davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Red Cloud chief., 1899-07-21
CHAPTER v.-(Continued.)

CHAPTER V.-(Continued.)
IL was Miss Branscombe. The hood
Of her light mantle wa drawn over
her head and face, and as she came
swiftly on, with downcast head. she
was unconscious of my presence until
she almost touched me. At the first
recognition she gave a little cry and
started back, the next instant she had
recovered herself. and something OF
the womanly dignity which I had ad-
mired In her at our first meeting re-
turned to her bearing. She made no
apology or excuse for her presence
there on such a night and at such an
hour; she merely bowed her head with
a murmured Thank you" as l threw
open the door and stood back for her
to precede me into the hall. She did
not. as l half expected, try to excuss
or account for her late walk, but with
another bow she passed on and up the
wide staircase. The light from a hang
ing lamp fell upon her face as she
turned TO mount the steps, and I saw
that her eyes were swollen with tears
anu heT cneehS ueduly pare one Heia
tightly by the carved oak balustrade
too as she went slowly up and out of
my sight.
And so," | said to myself, as
haunted by a spirit Of unrest, | paced
the floor of my room long after mid
night-"so dies the last lingering rem
ant OF my faith in womanhood." But
1t was dying hard; 1t was hydra
headed, apparently, and sprang into
fresh life as fast as / set my heel upon
the last quivering fragment; and at
last. when l sought my bed, I knew
that neither my faith, nor a mad love.
as wild and impossible as the love OF
the wave for the star, was dead WITHIN
me. l had found a hundred excuses, a
hundred reasons, which left Mona
Branscombe my pure sweet ideal still;
and withal. I was the most unhappy
man in the United Kingdom. Had
Miss Branscombe been the penniless
girl her friends and neighbors had pre-
The Red Cloud chief., 1899-07-21
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possible for Mr.. Fort to remain with
you until after the funeral: but II Is a
point I can hardly press, as he has
been good enough to give us already so
much of his valuable time"
I'VE should indeed be glad" said
Miss Elmslle. looking appeaiingly at
me.
So | was impelled Ivy the Irresistible
force Of fate into the current when
could only bear ME to disastrous ship
wreck.
Il could return" I said, answering
the appeal of Miss Elmslie. And oh,
what a rush OF dangerous Joy thrilled
through my veins at the thought OF
once more being under the same roof
with Mona Branscombe! MY arrange
ments are made for to-day. as you
know. ] must run up to town; but II
I can assist you by returning to Forest
Lea, | will do so immediately-as soon
as | have seen my partners"
1T will be the greatest comfort
Miss Elmslie assured me, with tears
in her eyes. And so 1t was settled.
81 will drive with You TO the sta
tion," the rector saiG, as the dog-cart
come round; IL have business there.
Are o a good whip? No?'-as
shook my head. We'll, | will take the
reins then. Masonic the groom
"cut across the park while We drive
round, and leave word at my house
that l have gone on to Westford. We
will pick you up at the end OF Park
Lane. The fact Is" he confided to me
as soon as the man was out OF ear
shot, that scamp, Charlie Branscomne
has been seen hanging about the place
the purport Of the poor old colonies
will will soon ooze out-if It hasn'
done so already-and Master Charli,
is quite capable of bullying his cousin
in the first flush OF his disappointment
1t was my good old friends last injunc
ton that Charlie should not be ad
mitted to the Lea, and Miss Mona 4
tender-hearted In that quarter"
A light flashed upon me. II wa
The Red Cloud chief., 1899-07-21

Prof. S. is a heavily built nan
OF slow movements, whose personal ap-
pearance is suggestive OF a bear. He IL
also In charge of the astronomical de-
partment. Meeting a friend. the pro-
fessor said. Thomas do you take any
inte'est in the movements OF the heav-
emily bodies?" Eyes. l like to look at
the stars once In a while" We'll, II
you want to observe the movements
of the Great Bear. come To my room
tonight. I'll be In"
The Red Cloud chief., 1899-07-21

