The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1873-09-20
RUBY'S JOURNAL.
(CoNCLUDED.)

rage or Hates sweet face wet with tears
would not say goodbye to him. | shut
myself up in the library when Lord Mont
ford's dog cart came for him. l heard him
ask for me, and then the we'll known step
came up the stairs and stopped at the door.
"May come in?" No answer. Then
in he came.
"Ruby, say goodbye
| did not speak.
My hand taken in his warm, strong
clasp.
"Look at me, Ruby; I am going away.
"Why don't you go?'
Will you give me one Of these ~
touching my hair that was in loose curls
on my neck. "See have got pen-knife.
Give me one for the sake of the past
years."
Then I seized long thick curl and cut
it off, and he, when put it into his hands
he pressed it to his lips and kissed it,
Then said, Goodbye, and, remember,
l will never forgive you for leaving US
There is no friendship between us left; from
this day there will be none"
RUBY, little girl, look at me again
Toll and strife do not last forever, thank
God The end will come, though it seems
far Off"
did look straight into his truo dark
eyes. o, what was it that shone in them
at that moment? Ruby, was it love for
you? If it was, twill never be revealed
until that time when the sea gives up
her dead"
| SM April.-We are alone now, and the
days wear themselves away. Mamma
grows into real invalid, and stays in her
room always; Charley gets tired of the
quiet, and goes to London now and then;
and Kate has never been the same since
Owen left. And L? Well, wrote some
months ago that our lives were too happy
Are they now?
Lord Montford is my devoted admirer
still, and as l write his flowers lie on the
table and scent the room. | have thrown
the roses away. l love them best, but
they used to be our tutors gift every day,
and it seems strange receiving them from
other hands. take long walks now-so
long that l come in tired, and of course
my color increases terribly from exposure
to the air. What it will be in time, can't
imagine. WE'LL after l am miladi it will
not signify.
"Slow" is no word for our lives now
Kate and perfectly moon the happy hours
away, and my sister has taken to doing
Sister of Mercy to all the old women
about the place. 1 told Owen Vivian he
should not 60. We are drifting, drifting,
drifting further away from that better life
of which he told us as children. wonder
if it has been his poverty that has made
aim what he is? If so, l wish we were
beggars. Yet l hate him, and try to for
get that day when 1 cut my hair off for
him and he kissed it. By the by, l wear
it up now to hide the loss. Possibly he
has got lock of Kate's too, and that
would be too absurd. Why we ever think
of him, don't know; it rouses all the
evil in my heart when do.
14h Aprd.-Charley came back to-day
he has not lost his heart, anyway, dear
old Charley. lie took me into the garden
and told me that he believes that Owen
Vivian loves Kate, and that was why he
left us. q could not stand in her way,
either, Ruby, poor as he is. Owen is a
man in ten thousand, but l know he will
never ask her, and / can't request him to
do So"
l believe he longed to, though; for,
worldly as Charley is, his love for our
tutor is absurd.
18th April-Walking into Allandorph
to-day, met Mr.. Vivian. I was going to
bow and pass on, but no hurried up to me
and took my hand.
HMiss Ruby, you never intended to pass
without word %
"Yon know did; told you there was
no friendship now between u.s.
"But did not believe you; 1 know you
better than you know yourself. How are
your mother and sister ?-and Charley, has
he returned?'
eyes. How is my lord, and your pupil9
Is he better than we were, Mr.. Vivian ?''-
At the mention of Lord Montford his face
grew as red as mine must have been, and l
felt quite glad; he never did care for this
inoffensive nobleman.
81 was on my way to the Hall; may 1
walk with you?''
"The kings highway is as much yours
as mine.' l wanted to be rude to him; !
liked to see his grand face look troubled,
and even had some power to trouble it.
He walked silently by me, twisting his
mustache nervously in the old way; then
he turned on me and stood still. "Ruby,
l told you could not stay-is not that
enough? Could you not trust my mo-
tives?'
az told you we needed you, needed
your influence to keep us from going down
we have begun to go back already,
Owen Vivian. 1 am infinitely worse than
l was when you left US, and Kate, l be-
lieve, has begun to grow fanatically mad"
At this he started; had hit him hard
when spoke of my sister.
"Ruby, does it give you pleasure to
pain me 90 and there was pain in his face
when he asked.
eyes, it does; hope you will live to
regret the day you left the Hail.
He was silent till we reached the house,
and left him to go in alone. wandered
away to far part Of the grounds-and, o,
Journal, that no one will ever see, and that
will lie with me in the grave, keep my
secret when l write that I knelt down on
the grass and prayed, in all my irreligion
and wickedness, to be allowed to die, and
moaned and watered the ground with my
tears.
1st Msy.-Since Mr.. Vivian's visit Kate
has been happier, and has gone about the
house singing a few notes at a time. l
don't know anything that occurred on that
day. l never spoke of it, and mamma
said it was like me to forget an old friend
soon, at which laughed and told her that
| our tutor and 7 had never hnen Such good