The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1873-12-25

ing a fool of himself as it is possible
for mans body to do when that fine
spirit which governs is drowned.
Isabel stood Watching without moving
a muscle. The stare drew his attention,
and he requested leave to ask if she was
drunk, and if she meant to "sult him."
Then overwrought by his own elo-
quence, he relaxed and dropped along
the sofa. She saw face swollen and
sensual a frame nerveless and heavy
q man turned to beast.
Her maid tapped at an inner door to
ask if Mrs. Burnham wanted her now.
"Go to my dressing-room," replied
Isabel, towering between the damsel's
eyes and that Observation-Disclosures
steep.grade upon the sofa. "Wait for
me there"
She closed the door and went back.
Not being addicted to harangues and
handkerchiefs, she merely clasped her
hands and looked at him, thinking, /
suppose, that no woe like hers had ever
come upon the world since the deluge.
Yet Mrs Smith, down by the wharves,
conld have shown her deeper depths:
and thousands of wretches within few
square miles, might have smiled at her
butterfly misery. Yet, after all, every
one suffers according to his capacity
rather than according to his stroke. Is
abel considered wine as belonging to
gentle breeding. That Mrs. Smiths
"man" should come to the gutter
through rum, was thing to be ex-
pootcd; "that port of people you know,
etc." but that Mrs Burnham's lord
could be touched with the same infrm-
ity, was revelation OF human nature
| for which she was not prepared. Like
all natures of her cast, she stood in
fiercest Judgment over what she loved
best.
Burnham slept till late sun thrust
bright daggers through his hair, and
heated his eyelids.
Dissipation treated him kindly. He
came down to luncheon after bath and
toilet and little philosophy, as fresh
and suave as your father confessor.
Isabel did not trouble him for the time.
She had taken her maid and gone out,
he supposed, and he WAS glad of having
more time to recover himself before he
attempted to pass muster under those
black eyes again. He came home to
dinner invigorated by business, with
his winning, repentant guise on his arm,
ready for use, rs you may say. But
Isabel had not yet returned. No one
had seen her that day.
He rushed to her room and plowed
among her belongings. She had taken
little and that little had evidently been
packed hastily.
Pinned to frame containing his por-
trait, Burnham found her last testa-
ment he opened it with face like
the dead. She said to him:
"Do not search for me. We can nev-
er be anything to each other again. You
have killed me; you taught me to lean
on and adore the best of men and then
you unmasked and showed me what you
were. The world is black; l have no
faith in anything"
Mr.. Burnham, in reading this scrap,
forgot the repose of good breeding.
He fell upon his knees as if Hercules
had planted a blow between his eyes ;
he rung for the police, and whirled up
the great hotel like a mailman. But
those much buttoned gentlemen, with
clubs and ornamented caps, have a
soothing effect on the most narrowed
mind. Bnrnham dropped down in his
parlor, with his head between his hands
anb explained himself, in fragments, tc
one of them, who stood reading hin
like a book.
"Did she have money!" asked the
immovable.
"She has large bank account, hel
own property, which 1 never touch
Perhaps she has cashed that"
On investigation it was found that
she had.
"And with eighteen hours start,
pursued the immovable, "she'll be well
away from the city by this time. De
scription of lady, and ladys woman,
sir ?"
So they took notes, examined, put
their hand to the wires, and flew about
surely and silently, while Burnham
measured his rooms or the streets, OF
set in police stations, looking like On
old man.
Once, when a juvenile, I seized q
stone, with an impulse of disgust, and
hit rat which crept from under the
barn. 1t screamed and tottered, lifting
suffering eyes. The poor thing had
been poisoned great ulcers were on
it's back ;..it was crawling from death,
and hurt it 1 sat down on the grass,
crying and wringing my hands, the YER
lest wretch alive; had struck suffer
ing, defenseless creature If could
only have gathered the rat on my lap
and soothed its dying moments But
he dragged out of sight and left me ev-
erlastine remorse. Since cruelty is a
4 e,lJ L. II, ,,o 10, f,,l