The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1872-07-25

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meut or dislike. II was 30 with ne,
though ! scarcely dared whisper 10 my.
SELF TO which order Of feeling my own
should belong. thought of him an the
time, and il be bad died il would have
been a blow TO me, albeit had never
heard him speak a conscious word
Il was the tenth day Of the fever, and
be bad been inoti0uless for long time;
a sudden movement made bin look up.
His eyes were fastened on me with new
expression. ! knew that be saw me for
the first time.
Don't leave me, be said family, as /
was about 10 call my grandmother. !
gave him the cordial which had been kept
for the crisis, and be revived at once.
Tell me ali about 1t, be said | was
bound for Meriden, what then?
You jumped from the wagon when the
horse was running near our house, and
were brought in insensible,
Last night, suppose; ! must go on to
Mcriden TO day.
We suppose it was ten days ago, and
you could 20 to the moon as easily as to
Meriden. The doctor says You must be
very quiet.
Jupiter Tonans! ten days! Whose
house is thisy
1t belongs to my grandmother, Mrs,
Temperance Hale. lwill call her to see
you.
Thank you; can wait. Perhaps the
sight of another stranger might fatigue
me altogether too much.
lie win talk all the time, | said TO my
grandmother when she went up stairs.
don't see bnt he's quiet enough, she
said, coming down again In a few min.
utes.
lie wants you TO write letter for him
Iwrote one this wise from his dicta-
tion:
Dear Mary-I came to grief within five
miles of fMeriden, and they tell Inc have
been laid up for a mater of ten days.
The business that brought me on will
have to be done oyer again. Nevertheless
viii not abandon hope till enter the
gate, which, according to Dante, bears
that inscription.
Ever yours, j. j. DEANE.
You must not speak another word, ]
said imperatively.
Ipromise, if You viii sing again what
you were singing when found myself in
the body this afternoon
So ! sung "Allan Percy, and "Auld
Robin Gray" and twoor three other old
ballads of which | had store, and my
patient soon fell into healthy sleep. The
next day he found his appetite, and from
that time came back to health with won
derful rapidity. lie was docile as a lamb
TO grandmother, but with me he became
the most exacting and troublesome con-
valescent that ever tried woman's pa
tience.
lie openly preferred my grandmother's
dainty dishes, and if | left him for an
hour his bell would ring, and | went back
to find his pillows on the floor, or his
head SO hot that nothing but stroking it
with cologne and singing all the while
would cool it. To keep him still read
aloud for hours, thinking far more of him
than OF my book.
We grew very we'll acquainted in these
days, till went to Meriden on a shop
ping expedition. | found thick letter
at the post Office for MIR. Deane, which |
had been lying there for nearly three
weeks. 1t was directed in lady's hand, /
| thought sight Of it brought shadow
to his face. lie looked so glad to see
me after my two hours absence that |
went up stairs in quite hutter of spirits. /
Could it be possible that was to taste at
last the Joy of which | had heard and read
with satisfied longingf But would not
stop to think about it.
Here is q letter for you that job +.
brought in while you were gone, said my
grandmother.
| took It and glanced at Mr.. Deane.
lie sat by the open window, reading one
sheet of his letter with knit brows, while .
the other lay beside him. Suddenly
light breeze whirled it ont into the flower
pot, and ran out TO get it. 1t had not
occurred to me to be curious about the
letter, and nothing was farther from my
thoughts than to read even the date of it
but the writing was large and plain, aud
as | stopped to pick ii up, the first four
words were burned into my mind like let
ters Of fire.
My own dear husband. Surely il
should have been nothing to me that Mr..
Deane's wife had written to him: but,
woe is me; the fact Of bis having wife
at all was like death blow to me-likc
the instant before drowning, when one
sees at glance the whole Of ones life.
! gave him the letter without looking at
him, and went up to my room.
Doubtless this was the dear Mary to
whom | had written that first letter from
bis diclation, and | had foolishly taken II
for granted that she was his sister. lie
had never spoken Of her; but married
people are always mysterious, aud her
price might be far above rubies, neyerthe-
less. lie had done nothing 10 make her
jealous. Once he had taken my hand aud
touched ID with his liug. and an tbn past
Of tie foundations Of my castle in the air
lay in looks more or less expressed. II
Bnt the love, 1t appears, was al on my
side, lie was idle and grateful, that was
alI
] would 90 away ht once no matter