The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1899-12-21
My Fellow Laborer.
s3sCess
BY n. RIDER HAGGARD.
% OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
CHATTER VI.-(CoNrINuED. !

CHATTER fI--tC0STINUED.f
Exactly six months from that day my
book. THE Secret of Life" appeared,
and everybody will remember the ex-
element that ensued. or course, prop
ositions so startling were violently at
tackled, but | only smiled and waited
for | knew that my conclusions could
no more be seriously disputed than the
law of gravitation. And now the at
tackers are all silent, and mankind (I
say ii without false modesty and with
out PRIDE blesses the man who
has been the means of demonstrating
the glor0;s cause and objects of our
hitherto inexplicable existence, and of
supplying the key to the mystery of
life, and the agony of death, that is,
as the religions foreshadowed but the
portal to the larger and more perfect
life Yes! My work is done, and well
done, and | can die in peace, knowing
chat even here | shall never be for
gotten!
A week after the book appeared, |
received from Fanny this rather weak
iy worded letter:
Dear Godfrey" it began, so you
have found it. And you have had the
generosity to publicly acknowledge my
share in the work; and my name will
go down to future generations linked
with yours. 1t is more than deserve,
though it is just what should have eX-
pected from you. Had / known how
- 4
er have gone away. am very wealthy,
and, in a small, unsatisfactory fashion,
powerful, also, as | told you | should
be, and shall be more so soon. Joseph
has got into Parliament, where, not
withstanding the competition, l think
that his entire want of principle ought
20 carry him a long way. And yet,
Godfrey, miss you as much as ever,
and almost long for the old days. 1t is
hard to have to mix with set of fools,
who smile and gable, but cannot even
understand what it is that we, or rath-
er you. have done. l was so sorry to
hear about John. Well, we must each
to our own fate. Goodbye.
FANNY"
I returned no answer to this letter,
nor have | ever seen Fanny since, and
hope | never shall see her again! o.
course, everybody has a right to look
after his or her own interests, and on
this ground | do not like to think toe
hardly of her. / used to believe that
there was a great deal of prejudiced
nonsense talked about women, and
that they were as capable Of real and
good work and of devotion to a single
end as We men are. Many and many
rs the argument that 1 have mad with
Fanny herself on this point, for she
was wont scornfully to declare that
marriage was the average woman's one
object in life, and the education of a
family the one thing she was capable
of carrying out in a satisfactory man
ner. But now | confess that my belief
rs shaken, though / know that it Is un-
Just to judge great and widely diff
fering class from the experience of an
individual. And, after all, she was well
within her right, and it is impossible
to blame her. / had absolutely no
claim upon her, and she was undoubt-
edly wise to provide for herself in life,
when so good an opportunity came In
her way. 1t was a little abrupt, and
her explanations were rather cynical;
but l have no cause or complaint. /
could not marry her myself; why
should have objected to her marrying
anybody else-even that young man
Joseph?
And yet, l only say it to show how
weak l am, l am still fond of Fanny
Hide-Thompson. and still feel sad when
i think of her sudden and final depart
'ure. Next to my wife's death, it has
been the greatest shock of my life. If
she had stopped with me, she should
have had her full share in my triumph,
and Of all the ,honors and good things
that have followed on its heels. She
overcalculated herself, she saw too far,
and yet not far enough. But dare say
that, after all, this is but another form
of the personal vanity to which fear
j am eonstitutionhly liable, and. as
such, a weakness to be mortified. es-
pecially when a man Is hobbling as fast
as l am toward the quiet church yard
gates. Well, this is the true history of
my relations with Fanny Denelly.
(THE END.)