Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1892-04-10

1
subtle enehantment Of moonlight and
tobacco. As the smoke rises from the
| bowl or floats In tender wreaths from
the lips how limitless becomes the
bounds of thought, how initiate grows
It's DO verl Tho earth is ours, and the
| fuhuess thereof, the world and they that
dwell therein, the mystery Of eternal
darkness, the effulgenee OF everlasting
| light, the depths or the inferno, the
| heights of the empyrean; the illusions
of speculation and the glory OF revela-
| ton. All things finite, some things
! infinite, are ours, and we enter upon
| our heritage untrammeled save by such
! limitations of time and space as even
the divine within Us, the power OF
thought itself, may not altogether lay
| aside.
How changed is this when; instead OF
! the friend OF our heart, the woman OF
our love is beside u.s. Tranquility van
ishes with the smoke In which We may
not indulge; thought contracts, intensi-
| ties, indiyiduaizeS; our solution becomes
a crystal. Even the thought OF her, I'M
aided by visible presence, Is destructive
TO that piece Of mind and inactivity OF
conscience so necessary TO the the en-
! joyment OF profound or idle speculation.
| One thought dominates all thought, ana
| love is the nebula OF new world.
So Dan Stewart sat on the porch OF
| the small house across the ravine and
| thought OF Mrs. Beverley, and failed OF
appreciation Of his environment and OPP
portunity, and woefully failed OF deriv-
/ ing enjoyment from either. In good
sooth Dan was more that commonly
! troubled. and his conscience was as rest
| less as a bird whose nest is threatened.
| His love for Mrs Beverley for, like a
| straightforward gentleman, he acknowl-
edged TO himself that he was In love
with her and very much in love with
! her besides) had been thing OF such
! gradual development that 1t was only
! latterly that he had come TO full knoWl-
! edge of its existence and its strength.
A word, a glance. the chance touch OF
| her hand, an infection OF her sweet
/ voice-who knows how such knowledge
comes? Suffice it that IL had come; the
| scales had fallen and revealedoa passion
| grown 10 mans eState-imperious, In
! sistent, powerful.
What should he do about IL? Man
! hood as well as passion demanded that
no time be lost in making the disclosure
and in seeking happiness, or at least the
! negative comfort of definite conclusion.
! Dan had little thought OF himself in the
matter or OF the downfall OF his hopes,
which was quite within the range OF
possibility. He thought himself I'M
/ worthy OF his love, as every man whose
/ love is a thing of value must, for nobil-
J ity OF love is twin born with humanity,
/ and he resolved in an honest, manly way
that should he prosper in his wOoing he
would endeavor in all after life 10 de-
crease that unworthiness. He thought
! also that Mary must be aware OF the
state OF his mind toward her, since wo-
mans intuition in { such matters is
| keener than mans; but he longed 10
| give them both the certainty OF spoken
words, and TO put the issue at once into
! her hands, where 10 belonged. To Dan
| the meannesS OF Indefinite giving was
| impossible: what he conceived In lnten-
| ton ne substantiated in deed and abidcd
| the result as a gentleman should.
The trouble therefore was not Mary
/ at least not the present trouble. The
| element of diScord which married the
harmony Of the present and the antici-
pations OF the future was Ned Anthony.
His friend. who was now his rival, had
never confded TO him his later love, nor
even limited at its existence, but Dams
nature was too sympathetic not 10 have
made the discovery speedily for himself.
He had not invited Ned's confidence as
on another subject he would have done,
and had it been offered he would have
shrunk from and evaded IL. But all the
same he knew Of the existence OF An
thongs iove for Mary Beverley, just as
he suspected al times that Anthony was
beginning 10 be aware OF his own pas
sion.
Had she been in truth the "little
Mary" OF the story he had listened TO
and grown tender and sympathetic over
out in the lonely canyon, with the stars
overhead and the campfire smoldering
down 10 a bed OF embers, and the walls
OF darkness and solitude shutting them
into sanctuary OF confidence, Dams
course would have been as plain as
though signbOarded at every step. He
must have gone away at once, leaving
the field free to his rival-aye. and have
stald away, holding down all hope with
strong hand until such time as his
rivals fate should be decided beyond all
question. This he could and would
have done as the natural outcome OF
honor and manhood; for IL would have
been an ignoble thing. and a cruel and
treacherous one besides, TO seek TO snatch
the solitary flower Of hard and barren
life before IL was clearly proved that the
flower could never deepen the roots and
grow and flourish into larger life.
n0~
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