The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1894-01-10

| W COIne 10 Illne. heaven tOfDld the
should
IL is rather singular, by the way, tina
neither of us three boys has ever serious
ly thought of marriage. John is now 3
and getting set in his ways. For his owl
sake, as well as for the fanily's, he ough
not to delay much longer Father Sc
his heart upon the perpetuation of tn,
Mainwaring line in America, and h,
built this great stone mansion ant
bought the 200 acres of ground on which
1t stands with the purpose that it Shout,
be our homestead forever. But John doe
not seem to be attracted by women OF
to attract them, apart from the fac
that he is a millionaire. am not mar
rying man either. Inever was so mucl
in love with any girl as ! am with my
cobra. Henry is the lady'sman of the fam
lily. He was always cherishinga romantic
passion for somebody and had a score Of
good chances of becoming a Benedict
even before he went abroad. What he
may have done since know not. But he
is as tickle as he is impressionable, and
doubt whether he will ever bring him
his wife. What villainous mischance
it would be if we were all to remain
childless and Cedarcliffe were finally to
go to some of our unknown English rel
atives. There is Edward Forrestal, for
instance, my mothers brother. The last
we heard of him was 90 years ago, when
he married and was going to India He
hux oh,
who would come in for share of our
spoils. 1t would be too bad.
Now that l have got my cobra l in
tend to make some experiments in snake
charming. l ought to succeed, for was
always fond of snakes, and they never
reemed n;ined to harm me. hope to
discover how the effects are produced
nnd to get at something like a scientific
formula for it. There must be further
vealed. Since the time of Adam they
are reputed to have done much harm to
the human race, but believe that they
may be rendered as beneficent as they
have hitherto been hostile. Probably the
ancients understood them better than we
do, and the Asiatics are still far in adj
vance of us in that respect. But there
may be something that no one has yet
detected, and | may he destined to hit
upon it. At all events it will be some
thing to do and to think about, and that
is what am in want of at present.
shall get my Indian toumril and set to
work tomorrow.
despise myself and my way of life. |
am nothing. think of nothing. do
nothing-a man who has never loved, a
student who has made no discovery,
physician who has never earned his liv-
ing! People say that prescribe for So
phie Stubs and Mrs. Hodge and charge
them no fees out of benevolence, and
that refuse wealthy p tents from pride
that | may devote my time to scien-
tific research. But the truth is have no
sense of human brotherhood. | cannot
breathe and hope and work with my fell
low men. | am gradually getting be-
numbed out of existence every year. Ev-
cry month finds my scope of action and
interest narrower. Yet know that there
is in me the power to be great. Oh, for
some torch to kindle me into blaze, and
| care not whether the torch be lighted
at the higher or the neither fire sit and
read the newspaper to my mother when
| might administer laws to a nation.
counsel my brother in the care of his es-
tate when | might direct the policy of
an empire. | investigate the physiology
of serpents when might solve and de-
clare the secret of earthly immortality.
| am pygmy when could be Titan.
Is this insane vanity? think not. 1t is
not that THAT my private unaided self
is great, but that cannot rid myself of
the conviction that was born to be the
instrument through which some great
result shall be accomplished. cannot
escape premonition that am destined
to render the name of Mainwaring for
ever famous But such premonitions and
convictions, though | cherish, do not
believe them. They are what are Utmost
in me, yet laugh them to scorn. know
that no change will come, no kindling,
no enlargement, and nevertheless all
that preserves me from total spiritual
will occur. Well, if prove
great in no other way, shall prove my
self the greatest of fools. But at least !
will keep my folly to myself. ! may
whisper it to my queen cobra-my Sa-
for she will not reveal it,
but unless it go far indeed it shall go no
farther.