The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1894-08-17

"And lit cigar?"
"Well, yes. When a man thinks,
he's bound to light up; can't help it.
$50 you lit up?"
eyes, lit up. Then 1 sat down
again; then 1 got up then sat down.
Nearly wore out the chair before I'd
finished"
THAT was serious. "
cit was. l wanted something.
Didn't know what wanted, SO called
myself names and pitched my cigar
away. Which was rash. 1t was O good
cigar" regretfully; "and l haven't
many left. Must take to smoking
shay like Old key does. He enjoys
it.
Don't be horrid."
81 got tired of walking up and
down, so stopped short in the mid
die of the floor, and fixed my eyes up
on the carpet pattern. It's an awfully
good plan that. The carpet spoke
back to me. 1t said"
"Yes?"
'Oh, 1t said, you bone-ldle beggar,
you've wasted your manhood, you have
tottered in the vineyard (metaphori-
cally, of course-you can't totter in
vineyards where there aren't any
stands to reason) while others toiled,
and oil that sort of thing, don't you
know. Yet all the time, some impos-
; sible dream-a dream OF great happi-
ness-has haunted you. You have
| drifted, drifted, like boat bottom up,
with this happiness quite close to you.
You had but to go forth into the world,
and-and win your spurs-and you
didn't go. That's what the carpet
said. Extraordinary bit of Brussels,
wasn't it?"
eyes. Didn'tit say anything elseg'
'Lots of things, 1t said 1 must
lose this woman l loved because 1 was
ruined.
"Ruinedw
eyes, ruined; and all that sort of
thing. I have been living on capital
instead of interest. The only redeem
ing feature about the affair is that the
gallery will have to go. You see, it'l
hard lines on fellow to have nothing
but gallery left to him; he can't live
up to it; and yet he has to do SO. None
of those rufianly old ancestors of mine
ever did days work in their lives
I'm afraid I haven't done much. Blu
why should l bore you with this?"
? "You don't bore me, and you-suf
, fer!"
{ cit is triAe unpleasant.
, "You didn't think it would be par
ticularly PLEASANT"
! 81 was horribly bored by that gal
' lery. Lady Edith of the White Han,
will fetch a good price from a soaI
+ man. l couldn't have stood that de
, pressing female much longer. She hat
a way Of sticking her hand out at one
| as if fellow couldn't live up to it
Pm sure didn't want live up to it
e I'm thinking Of joining the mounte,
police in the Northwest Territory
g They're a splendid lot; and there's al
+ ways the pleNsureable excitement O
q being scalped by The Man Who Rides
q A-Mule With is-Face The Tail
# or some other equally long-name
4 hero"
D "The experience wouldn't be Q
t much use to you because it could onl,
= happen once"
e eyes, suppose so. There are wors
y things than being scalped."
/ possibly"
"And so goodby to the old times
and TOTO Lady Edith. When MAJ
n is on the brink of ruin it is best TO
him to forget-everything.
! eyes" she said almost inaudibly
&c at is best for him to forget, but no
:. everything. II am very sorry TO
i. you"
He pressed her hand lightly to hi
i lips. She knew that this was hi
+ characteristic farewell to the hopes h
! had cherished. Womanlike, she wa
a. angry at his silence. And then hi
10 wretched pride. She had enoug
II money for both. What did his povert
=, matter? Hadn't he that delightfr
: gallery of ancestors, some of whom,
IS report spoke truly, were little bette
than the wicked. You couldn't bu
10 family portraits like that. Their
\ were plenty of dubious old masters i
> the market, but few undoubtedly sol
mississes," as Mr.. Eggleston Gale
- them.
. And here was this irrational you'll
It who loved her, going off to be scalpe
by Pawnees, or Comanches, or Sioux
g or Apaches, or any other outlandis
y tribe of Indians with whom fat
II might confront him. Why not sta
Ill at home and have his hair pulled onl
! in the family circle? And it was sue
81" beautiful hair