grew
pusler within me and gave my little babe of
Hope such busting that welInigh lost
slght OF II in the tumult
had been away IS months, and what
mIght man not do in that time with an
Iuiplesslonaole young girl who had the best
5nluehce Lnat her lover was unfairI,ful9
ihey were cousins. ana had been topether
III carrier years lie was a highly educated
anu ,cobtfasted with me, brilliant. perhans
fascinating man He had secnrtd
nls diploma; but the ardu0us studv
had broken him down ara
cruit himself he had left his London bon,a
TO pass some weeks among the breezy IiIIs
OF Worcestershire, the guest of his fathers
sister. the daily companion, no doubt. of
DORIS. de had seen her beauty. her young
susceptibility to the Influences about her.
and he bad wermed MS way into her heart
and cankered il, as grubs do roses So
hatred totted il III up and made me feel as
murderers do. God forgive me! 1t is all
passed now, and it was loves doing with all
three of u.s.
LII was past midnight when arrived after
~ days at Worcester The od- city was
sinmOerlng and the great cathedral was
Watching over IL and telling out the hours
TO IT'S deal ears as the fly rumbed noisiIy to
the hotel, where / had perforce 10 stav till
daylight enabled me to continue my journey
by the early train.
lay on the bed half dressed. listening tn
the quarters as they chimed through the
silence one after the other. and each time
the familiar sounds crossed the current of
my thoughts they swung me out of the
morrow to other days. which their ringing
brought back irresistibly, till by and 10y
allowed memory TO have its way entirely,
ana lived again in the halcyon sunniness
OF Dygone Years. / closed my eyes to look
al II all, and allowed it TO float dreamlike
ana as IL would. Till patches Of grayness
q fad n r.