ono had to know and to love her (the
terms are synonymous) to see her with
the eyes OF the mind. Those who knew
her-they were not many-saw her as
a child, but they loved her as a woman.
A woman to be loved iercely. hotly;
a woman to dare for, to work for. to
achieve for-if need be, to die for-but
to die for honorably on LIES battle
field, fighting to the last.
A woman at whose feet a mans sue
cesses might be laid. and whose one
word OF praise would be all-sufhcient
guerdon.
All, we women! Will you never un-
derstand your wondrous powers to
make men or to mar them!
You laugh at this 'high-fown non
sense about a child" do you not? I
forgive you, for you never knew my
little lady.
Until my little lady came into my
life ! was alone. DO you know what
that means? Have you realized It?
Can you realize It? To- go out into
the world. to eat and to drink like
other people do. to shake your fellow
creatures by the hand while mentally
you spurn them under foot and void
your rheum upon them, to greet all
men and women with a lie upon your
lips-a lie that processes interest in
their health and In them for whom you
care no more than for the starving
mongrel which you drive from your
doorstep with a savage kick and an
oath muttered through set teeth. To
be without any love for any living
thing; hay, to hate the whole huge
human race because one man and one
woman have proved unworthy-t0
The Red Cloud chief., 1899-07-21

Charlie whom she had met In the
shrubbery last night-who had smoked
that prime Havana and brought those
tears to his cousins sweet eyes and
to Charlie. no doubt. l thought. with
a swift pang Of Jealousy. she had given
her young love-the treasure he would
%squander as remorselessly as he had
wasted the more tangible treasures in
his hands. And upon me, OF all men,
by the cruel irony Of fate, was forced
the task Of separating her from the
nan she loved! Nothing could come
to me but pain. disappointment and
odium.
There Is more than one element of
danger in the case" said the worthy
rector. "Charlie may make a disturb
ance at the Lea, and seriously embar-
rass those two unprotected women, or
he may work upon the feelings OF a
susceptible and romantic girl like
Mona. and neutralize all the wise pro-
visions of his uncle, There is no tell
Ing what. in the first emotional work.
ings OF such a character as this sweet
young girls. Charlie may make her 10
for him-give up Forest Lea, I
shouldn't be surprised, and ruin her
self and all who depend upon her. The
fellow is, l am sorry to say, utterly
observation-disclosures runs through his
lands as IL they were sleeves. The
poor old colonel ave him chance after
chance, and he threw them away one
after the other. II Is a hopeless case"
And Miss Branscombe," | said, for
cling myself to utter the words which
choked me-"Miss Branscombe Is at
tached to her cousin?"
IL fear So" answered the rector
gle mily-"my wife thinks so, unfor-
tunately. am speaking c%onhdentially
to you, Mr.. Fort he added. turning
abruptly to me.
1--WE lawyers. like doctors, come In
for the secrets OF a good many fami-
lies" ! answered, for want OF some
thing better to say"
Just So" assented the rector: "and
we want your help. Mr., Fort. You see
1t Is important to keep this young
scapsgrace out OF the way. Your pres
The Red Cloud chief., 1899-07-21

hate and loathe yourself even more
than you detest the vilest thing thai
crawls the eartli-this II Is to he alone,
And 50 was | until my little lady came
into my life.
How well I remember the first line
I met her!
A silly womnu who thought I might
perchance become the purchaser OF
one of her silly daughters. had asked
me to como and help amuse some
children" thinking. no doubt. that the
juvenile setting would enhance In my
eyes the value OF the jewel she In
tended for me.
I, did Just the reverse. ! have al
their sweet innocence made me hate
the men ard women there still more.
l snt In a corner and watched the chill
dren play. wishing I could be one OF
them again. My littlc lady was fore
most in the games, but presently she
left the others. and came TO sit ncar
me.
Have YOU n headache?" she asked,
In a voice that struck me almost un.
consciously az too deep n full for so
young a girl.
"No-a h~eartache," I answered, with
out thinking of what I said, and then,
angry with myself for self-betrayal. |
tried to Joke away my answer and TO
talk nonsense to the child.
What happened after that ! hardly
know. | only know that o we were
In deep conversation, and gradually
talked to her as I had never talked to
living being since those two devils
but no matter! As I left the house |
noticed two stalns-tear stains-upon
my glove. I, the mlsanthrope! !, who
almost boosted that nothing had
touched my heart for fifteen years.
oh. my little lady, my little lady!
.
IL was her birthday and had bough,
her a white rosebud to put In her hair
which she put up that day for the frs
time.
1t lay unnotlced On the ground at he
feet, now half picked to pieces by hel
nervous fingers
Fool to have told her then, and 8,
suddenly!
How could a child OF her age love
man OF mine?
How could she understand? How
The Red Cloud chief., 1899-07-21
MY LITTLE LADY.

