The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today

to eye-water, from eye-water to Tennessee Land, and lingering but a feverish moment upon each of these fascinatio

ms of speculation again, when a lovely girl of sixteen or seventeen came in. This vision swept Washington's mind clear of its chaos of glittering rubbish in an instant. Beauty had fascinated

afternoon was, delivered up to such a revel as this, it seemed an eternity, so impatient was he to see the girl again. Other afternoons like it followed. Washington plunged into this love affair as he plunged into everything else-upon impulse and without reflection. As the days went by it seemed plain that he was growing in favor wi

not a bar, to his hopes, and straightway his poverty became a torture to him which cast all his former s

ing ingredient in the eye-water still remained undiscovered-though Sellers always explained that these changes in the family diet had been ordered by the doctor, or suggested by some new scientif

was merely on the scent of some vast, undefined landed speculation-although he was customarily able to say that he was nearer to the all-necessary ingredient

ow, and even the General unbent and said encouraging things to him.-There was balm in this; but when Louise bade him good-bye, and shook his hand and said, "Don't be cast down-it will all come out right-I know it will all come out right," it seemed a blessed thing to be in misfortune, and the tears th

e, but bravely and patiently waiting in the shadow of a dread calamity and preparing to meet the blow as became one who was all too used to hard fortune and

r a sheet of paper. But there was something significant in the fact that she scratched the word out every time she wrote it; examined the erasure critically to

ee, though neighborly assistance was offered by old friends. From this time forth three-hour watches were instituted, and day and night the watchers kept their vigils. By degrees Laura and her mother began to show wear, but neither of them would yield a minute of their tasks to Clay. He ventured once to let the midnight hour pass without calling Laura, but he ventured no more; there was that about her rebuke when he tried to explain, that taught him that to let her sleep when sh

are tired, poor child

t call me. I would not have treated

doing the Duchess a kindness by intimating that she is not sufficient for any undertaking she puts her hand to, makes a mistake; and if I did not know it before, I kn

remark to the nearest friend of the family that he "believed there was nothing more that he could do"-a remark which is always overheard by some one it is not meant for and strikes a lingering half-conscious hope dead with a withering shock; the medicine phials had been removed from the bedside and put out of sight, and al

about him and was evidently trying to speak. Instantly Laura lifted his head an

earer. The darkness grows. L

e bedside, and their tears and

sight of the Tennessee Land! Be wary. There is wealth stored up for you there-wealth that is boundless! The children shall hol

re. But now the fire faded out of his eyes and he fell back exhausted. The papers were brought and held before him, and the answering smile that flitted across his face showed that he was satisfied. He closed his eyes, a

It is-it is-over. But you

t left the body; but she did not sob, or utter any ejaculation; her tears flowed silently. Then she closed the dead eyes, and crossed the hands upon the breast; after a season, she kissed the forehead reverently, drew the sheet up over the face, and then walked apart and sat down with the look of one who is