Clemens_and_Warner_The_Gilded_Age.txt topic ['13', '324', '378', '393']
his good fortune. was no
mistake this time.
, in luck, had become suddenly a person of consideration, whose
speech was freighted with meaning, whose looks were all significant.
words of the proprietor of a rich coal mine have a golden sound,
and his common sayings are repeated as if they were solid wisdom.
wished to be alone; his good fortune at this moment seemed an
empty mockery, one of those sarcasms of fate, such as that which spreads
a dainty banquet for the man who has no appetite. had longed for
success principally for 's sake; and perhaps now, at this very moment
of his triumph, she was dying.
" what said, ," the landlord of the hotel
kept repeating. " dold he find him dere shust so sure as
noting."
" ought to have taken a share, . ," said .
", know. d'old woman, she say ' sticks to your pisiness.
sticks to'em. makes noting. , he don't
never come back here no more, ain't it?"
"?" asked .
", dere is so many peers, and so many oder dhrinks, got 'em all set
down, ven he coomes back."
was a long night for , and a restless one. any other time
the swing of the cars would have lulled him to sleep, and the rattle and
clank of wheels and rails, the roar of the whirling iron would have only
been cheerful reminders of swift and safe travel. they were voices
of warning and taunting; and instead of going rapidly the train seemed to
crawl at a snail's pace. it not only crawled, but it frequently
stopped; and when it stopped it stood dead still and there was an ominous
silence. anything the matter, he wondered. a station probably.
, he thought, a telegraphic station. then he listened
eagerly. the conductor open the door and ask for ,
and hand him a fatal dispatch?
long they seemed to wait. then slowly beginning to move, they
were off again, shaking, pounding, screaming through the night. drew
his curtain from time to time and looked out. was the lurid sky
line of the wooded range along the base of which they were crawling.
was the , gleaming in the moon-light. was a
stretch of level valley with silent farm houses, the occupants all at
rest, without trouble, without anxiety. was a church, a graveyard,
a mill, a village; and now, without pause or fear, the train had mounted
a trestle-work high in air and was creeping along the top of it while a
swift torrent foamed a hundred feet below.
would the morning bring? while he was flying to her, her gentle
spirit might have gone on another flight, whither he could not follow
her. was full of foreboding. fell at length into a restless doze.
was a noise in his ears as of a rushing torrent when a stream is
swollen by a freshet in the spring. was like the breaking up of life;
he was struggling in the consciousness of coming death: when stood
by his side, clothed in white, with a face like that of an angel,
radiant, smiling, pointing to the sky, and saying, "." awoke with
a cry--the train was roaring through a bridge, and it shot out into
daylight.
morning came the train was industriously toiling along through the
fat lands of , with its broad farms of corn and wheat, its mean
houses of stone, its vast barns and granaries, built as if, for storing
the riches of . came the smiling fields of ,
with their green, and soon the county of itself, and
the increasing signs of the approach to a great city. trains of
coal cars, laden and unladen, stood upon sidings; the tracks of other
roads were crossed; the smoke of other locomotives was seen on parallel
lines; factories multiplied; streets appeared; the noise of a busy city
began to fill the air;--and with a slower and slower clank on the
connecting rails and interlacing switches the train rolled into the
station and stood still.
was a hot morning. broad streets glowed in the sun, and
the white-shuttered houses stared at the hot thoroughfares like closed
bakers' ovens set along the highway. was oppressed with the heavy
air; the sweltering city lay as in a swoon. a street car, he rode
away to the northern part of the city, the newer portion, formerly the
district of , for in this the now lived, in a small
brick house, befitting their altered fortunes.
could scarcely restrain his impatience when he came in sight of the
house. window shutters were not "bowed"; thank , for that.
was still living, then. ran up the steps and rang. . met
him at the door.
" is very welcome, ."
" ?"
" is very ill, but quieter than, she has been, and the fever is a
little abating. most dangerous time will be when the fever leaves
her. doctor fears she will not have strength enough to rally from
it. , thee can see her."
. led the way to the little chamber where lay. ","
said her mother, "if she were only in her cool and spacious room in our
old home. says that seems like heaven."
. sat by 's bedside, and he rose and silently pressed
's hand. room had but one window; that was wide open to admit
the air, but the air that came in was hot and lifeless. the table
stood a vase of flowers. 's eyes were closed; her cheeks were
flushed with fever, and she moved her head restlessly as if in pain.
