The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-03-20
CHAPTER XIV.


CHAPTER XIV.
Next day. sure enough. the cablegram didn't
come. This was an immense disaster. for
Tracy couldn't 60 into the presence without
that ticket, although It wasn't going to pos
sess any value as evidence. But II the failure
Of the cablegram on that first day may be
called an immense disaster. where is the die
tionary that can turn out q phrase sizeable
enough to describe the tenth days failure OF
course every day that the cablegram didn't
come made Tracy oil OF twenty-fours more
ashamed Of himself than he was the day be-
fore. and made Sally twenty-four hours more
certain than ever that he not only hadn't any
father anywhere. but hadn't even confederate
and so it followed that he was double-dyed
humbug and couldn't be otherwise.
These were hard days for Ba rrow and the
art firm. All these had their hands full. try
ing to comfort Tracy. Barrow's task was par
ticularly hard. because he was made conf
dant in full. and therefore had to humor Ira
cy's delusion that he had father. and that
tho father was an earl. and that he was going
to send q cablegram.
Barrow early gave up the idea OF trying to
convince Tracy that no hadn't any father. be-
cause this had such q bad effect on the patient
and worked up his temper to suoh an alarming
degree. He had tried. as an experiment. let
ting Tracy think he had q father. The result
was so good that he went further with proper
caution. and tried letting him think his father
was an earl. This wrought so we'll that he
grew bodl and tried letting him think no had
two fathers. II he wanted to: but he didn't
want to. SO Barrow withdrew one OF them and
substituted letting him think he was going to
get cablegrsm-which Barrow Judged he
wouldn't and WAS right: but Barrow worked
the cablegram daily for all 1t was worth. and It
WAS the one thing that kept Tracy alive: that
was Barrow's opinion.
Aud these were bitter hard days for poor
Sally. and mainly delivered up to private cry-
ing. She kept her furniture pretty damp. and
90 caught cold. and the dampness and the
appetite. and she was pittful enough object.
poor thing. Her state was bad enough. as per
statement OF It above quoted: but all the forces
Of nature and circumstances seemed conspir-
ing to make 1t worse-and succeeding. For In
stance. the morning after her dismissal OF
Tracy. Hawkins and Sellers read In the asso-
ciato press dispatches that toy puzzle called
Pigs In the Clover had come into sudden favor
within the past few weeks. and that from tho
Atlantic to the Pacific all the populations Of all
the States had knocked of work to play with
It, and that the business Of the country had
now come to a standstill In consequence: that
judges. lawyers burglars. parsons. thieves.
merchants. mechanics. murderers. women.
children. babies-everybody. indeed. could be
seen from morning till midnight, absorbed
in one deep project and purpose. and
only one-to pen those pigs, work out
that puzzle successfully: that all gayety.
all cheerfulness had departed from the ma.
ton. and In its place caro-. preoccupation. and
anxiety sat upon every countenance. and all
faces were drawn. distressed and furrowed
with the signs Of age and trouble. and marked
with the still sadder signs Of mental decay
and incipient madness; that factories were at
work night and day In eight cities. and yet to
supply the demand for tho puzzle was thus far
impossible. Hawkins was wild with Joy. but
Sellers was calm. Small matters could not
disturb his serenity. He said:
That's Just tho way things 60. A man In
vents thing which could revolutionizs tho
arts. produce mountains Of money and bless
the earth. and who will bother with 1t or show
any interest in it?-and 80 you are just as
poor as you were before. But you invent
some worthless thing to amuse yourself with.
and would throw 1t away II left alone. and all
OF O sudden the whole world makes snatch
for it and out crops fortune. Hunt up that
Yankee and collect. Hawkins-hak Is yours.
you know. Leave me to potter at my lecture"
This was temperance lecture Sellers was
head chief in the temperance camp. and had
lecturcd now and then In that interest," but
had boon dissatisfied with his efforts. where.
fore he was now about to try . new plan. AZ
tor much thought he had concluded that
main reason why his lectures lacked fire or
something was that they were too transpar-
emily amateurish: that Is to say. It was proba-
bly, too plainly perceptible that tho lecturer
was trying to tell people about the horrid effects
Of liquor when he didn't really know anything
about those effects except from hearsay. since
he had hardly ever tasted an intoSicant in his
life. His scheme now WAS to prepare himself to
speak from bitter experience. Hawkins was
to stand by with tho bottle. calculate the doses.
watch the effects. make notes OF results.
and otherwise assist In the preparation. Time
was short. for the ladies would be along about
noon-thAt 10 to say. the temperance organ
ization called tho Daughters Of Siloam-and
Sellers must be ready to head the procession.
The time kept slipping along: Hawkins did
not return. Sellers could not venture to walt
longer. 30 he attacked the bottle himself and
proceeded to note the effects. Hawkins got
back at last. took one comprehensive glance
at the lecturer and went down and headed of
the procession. The ladies were grieved to
hear that the champion had been taken sud
denly Ill. and violently so. but glad to hear
that It was hoped he would be out again In a
few days.
As 1t turned out. the old gentleman didn't
turn over or show any signs OF life worth
speaking OF for twenty-four hours. Then he
asked after the procession. and learned what
had happened about It He was sorry: said
no had been fixed" for II. He remained sbed
several days, and his wife and daughter took
turns In sittinR with him and ministerinR to