Mike Fletcher by George Moore (ebook pc reader .txt) 📕

"Well-Nigh Mad,  Drunk With Her Beauty And The Sensuous Charm Of Her

Imagination,  I Threw My Arms About Her. I Felt Her Limbs Against

Mine,  And I Said,  'I Am Mad For You; Give Yourself To Me,  And Make

This Afternoon Memorable.' There Was A Faint Smile Of Reply In Her

Eyes. They Laughed Gently,  And She Said,  'Well,  Perhaps I Do Love You

A Little.'"

Frank Was Deeply Impressed By Mike's Tact And Judgement,  And They

Talked Of Women,  Discussing Each Shade Of Feminine Morality Through

The Smoke Of Innumerable Cigarettes; And After Each Epigram They

Looked In Each Other's Eyes Astonished At Their Genius And

Originality. Then Mike Spoke Of The Paper And The Articles That Would

Have To Be Written On The Morrow. He Promised To Get To Work Early,

And They Said Good-Night.

When Frank Left Southwick Two Years Ago And Pursued Lizzie Baker To

London,  He Had Found Her In Straitened Circumstances And Unable To

Obtain Employment. The First Night He Took Her Out To Dinner And

Bought Her A Hat,  On The Second He Bought Her A Gown,  And Soon After

She Became His Mistress. Henceforth His Days Were Devoted To Her;

They Were Seen Together In All Popular Restaurants,  And In The

Theatres. One Day She Went To See Some Relations,  And Frank Had To

Dine Alone. He Turned Into Lubini's,  But To His Anneeping That The Concourse On High

And The Dwellers Of The Realms Above Wailed At His Lamenting. Whereupon

There Was Asked,  Why The Wailing And Weeping? He Made Reply: As Bidden I

Waited Expectant Upon The Hill Of Faithfulness,  Yet Inhaled Not From Them

That Dwell On Earth The Fragrance Of Fidelity. Then Summoned To Return I

Beheld,  And Lo! Certain Doves Of Holiness Were Sore Tried Within The Claws

Of The Dogs Of Earth. Thereupon The Maid Of Heaven Hastened Forth Unveiled

And Resplendent From Her Mystic Mansion,  And Asked Of Their Names,  And All

Were Told But One. And When Urged,  The First Letter Thereof Was Uttered,

Whereupon The Dwellers Of The Celestial Chambers Rushed Forth Out Of Their

Habitation Of Glory. And Whilst The Second Letter Was Pronounced They Fell

Down,  One And All,  Upon The Dust. At That Moment A Voice Was Heard From

The Inmost Shrine: "Thus Far And No Farther." Verily,  We Bear Witness Unto

That Which They Have Done,  And Now Are Doing.

O Afnan,  O Thou That Hast Branched From Mine Ancient Stock! My Glory And

My Loving-Kindness Rest Upon Thee. How Vast Is The Tabernacle Of The Cause

Of God! It Hath Overshadowed All The Peoples And Kindreds Of The Earth,

And Will,  Erelong,  Gather Together The Whole Of Mankind Beneath Its

Shelter. Thy Day Of Service Is Now Come. Countless Tablets Bear The

Testimony Of The Bounties Vouchsafed Unto Thee. Arise For The Triumph Of

My Cause,  And,  Through The Power Of Thine Utterance,  Subdue The Hearts Of

Men. Thou Must Show Forth That Which Will Ensure The Peace And The

Well-Being Of The Miserable And The Down-Trodden. Gird Up The Loins Of

Thine Endeavor,  That Perchance Thou Mayest Release The Captive From His

Chains,  And Enable Him To Attain Unto True Liberty.

Justice Is,  In This Day,  Bewailing Its Plight,  And Equity Groaneth Beneath

The Yoke Of Oppression. The Thick Clouds Of Tyranny Have Darkened The Face

Of The Earth,  And Enveloped Its Peoples. Through The Movement Of Our Pen

Of Glory We Have,  At The Bidding Of The Omnipotent Ordainer,  Breathed A

New Life Into Every Human Frame,  And Instilled Into Every Word A Fresh

Potency. All Created Things Proclaim The Evidences Of This World-Wide

Regeneration. This Is The Most Great,  The Most Joyful Tidings Imparted By

The Pen Of This Wronged One To Mankind. Wherefore Fear Ye,  O My

Well-Beloved Ones? Who Is It That Can Dismay You? A Touch Of Moisture

Sufficeth To Dissolve The Hardened Clay Out Of Which This Perverse

Generation Is Molded. The Mere Act Of Your Gathering Together Is Enough To

Scatter The Forces Of These Vain And Worthless People....

Every Man Of Insight Will,  In This Day,  Readily Admit That The Counsels

Which The Pen Of This Wronged One Hath Revealed Constitute The Supreme

Animating Power For The Advancement Of The World And The Exaltation Of Its

Peoples. Arise,  O People,  And,  By The Power Of God's Might,  Resolve To

Gain The Victory Over Your Own Selves,  That Haply The Whole Earth May Be

Freed And Sanctified From Its Servitude To The Gods Of Its Idle

Fancies--Gods That Have Inflicted Such Loss Upon,  And Are Responsible For

The Misery Of,  Their Wretched Worshipers. These Idols Form The Obstacle

That Impedeth Man In His Efforts To Advance In The Path Of Perfection. We

Cherish The Hope That The Hand Of Divine Power May Lend Its Assistance To

Mankind,  And Deliver It From Its State Of Grievous Abasement.

In One Of The Tablets These Words Have Been Revealed: O People Of God! Do

Not Busy Yourselves In Your Own Concerns; Let Your Thoughts Be Fixed Upon

That Which Will Rehabilitate The Fortunes Of Mankind And Sanctify The

Hearts And Souls Of Men. This Can Best Be Achieved Through Pure And Holy

Deeds,  Through A Virtuous Life And A Goodly Behavior. Valiant Acts Will

Ensure The Triumph Of This Cause,  And A Saintly Character Will Reinforce

Its Power. Cleave Unto Righteousness,  O People Of Baha! This,  Verily,  Is

The Commandment Which This Wronged One Hath Given Unto You,  And The First

Choice Of His Unrestrainered Men And Women.

Talking Of This Street And Its Reputation In Eugene Sue's Novels,

Reminds Me Of The Man. When I First Saw It He Had Just Been Elected To

The Chamber Of Deputies By An Overwhelming Majority. It Was Not Because

Sue Was The Favorite Candidate Of The Republicans,  But He Stood In Such

A Position That His Defeat Would Have Been Considered A Government

Victory,  And Consequently He Was Elected. I Was Glad To Find The Man

Unpopular Among Democrats Of Paris,  For His Life,  Like His Books,  Has

Many Pages In It That Were Better Not Read. At That Time He Was Living

Very Quietly In A Village Just Out Of Paris,  And Though Surrounded With

Voluptuous Luxuries,  He Was In His Life Strictly Virtuous. He Was The

Same Afterward,  And Being Very Wealthy,  Gave A Great Deal To The Poor.

His Novels Are Everywhere Read In France.

I Was Not A Little Surprised During My First Days In Paris To See The

Popularity Of Cooper As A Novelist. His Stories Are For Sale At Every

Book-Stall,  And Are In All The Libraries. They Are Sold With

Illustrations At A Cheap Rate,  And I Think I May Say With Safety That He

Is As Widely Read In France As Any Foreign Novelist. This Is A Little

Singular When It Is Remembered How Difficult It Is To Convey The Broken

Indian Language To A French Reader. This Is One Of The Best Features Of

Cooper's Novels--The Striking Manner In Which He Portrays The Language

Of The North American Indian And His Idiomatic Expressions. Yet Such Is

The Charm Of His Stories That They Have Found Their Way Over Europe. The

Translations Into The French Language Must Be Good.

Another Author Read Widely In Paris,  As She Is All Over Europe,  Is Mrs.

Stowe. _Uncle Tom_ Is A Familiar Name In The Brilliant Capital Of

France,  And Even Yet His Ideal Portraits Hang In Many Shop Windows,  And

The Face Of Mrs. Stowe Peeps Forth Beside It. _Uncle Tom's Cabin_ Was

Wonderfully Popular Among All Classes,  And To Very Many--What A

Fact!--It Brought Their First Idea Of Jesus Christ As He Is Delineated

In The New Testament. But Mrs. Stowe's _Sunny Memories_ Was Very

Severely Criticised And Generally Laughed At--Especially Her Criticisms

Upon Art.

Walking One Evening In The Champs Elysees,  I Found A Little Family Of

Singers From The Alps,  Underneath One Of The Large Trees. You Should

Have Heard Them Sing Their Native Songs,  So Plaintive And Yet So Mild.

Father And Mother,  Two Little Sisters And A Brother,  Were Begging Their

Bread In That Way. They Were Dressed Very Neatly,  Although Evidently

Extremely Poor. The Father Had A Violin Which He Played Very Sweetly,

The Mother Sang,  The Two Little Girls Danced,  And The Boy Put In A Soft

And Melancholy Tenor. I Hardly Ever Listened To Sadder Music. It Seemed

As If Their Hearts Were In It,  Saddened At The Thought Of Exile From

Their Native Mountains. After Singing For A Long Time,  They Stopped And

Looked Up Appealingly To The Crowd--But Not A Sou Fell To The Ground.

Once More They Essayed To Sing,  With A Heavier Sorrow Upon Their Faces,

For They Were Hungry And Had No Bread. They Stopped Again--Not A

Solitary Sou Was Given To Them. A Large Tear Rolled Down The Cheek Of

The Father--You Should Have Seen The Answering Impulse Of The Crowd--How

The Sous Rattled Upon The Ground. They Saw Instantly That It Was No

Common Beggar Before Them,  But One Who Deserved Their Alms. At Once,  As

If A Heaven Full Of Clouds Had Divided And The Sunshine Flashed Full

Upon Their Faces,  The Band Of Singers Grew Radiant And Happy. Such Is

Life--A Compound Of Sorrow And Gayety.

The Parisian Omnibus System Is The Best In The World,  And I Found It

Very Useful And Agreeable Always While Wandering Over The City. The

Vehicles Are Large And Clean,  And Each Passenger Has A Chair Fastened

Firmly To The Sides Of The Carriage. Six Sous Will Carry A Person

Anywhere In Paris,  And If Two Lines Are Necessary To Reach The Desired

Place,  A Ticket Is Given By The Conductor Of The First Omnibus,  Which

Entitles The Holder To Another Ride In The New Line. The Omnibus System

Is Workedtutes Wealth And Civilization. In Paris,

As In Ancient Greece,  Courtesans Are Rich,  Brilliant,  And Depraved;

Here In London The Women Are Poor,  Stupid,  And Almost Virtuous. Kitty

Is Revolution. I Know For A Fact That She Has Had As Much As £1000

From A Foreign Potentate,  And She Spends In One Day Upon Her

Tiger-Cat What Would Keep A Poor Family In Affluence For A Week. Nor

Can She Say Half A Dozen Words Without Being Witty. What Do You Think

Of This? We Were Discussing The Old Question,  If It Were Well For A

Woman To Have A Sweetheart. Kitty Said,  'London Has Given Me

Everything But That. I Can Always Find A Man Who Will Give Me Five

And Twenty Guineas,  But A Sweetheart I Can't Find.'"

Every Pen Stopped,  And Expectation Was On Every Face. After A Pause

Mike Continued--

"Kitty Said,  'In The First Place He Must Please Me,  And I Am