my little lady" I used to call her.
and the diminutive incensed her great
~. ut is such m absurd name" she
would say, and besides, you know how
much | dislike any remarks about my
personal appearance. II Is quite mis-
fortune enough to be so ridiculously
small without being reminded of II con-
stantly."
"Ah, but one OF these days you will
be great" | would say, and she would
laugh happily at the prophecy-how
that happy child laugh OF hers rings In
my ears even now-and would accuse
me OF blind partiallty. which Is" she
would remind me. quoting a favorite
saying Of mine, which was prone to
recur often in u many literary dis
cussions, only another form of partial
blindness"
How shall | describe her, I wonder.
how put upon paper all the %incongru-
GUS charm which made her what she
a
To tell you OF her appearance Is to
belle her character, for the outward
being and the inner self had no sister
hood. save when now and again. at
some chance word that inspired n no.
BILE thought in her, the woman's glo-
rious soul peeped shoy out through her
blue eyes till they grew dark and deep,
and the warm glow OF her divine in
t~elligence permeated and shone
through her clear baby skin.
She loved p%octry-true poe;ry-and
remembered all she loved In 1t. All!
II you could have heard her recite
poetry as | have!
At such moments she was beautiful
more than that, worshipful.
] have seen young men and cantank-
erous old women rise s%pellbound to
that bright angel face and listen
breathlessly for the words as they fell
from those baby lips.
At such times the beautiful story OF
the Christ child in the temple has
seemed to me to gain strength and
I have pondered wonderingly over the
power some mortals have to hold ant
enthral others. binding them fast &c
good or evil.
! must speak OF her as a child, l sup
pose. in order that you may see hel
as she appeared to the physical eye;
The Red Cloud chief., 1899-07-21

maturely declared her to be, there
would have been neither presumption
nor madness in the passion which a
taken possession Of me, for I was we'll
born, my prospects were good, and l
could have entered the lists fearlessly
against all Corners. But Miss Brans-
combe, the heiress. the owner OF fifteen
thousand q year. was separated from
me by a barrier which / recognized as
lnsurmountable. I sroaned In spirit
as I remembered that my W hand
had helped to raise the barrier.
And then l fell into a short troubled
slumber. Just as the restless twittering
of the little birds beneath my window
told that the day was breaking.
The Red Cloud chief., 1899-07-21
CHAPTER VI.

Early as 1t was when I descended to
The breakfast room that morning, Miss
Elmslie was already down and In deep
and anxious conference with the rec
tor. They ceased speaking as / en-
tered, and Mr.. Heathcote came for
ward to greet me.
II am sorry you are leaving Forest
Lea this morning" he said, as Miss
Elmslie busted herself with the tea
urn. "These ladies need-er-er-in
fact, some member Of our sex sadly
lust now. | wish you could have re-
NAMED"
"Y u are on the spot" suggested,
lighting with an impulse which tempt
ed me to forget my duty alike to my
arm and to myself. and to linger In
the sunshine which could only scorch
me.
"On the spot, yes; but not In the
house." Mr.. Heathcote answered
gravely. accepting the cup of tea which
Miss Elmslie offered him. You are
singularly destitute OF male relatives.
Miss Elmslle?" he added. addressing
her.
YES" she sighed: there is abso-
lutely no one. The dear colonel rep
resented our whole family, except
ng-"
"Yes. yes!" interrupted the rector.
hastily. you are entirely u~nprotect-
I'd, unfortunately. wish It had been
The Red Cloud chief., 1899-07-21
TO BRING ABOUT SLEEP.
The Half Hour Before Bedtime should
Be Quietly spent.