"," said her mother, bending over her, " is here."
's eyes unclosed, there was a gleam of recognition in them, there was
an attempt at a smile upon her face, and she tried to raise her thin
hand, as touched her forehead with his lips; and he heard her
murmur,
" ."
was nothing to be done but to watch and wait for the cruel fever to
burn itself out. . told that the fever had
undoubtedly been contracted in the hospital, but it was not malignant,
and would be little dangerous if were not so worn down with work,
or if she had a less delicate constitution.
" is only her indomitable will that has kept her up for weeks. if
that should leave her now, there will be no hope. can do more for
her now, sir, than can?"
"?" asked eagerly.
" presence, more than anything else, will inspire her with the desire
to live."
the fever turned, was in a very critical condition. two
days her life was like the fluttering of a lighted candle in the wind.
was constantly by her side, and she seemed to be conscious of his
presence, and to cling to him, as one borne away by a swift stream clings
to a stretched-out hand from the shore. he was absent a moment her
restless eyes sought something they were disappointed not to find.
so yearned to bring her back to life, he willed it so strongly and
passionately, that his will appeared to affect hers and she seemed slowly
to draw life from his.
two days of this struggle with the grasping enemy, it was evident
to . that 's will was beginning to issue its orders to
her body with some force, and that strength was slowly coming back.
another day there was a decided improvement. sat holding
her weak hand and watching the least sign of resolution in her face,
was able to whisper,
" so want to live, for you, !"
" will; darling, you must," said in a tone of faith and courage
that carried a thrill of determination--of command--along all her nerves.
drew her back to life. she came back, as one
willing but well nigh helpless. was new for to feel this
dependence on another's nature, to consciously draw strength of will from
the will of another. was a new but a dear joy, to be lifted up and
carried back into the happy world, which was now all aglow with the light
of love; to be lifted and carried by the one she loved more than her own
life.
"," she said to , " would not have cared to come back
but for thy love."
" for thy profession?"
", thee may be glad enough of that some day, when thy coal bed is dug
out and thee and father are in the air again."
was able to ride she was taken into the country, for the pure
air was necessary to her speedy recovery. family went with her.
could not be spared from her side, and . had gone up to
to look into that wonderful coal mine and to make arrangements for
developing it, and bringing its wealth to market. had insisted on
re-conveying the property to . , retaining only the share
originally contemplated for himself, and . , therefore, once
more found himself engaged in business and a person of some consequence
in street. mine turned out even better than was at first
hoped, and would, if judiciously managed, be a fortune to them all.
also seemed to be the opinion of . , who heard of it as soon
as anybody, and, with the impudence of his class called upon .
for a little aid in a patent car-wheel he had bought an interest in.
rascal, , he said, had swindled him out of all he had.
. told him he was very sorry, and recommended him to sue .
. also came with a similar story about . ; and .
had the grace to give him like advice. he added, " you and
will procure the indictment of each other, you may have the
satisfaction of putting each other in the penitentiary for the forgery of
my acceptances."
and did not quarrel however. both attacked .
behind his back as a swindler, and circulated the story that he had made
a fortune by failing.
the pure air of the highlands, amid the golden glories of ripening
, rapidly came back to health. beautiful the world is
to an invalid, whose senses are all clarified, who has been so near the
world of spirits that she is sensitive to the finest influences, and
whose frame responds with a thrill to the subtlest ministrations of
soothing nature. life is a luxury, and the color of the grass, of
the flowers, of the sky, the wind in the trees, the outlines of the
horizon, the forms of clouds, all give a pleasure as exquisite as the
sweetest music to the ear famishing for it. world was all new and
fresh to , as if it had just been created for her, and love filled
it, till her heart was overflowing with happiness.
was golden also at . sat by the open
window in her room at home, looking out upon the meadows where the
laborers were cutting the second crop of clover. fragrance of it
floated to her nostrils. she did not mind it. was thinking.
had just been writing to , and on the table before her was a
yellow piece of paper with a faded four-leaved clover pinned on it--only
a memory now. her letter to she had poured out her heartiest
blessings upon them both, with her dear love forever and forever.
" ," she said, "they will never know"
never would know. the world never knows how many women there
are like , whose sweet but lonely lives of self-sacrifice, gentle,
faithful, loving souls, bless it continually.
" is a dear girl," said , when showed him the letter.
", , and we can spare a great deal of love for her, our own lives
are so full."