The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1868-08-22

People may live half Il lifetime within fe.
miles of each other, ana never meet,
neither desire it ; and the three years Mis-
Mill had dccrecd as the shortest time an,
governeSs who meant TO prosper in her voca
ton should stay iii her first place went owe
without ever bringing the two friends within
eycsight of each other again.
Nobody died, meanwhile. ana nobody wa
brokcn-heartcd only Mrs. Livingstone wa
once heard TO say, bitterly, to Maggie
/" Don't let me hear any more of your Poll,
! Curis!' and hcnceforth Polly letters wer,
read in private, and her name was neve
mentioned at the Grange. Bob was not the
man TO rave over n disappointment of tn,
heart he was more inclined to console him
| sell III way that was a sorrow to those al
/ home. Bat Polly heard nothing of thes,
! consultations. When she unused Of her old
visits at Bllcilhorn Grange, which she did
with a tender paraloxical regret (sceing how
| she had terminated them her Imagination
always represented everything there as il
used to be, though she knew Lara and
! Fanny were married and gone, and that Mrs
/ Livingstone was no longer the active strong
| house mother she had been And an un.
! conscious change had come over Polly her.
self. 4 sweeter little woman to behold ere
was not, far nor near, though she dressed
! herself indifcrcn;ly, rs women do who have
no desire or expectation OF attracting. She
had great forttGda at her tedious work, and
never tagged: she improved herself by pri-
vate study, and had economical few
! pounds, which she meant to carry har to a
foreign school, where she proposed to teach
English i'll return for lessons in music and
languages Mrs. Curtis approved Of her en-
tirely, and Jane had ceased TO complain
les, Polly wls most exceeding reasonable
and practical, and was an anxiety to no one
yet sometimes Il terrible sense of isolation
would come over her, and she would cry
softly, with that old spasm Of the heart, .: 0,
what fool | have been.' as If she was
sorry for some past irrctrevable blunder-
She had no longer the comccit of her own
strength that WAS SO obtrus'c in her at sew
enteca. She had heard othe: people talk
besides her mother and Mrs Sanders, and
in the loving, kindly family where she was
domcsticated she saw quite the other side
the happy side-of married life But she
was naturally reserved, and as she had re-
ligiouSly Kept her one offer to herself. so she
kept her repentance (if it was repentance, J
and at the three years end she prepared to
change the scene Of her life, and 20 to Ger
many.
Maggie Livingstone shed few yexed tears
over Polly's letter which brought the first
announcement Of her projected travels, and
her brother Bob surprised her again, as he
had surprised her on the original occasion
which led to Polly's first visit to the Grange
Going to Germany, is she ~ said he. when
the communication Of her affairs had been
made to him, going to Germany"
"Yes, and shall never see her again
very likely. Poor little Polly, I was so
fond Of her, Bob ~
''O;her people were fond Of her. too,
Maggie, bat it was no use; she has not u bit
Of heart"
"Don't say that, Bob; she has heart
enough for anything, but her head was cram
ine-' MI, ri,tir',lnus tncortea ana uOHachSe-
daresay she is wiser now
we are all Of US that when its too late. :
rejoinel Bob, and walked out Of the room
softly whistlinr.
1t was the same evening that Maggie ad,
dressing her brother, said: :. Bob, you Il
drive me into Ianswood Oh Saturday have
written to ask Polly to meet me at Miss
Virgins shop, if it is fair, for Il last walk
and talk together. | cant bear the thought
Of letting her 90 so far from home without
a word of good by.
'Al! right, Maggie said Bob, with seem.
Jag Indifference, but Maggie knew better
than to believe it was real She felt sure
that when he did not hear or answer her
further talk that he was musing of Polly
perhaps whether she was wiser or not now.
Polly was touched By Magsie's longing to
see her again: " Dear old Maggie she has
forgiven me at last" she said
Polly arrived first at the place of their APP
pointment, and was sitting upstairs in Miss
Virgins showroom when the Grange dog
cart stopped at the door. She looked out
with pale little emotional face, and the
cruel wrench at her heart; but no one look.
ed up from below. There was Bob dressed
in mourning, and Maggie and a little boy
also in mourning, and groom behind, who
assisted Maggie to alght, and then lifted the
child.down and set him on the pavement by
her. Maggie took the boy by the hand to
enter the shop, and Bob drove off up the
street, and was out of sight before his sister
could mount the stairs. Polly stood front.
ing the door, and as Maggie caught view
of her she cried: " Bless thy bonnie face,
Polly, it is just the same as ever!'' and they
kissed with all the old love that used to be
between them. And, of course, they cried
little together, until the appearance Of Miss
Virgins, intent on business, obliged them to
clear their countenances, aud take an inter.
est in the fashions.
Maggie said she wanted nothing for her
sell, DuI she WOulu LOOK at some CDiIufGn
spring coats and while Miss Virgins was
bringing forth patterns she called the child
to her knees, and, taking off his hat, rufiled
up his hair, and asked Polly who he was
like.
{" He is like Bob," said Polly, and blushed
with soft surprise.
" tits Bob son." replied Maggie. "Kiss
this pretty lady, Arty." Arty was nothing
loath, and Polly having supplied him with a
box Of pretty gar-pums from Miss Wig
gins's various stores, he sat on stool at
their feet, and was extremely content with
his own society while the friends talked in
hushed and interrupted tones.
A hundred things have happened at the
Grange that | never told you of; bat you
may have heard whispers? No! l-ou know
nothing about it, then? You governesses
live quite out of the world, suppose" said
Maggie, and paused.
9 In a very quiet secluded little world of
our own" said Polly, and lifted upthe cLild's
face to look at him again.
"Hes pretty,-isn't he? Tt was after