The Gilded Age by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner

The last evening they were to spend in Fallkill, they were at the

Montagues, and Philip hoped that he would find Ruth in a different mood.

But she was never more gay, and there was a spice of mischief in her eye

and in her laugh. “Confound it,” said Philip to himself, “she’s in a

perfect twitter.”

He would have liked to quarrel with her, and fling himself out of the

house in tragedy style, going perhaps so far as to blindly wander off

miles into the country and bathe his throbbing brow in the chilling rain

of the stars, as people do in novels; but he had no opportunity. For

Ruth was as serenely unconscious of mischief as women can be at times,

and fascinated him more than ever with her little demurenesses and half-

confidences. She even said “Thee” to him once in reproach for a cutting

speech he began. And the sweet little word made his heart beat like a

trip-hammer, for never in all her life had she said “thee” to him before.

Was she fascinated with Harry’s careless ‘bon homie’ and gay assurance?

Both chatted away in high spirits, and made the evening whirl along in

the most mirthful manner. Ruth sang for Harry, and that young gentleman

turned the leaves for her at the piano, and put in a bass note now and

then where he thought it would tell.

Yes, it was a merry evening, and Philip was heartily glad when it was

over, and the long leave-taking with the family was through with.

“Farewell Philip. Good night Mr. Brierly,” Ruth’s clear voice sounded

after them as they went down the walk.

And she spoke Harry’s name last, thought Philip.

CHAPTER XXIII.

“O see ye not yon narrow road

So thick beset wi’ thorns and briers?

That is the Path of Righteousness,

Though after it but few inquires.

“And see ye not yon braid, braid road,

That lies across the lily leven?

That is the Path of Wickedness,

Though some call it the road to Heaven.”

Thomas the Rhymer.

Phillip and Harry reached New York in very different states of mind.

Harry was buoyant. He found a letter from Col. Sellers urging him to go

to Washington and confer with Senator Dilworthy. The petition was in his

hands.

It had been signed by everybody of any importance in Missouri, and would

be presented immediately.

“I should go on myself,” wrote the Colonel, “but I am engaged in the

invention of a process for lighting such a city as St. Louis by means of

water; just attach my machine to the water-pipes anywhere and the

decomposition of the fluid begins, and you will have floods of light for

the mere cost of the machine. I’ve nearly got the lighting part, but I

want to attach to it a heating, cooking, washing and ironing apparatus.

It’s going to be the great thing, but we’d better keep this appropriation

going while I am perfecting it.”

Harry took letters to several congressmen from his uncle and from Mr.

Duff Brown, each of whom had an extensive acquaintance in both houses

where they were well known as men engaged in large private operations for

the public good and men, besides, who, in the slang of the day,

understood the virtues of “addition, division and silence.”

Senator Dilworthy introduced the petition into the Senate with the remark

that he knew, personally, the signers of it, that they were men

interested; it was true, in the improvement of the country, but he

believed without any selfish motive, and that so far as he knew the

signers were loyal. It pleased him to see upon the roll the names of

many colored citizens, and it must rejoice every friend of humanity to

know that this lately emancipated race were intelligently taking part in

the development of the resources of their native land. He moved the

reference of the petition to the proper committee.

Senator Dilworthy introduced his young friend to influential members,

as a person who was very well informed about the Salt Lick Extension of

the Pacific, and was one of the Engineers who had made a careful survey

of Columbus River; and left him to exhibit his maps and plans and to show

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223

Leave a Reply 0

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *