The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1868-07-16

x..>s i. - NO. 81. =.
after Al for when Mr.. Gray left m
one afternoon in February,I felt th,
. loasliest being on this vide earth. sh,
hsd harped sgain on that hateful strinf
that Nj. Thompson seemed quit.
smitten with Mn. Norris. q aAnd wh.1
do you think, my dear ?" she added
"he thought you wsrs gone. Ho seem.
ed quite surprised when 1 said 1 had
: 'een you On Sunday. 'Wh.t, : is she
not not eoes 9, 'sI r he '.ted-tgone to Lon-
oon & mo, indeed. What should she
go to London for?' He did mt an
swer that, but, from something he said
) Isaw he thought you were engaged to
be married. Il wish she WERE noor
dear" I replied; lit is hard case to
be 80 young and lonely I Lave no
doubt he thinks 50, too, and so it is to
prevent Mrs. Norris from being lonely
that he goes to zee her 10 often" Thus
she ratified on, stabbisg me with every
word, till At length she left me to my
misery. L rat looking at the Ere; it
was bright and warm, but my loneliness
was heavy upon me; besides, 1t had
been showing, and the gray sky and
white garden, and silent Dir had some
thing both lone and chill in them. Yet
was not quite alone. Early in the
winter had taken in = poor, half
starved, stray dog, and, though he was
but . shaggy, b.lfbred cur, 1 made a !
pet Of him. He had laid by his va
grant habits willingly enough, and he
now hy sleeping on the rug at my feet.
Poor Carlo he needed not the morrow.
and thought not of the future. Yet
bow long could I keep him aud, If 1
cast him away, Who would have him ?
He had neither youth nor beauty to
recommend nothing but his old
honest heart, and who would care for
that7 "Poor Carlo-poor old Car)o p
l thought; and, perhaps because my
heart ~as rather full just then, tears
rose to my eyes as I thought Of the
tate that hy before him. I believe I
thought Of something else, too. I re-
member vision 1 saw in the burning
Goals; how it came there Heaven
knows. 1saw them both, as no doubt
they often were, bending over accounts
which they read together, then looking
up and exchanging looks and smiles
which NO one could mistake. I won.
der Why I came back to images which
tortured me-but 1t was so. I do not
know how long Mis-. Gray had been
gone, when Carlo gave = short bark;
tho eate-bell rang; 1 saw tall, dark
form pass across the window. aud nv
little maid opened the door, saying:
"Mr. Thompson, ma'am:"
l rose. He came in, With his um-
brella a usual, aud Carlo went up to
him and vagged friendly welcome. I
could not say one word. was dread
fully agitated. I felt quite sure he had
come to tell me that he meant to marry
Jessie, and to ask me to stay with them,
or something Of the kind. Nothing
else could have brought him. Or per-
haps, a Jessie had, no doubt, told him {
that l was gone, he had, on learning :
the truth, felt ashamed of his long
coldness, and had come to make some
sort Of excuse. He made none but he
asked how I was, took chair, looked
rather hard at me, and, without waiting
tor my answer, feared I was not very
well.
"Oh! I am not i'll, you know" I re-
Piled, = little carelessly.' II trust you
are we'll, Mr.. Thompson"
He said he was very well, and he
looked At the fire. For q while we
were both silent. I spoke first. My
remark was scarcely gracious one.
~ heard you were so much engaged
that I scarcely expected to see you," 1
said.
I was vexed With myself As soon As 1
had said it. he might think I was an
noyed At his long absence, and, surely
I was notl But he took my implied
reproaeh very well. He answered that
he had, indeed, been much engaged
but that everything vas over now. Mrs.
Norris, he added, had left this morning.
My heart gave great throb; but I was
mute.
"She left in no very contented mood.
1 believe" he resumed. ''The balance
in her favor vas low-lower than I ex-
peotsd. Mn. Norris has something
Ike . hundred year. This and few
jewels constitute the net profit she de-
rives from her marriage. Unluckily,
these speculations cannot be repeated
often you go. The capital Of youth
and beauty has but time-s briet one
it il opt to wear out, and the 6rat ven
ture ought to be the best. Mrs. Nor
ris, not having found it 20, is disap-
pointed. I suppose it is natural; but
you know I cannot pity her very much"
I suppose not; but how sll that cold,
hard talk panied me.