The Hall Hour Before Bedtime should
Be Quietly spent.
Difficulties In going to sleep are
sometimes physical more than mental.
say the Spectator. The physical. UNI
der ordinary circumstances. are due to
the circulation. The following are a
few practicsH, hints: Some sleep better
half sitting up with three pillows,
some better with none; some with lit
tie covering. some with much. Hot
drinks or a hot bath just before sleep,
hot bottles to the feet, are often useful.
Tobacco often increases sleeplessness.
Sometimes, after long waking, a small
meal will bring sleep. Some, espe-
cially invalids, will wake after two
or three hours; a cup OF hot, fresh tea
will often send them to sleep again.
Sometimes the darkness seems exciting
and one can sleep with a lighted can
die. Intermittent noises. as OF a rat
Ting window. are always bad. but a
continuous noise Is often a lullaby.
Moderate fatigue aids. but exhaustion
prevents sleep. Oftenest sleeplessness
Is mental and springs from a want
OF self control. Either n subject
engrosses the mind or a succession OF
ideas. In either case the ~sleepless
must make the effort to stop thought.
1t Is best done by attending continu-
ously to some monotonous and unex-
citing idea which Is self-hypnotlsm.
Some count, some breathe slowly as II
asleep. some look at imaginary sheep
going through a gate. One of the best
ways is to watch those curious appear
ances which come to closed eyes, q
purple hare fading into a star. which
becomes an irregular line. and again
changes to something else. They can
not be seen when first sought, but
will come with a little patience. In
all these the purpose is TO fix the at
tention on some object which will
Gus 10 associations. II requires
steady effort to do this and to prevent
the thoughts wandering. but exercise
increases the power to succeed. The
half hour before bedtime should be
spent quietly.
The Red Cloud chief., 1899-07-21
Utilization Of Prairie Grass.

The corn stalk has been redeemed
from the fire. and now the prairie grass
Is I'm the line Of dellverance from ere.
nation. The y tough, w~ire-hbered
grasses are being made into binding
twine and 1t seems to be but q qucs.
ton Of time when rugs, mating. rope
and cotton bagging will follow.
The Red Cloud chief., 1899-07-21

Many a speaks Of her emo
tional temperament. but others call Il
temper.
The morning news., 1899-05-19
PER RSONAL.

jean and Edouard De Reske, the sing
ers, are said to know as much about
horses as about music, and on their fine
estates in Poland they maintain a racing
stable, whose colors-white and cherry
are well known on the Russian turf.
AT public dress rehearsal of new
play in Paris Nine. Casimir-Perrier, wife
of the former president of the French re-
public, was requested to remove her hat.
but declined to do so. When she learned
that the rule would be enforced in her
case as in all others she left the theater
in disgust.
Miss Mabel Murray, a member of the
family of which the Duke of Atholl Is the
head, has given her hand in marriage to
Eseng Kwung, an attache of the Chinese
legation in London, and the Marquise de
Fontenoy says in the Washington Post it
is the first time on record that a lady be-
longing to the British aristocracy has
married a Chinaman.
Gen. Lew Wallace, who is now conferr-
ing with William Young, the gentleman
selected to dramatize ben Hur," says the
first production will take place next No
vember, and if present plans are carried
out 500 people VIII be required for its pre-
sentation. 1t will be given in New York
Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago only,
the general says, not admitting of success
full production in other American cities.
Julius Fleischmann, a young million
aire of New York, maintains at his sum-
mer home in the Catskills a crack base
bah team. which plays solely for his
amusement. The players live in luxurious
quarters and get good salaries, and all
visiting clubs which come to play with
them are royalty treated. Young Fleisch-
mann and his brother. Max, are both
members of his own team, which this year
has fun membership of twelve.
The morning news., 1899-05-19
SMALL POLITICS.

Those who thought that the New York
Legislature appointed the Mazet commit
tee for the purpose of finding out whether
or not the government of New York city
was corrupt can hardly have any other
opinion than that the committee was ap-
pointed for political purposes after the ex-
hibition which IL made of itself on Tues
day The attorney for the committee Mr..
Moss, was permitted to outrageously insult
the Mayor of the city while the latter was
on the witness stand, and, that too, with
out any rebuke.
The Mayor was asked by Mr.. Moss
whether or not he was a partner of a
Mr. Mahoney in a gambling establishment
If the attorney had evidence which justi-
fed such a question he should have made
it known. but he didn't produce any eyi-
dence. in fact, he didn't even say that
he had evidence, and yet he succeeded in
making the impression on the people of
New York, and. in fact. of a large part
of the country that the Mayor of Greater
New York is a partner in a gambling es-
tablishment.
The Mayor, of course, Indignantly denied
| that there was the slightest foundation
! for any such question. And it is probable
that he spoke the truth. The chances are
that Mr. Moss knew there was no foun-
dation for the question. His purpose ap-
parently was TO annoy and humihate the
Mayor That sort of politics is so small
! that the investigation will harm the party
that authorized it, rather than the party
at which it is aimed.
Another mpertinent question which Mr.
Moss asked was whether the appointments
the Mayor made were not dictated by Mr..
| Croker. MIR. Moss knew that the
Mayor wouldn't answer that question
in the affirmative. His purpose. Of course,
was to try and belittle the Mayor in the
estimation of his people. Such politics is
calculated to disgust decent men and
| encourage them in the belief that IL is bet
ter to have nothing to do with political
life.
The morning news., 1899-05-19
OFFICIAL COTTON cLAssERs

