Weekly Trinity journal., 1873-12-27

he should call for her on the evening IN
question.
1t was not an easy matter for Mary
Willard to make up her mind to court
society in her present mood Of mind
For though the law of the land had been
invoked in her behalf, and its decision had
been to her justification, the proud spirit
which upheld her in the presence of others
and had borne her through, thus far, in
the solitude OF her own presence, gave
way, and she now looked with bitter re-
gret at the last act, Of her own seeking,
which had closed the door to reconcilia-
ton. How would this news be received
at home how could the opinions of those
she held most dear be brought to justify
her as she had been justified by those by
whom she was surrounded? ? 1t would
not be done, she knew, for with them the
marriage tie was one not thoughtlessly to
be assumed nor to be lightly shaken off.
The continued chatter of her landlady
annoyed her-she wanted to be alone
Resuming the interrupted walk, her feet
strayed, almost against her will, into the
path leading to the fiat where the claim
in which George Willard worked was
situated Absorbed in her thoughts, She
did not notice this until She wa, aroused
by the familiar voice of one OF his part
ners:
"Why, Mrs Willard, are you lost ?"
She started and looked up.
"Don't be scared amt half as bad
as | look. Cutting blue bedrock, you
know, don't add much to fellows
beauty"
"Is that what you're doing ?" said
Mary, gancing at his splattercd appear
ance.
"Well, should think it was, and has
been for the last three months, But
there's an end of all things, and therell
soon be one OF that"
" George is with you ?' she asked.
80, yes. Hes up the ditch just now,
seeing if there's danger ot Slides I've
just been up to shut the rosolN ous and
look for him back any minute. Sorry
that you and him are two again. and |
saess he Is, but everybody knows their
lVu business oest."
Mary FASTENED to turn the eonversa-
aan. " | hope you'll do we'll" she said
you'yeaIl worked hard enough to deserve
it,"
Wei, that's so, but unfortunately sue
cess does not always reward merit, when
its mining. You've seen old Bill Sharp,
Whisky Bin they call him. He's never
out Of diggings. When he strikes his
pick in the ground he's got good claim.
Dang it, ia rather have his luck than
license to steal. But must get to work."
and he turned away.
" Mr.. Sims" she called after him. He
turned around. "Please say nothing to
Ito George, Of having met me, will
you ?"
"Mums the word, ma'am, if you wish
it. I'll not tell him you taquired for
him, sartin. That | take is what you
mean. Pm sorry, though, you can't
come down and see the diggings as you
used to- Forty feet in the bedrock now,
and timbers so thick you couldn't drop
hat to the bottom Of the ditch. Good by"
He was off again and Mary was alone.
And which way to go she hardly knew.
She did not care to meet her husb sband
that day, above all others, and yet, let
her 60 any way she would, they were
liable to meet. She went back to where
the trail tor<cd, one branch leading TO
the reservoirs, the uthcr by the house from
which she had come, and which could be
plainly seen rom the junction. There,
catching igr; Of an approaching figure,
she hastily ran behind a thick clump of
mansanias and waited until it should
have gone by.
1t was George, returning from the trip
up the ditch, Of which Sims had spoken.
It was the first time she had seen him
since the action had been commenced,
for from that time he had sedulously
avoided the chance Of meeting her. He
came along, and from her secure point of
observation she watched him with an
eager eye. As he passed the junction of
the trails, he gave quick glance toward
her residence, then moving further on till
the undergrowth concealed his form, gaz-
ed long and earnestly over the tops Of the
low bushes toward the spot where he be-
ieved her at that moment to be. Per-
haps he thought to see her, if but for
moment, but if so he was doomed to dis
appointment As it was, unconscious Of
the gaze that was fixed upon him, he
turned and moved slow ly and sadly away.
Her first impulse was to call after his
retr0atng form, but her tongue relu- ed
to do its Office. Watching him until he
disappeared, she again sought the path
and went on, why She knew not, in the
direction Of the reservoirs. And, indeed,
it seemed to her to-day that in all her
movements she was not governed by her
own yolition, but guided by Il will supe-
rior to her own. The reservoirs were
three in number, nearly quarter Of
mile away from the claim they were used
to work, on the gently rising ground Of
" blind ravine. They were located one
above the other IN such way that the
water from the upper one would pass
through both tho others when the gates
were hoistod, aud the common way Of
using them had been to hoist all the gates
at once, and gauge the flow OF water from
lowest and largest OF the three. Until
naw the ditch had not afforded water to
. hem All, but the heavy rains OF tie