The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1899-12-07
5SJSSSSJJJSSS
My Fellow LabOrer.
,sscess
ByH. RIDER HAGGARD.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS,
CHAPTER ly.-tCosTrsurp.

and distress of woman who was,
suppose, warmly attached to me al
the time. / could not help seeing that
er unsupported light upon Fanny
character. 1t showed me that, so far
from understanding her completely, as
I had vainly supposed to be the case.
really knew little or nothing about
her. There were depths in her mind
that l had not fathomed, and In all
probability never should fathom.
had taken her for an open-hearted wo-
man of great intellectual capacity that
removed her far above the everyday
level OF her sex, and directed her am
billions almost entirely toward the goal
of mental triumph. Now | saw that
the diagnosis must be modified. In all
her outburst there had not been one
single word of pity for my heavy mis-
fortunes, or one word of sympathy with
the self-sacrifice which she must have
known involved a dreadful struggle
between my inclinations and my con-
science. She had looked at the matter
from her own point of view, and the
standpoint of her own interest solely.
Her emotion had for few moments
drawn the curtain from her inner self,
and the new personality that was thus
revealed did not altogether edify me.
STILL felt that there was great excuse
for her, and so put by the matter.
After this unfortunate occurrence, |
made up my mind that Fanny would
take some opportunity to throw up her
work and go away and leave us; but
she did not take this course Either
because she was too fond of my poor
boy John, who, as he grew older, be-
came more and more attached to her,
or because she saw no better opening
not being possessed of Independent
means-she evidently made up her
mind to stop on in the house and con-
tinue to devote herself to the search for
the great Secret of Life. / think my
self that 1t was mainly on account of
the boy. who loved her with an entirety
that at times almost alarmed me, and
to whom she was undoubtedly devoted.
But from that time a change came
me. which was as palpable as it was
andefinable. Outwardiy there was no
change, but in reality veil fell be-
tween us, through which / could not
see 1t fell and covered up her nature;
nor could / guess what went on be-
hind it. Only / knew that she devel-
oped strange habit of brooding silent
iy about matters not connected with
our work, and that, of all this brood
ing. nothing ever seemed to come. Now
] know that she was. building UP far
reaching plans for the future, which
had for their object her escape from
what she had come to consider was
hateful and Improbable condition of
-servitude.
Meanwhile our work advanced but
slowly. l could take anybody who Is
curious to the big fire-proof chest in
the corner of this verJ room, and show
him two hundred-weight or more paper
covered with abortive calculations
worked by Fanny, and equally abortive
letter-press written by myself during
those years of incessant labor In vain
we toiled; Nature would not give up
her secret to US! We had indeed found
the lock, and fashioned key after key
60 turn 1t. But, do what we would,
and file as we would, they would none
OF them fit, or. even IL they fitted, they
would not turn. And then we would
begin again; again, after months of Ia
Dor, to fail miserably.
During these dark years I worked
with the energy of despair, and Fanny
followed, doggedly, patiently, and un-
complainingly in my steps. Her work
was splendid in it's enduring hopeless
mess. To begin with, SO far as / was
concerned, though my disease made but
little visible progress, l feared that
my sand was running out, and that
none would be able to take up the
broken threads. Therefore / worked
as those work whose time is short and
who have much to do. Then, too. I
was haunted by the dread of ultimate
failure Had l, after all. given up my
life to a dream?
At last, however, a ray of light came.
as it always-yes, always-will to those
who are strong and patient, and watch
the sky long enough.
was sitting in my armchair, smok-
ting, one night after Fanny had gone to
bed, and fell into sort of doze. to
wake up with start and-an inspira-
fion- l saw it all now; we had been
working at the wrong end, searching
for tho roots among the topmost twigs
OF the great trees! think that was
really inspired that night; an angel had
.breathed on me in my sleep At any
rate, sat here, at this same table at
which / am writing now, till the dawn
in, thrnr o,h