The letter addressed to the State Com
missioner of Agriculture by MIR. 7 p
Williams, respecting the need for official
cotton classers is provoking considerable
discussion, and may receive attention from
the legislature. There is, of course.
great difference of opinion as to the ad-
visibility of adopting the plan suggested
by Nr Williams to put stop TO the large
and steadily increasing reclama tions from
cotton buyers in Europe, particularly
those in Liverpool and Bremen.
1t is admitted that some of these recla-
nations are just but the opinion seems
to be that many of them rest on no real
foundation, and are part of a money
making scheme. 1t is certain that if they
are submitted to it win not be long be-
fore they villa become so burden
some that no cotton dealer in this
country can stand them. 1t is probably
true that there are interior buyers who.
being entirely irresponsible, do not hesi-
tate to ship TO their customers a grade of
cotton much lower than that which they
contracted to deliver, and there ought to
be some means at the ports to determine
whether the cotton is what 1t purports to
be before 1t is put on shpboard. The in
terror seller should not be paid the entire
amount due for his cotton until il is
satisfactorily determined that he has com
Piled with his contract.
The appointment of official cotton class.
ers might be beneficial. to a limited ex
tent, to the cotton producers, but the chief
benefciaries would be the merchants at
the ports who have to pay the reclama-
tions. But it does seem to be a pretty
high-handed piece of business for The for
eign buyer to say whether the cotton he
receives is up to the grade for which he
bargained. lie has it in his power prac-
tically to say, within certain limits, what
he will pay for the cotton which he has in
his possession. That is altogether TOO one
sided to suit the cotton merchants on this
side of the ocean. There ought to be nc
such thing as a reclamation. The cues
tion as to whether cotton that is delivered
is of the grade of that sold ought to be
! settled before the cotton is shipped. The
reclamation business olens too wide field
for fraud.
The morning news., 1899-05-19
IA Center az Grnritx.

The grumpy man had let go of the strap
in order to get a cinder out of his eye,
says the New York Commercial Advert.s-
er. Consequently when the train went
around inc curve and some one pushed
against him he lost hts balance and stopp-
ed himself from falling by putting his
hand against another mans chin. The
other man didn't Ike this and asked him
why he couldn't stand up, an sarcastic
tone which implied, "Oh, these drinking
menH The grumpy man cursed the rail
road company for awhile, but this did not
satisfy his sense of the adequate, and, as
is usual, he went back 10 first principles
and the decadence of the race, particularly
the American part of it.
Talk about free institutions" he began.
'Oh, yes" said the man hanging by the
northeast strap. Il know were a down
trodden public"
'Down-trodden nothing" snorted the
orator. "Down-trodden? Why, that's old
and out of date. I tell you we're a side
ways-pushed public. Every attempt we
make to stand UP straight and so rise in
life is checked by a soul-consuming cor
poration which pushes people in by US and
brushes us over as If we were so many
ten-oins."
Dol yOu mean IAle- piuSs asked an
acrobat.
The speaker gave no heed to this at
tempt at scientific accuracy. "Constitu-
tion?" he went on. What does a constitu-
ton amount to which won't insure a man
the right to stand on his feet? Why, the
other day / rode lis and one-half' blocks
hanging by a strap. In short, I had nc
center of gravity for all that distance. ]
believe that every one-man, woman and
child-should be allowed undisturbed pos
session of his own center of gravity, and
believe the constitution should be amend
ed to this effect"
The scientific man objected that one
can't lose his center of gravity. when you
hang on strap you have this virtue quite
as much as when you stand up freely"
Can children have centers of gravity?"
asked another man.
Certainly" was the answer.
We'll, what is the center of gravity oil
baby ia a baby carriage?"
Its milk bottle of course"