Columbus index. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1869-1893, 1874-05-08

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Ion <aAy'sSIaBefNbecame apparent,
iS6Sahe HI fsIat. eieep. She made
aNpfeftN Eictu1G S8s She lay on the
gEnSl 9SNHe9d Pillowed on her arm,
J lhek JiAjT{AlNI9about her shoulders.
gttRd 1efNcifeekS flushed crimson with
nit heat \SO, at lasr, thought a
taH bRardgd man, who WAS standing
Rby VIII folded arms, gazing inter-
ld519p0n the sleeping taee OF Ruthie,
'aFy6ne who bad found a treasurs,
long lost, but at last within reach.
An inefable expression of ten
derness lighted up his 'ace as be
murmured:
'Found, found at last Ms dar
lingl My little Ruthe!
And Ruthie, maying uneasiIy in
her sleep at the dOund OF thal loved
voice, opened ner eyes in glad sur
prise at his cry-
sRuthisl Ruthie, darliugp
A uoment more, and she was
Iclasped in Will Laurence's arms.
1t seemed too good to be true, aud
Ruthie was almost tempted to be-
lieve that she was still wrapt in
slumber, and this was a bhsslul
dream, from which she would awake
more dissatisfied than ever with her
present lot. But, no, it could not
be dream, for there stood Win
looking so noble, So true, so entirely
what she had imagined him, that
she inly wondered how she could
have distrusted him, and mentally
vowed that no power in heaven or
earth should ever again shake her
faith in him.
But meanwhile, the sun had set
and the twilight shadows began to
fall ; so, interfupting the tide ofloy-
ers nonsense which VIII continued
to pour into her ears, Ruthie said:
'Dear me how dark it is getting
l really must go now, win, dear,
for Mrs. Smith will think l have be-
come lost in my wanderings through
the woods, as she is always prOphe-
sying l will do some day. Good
bye for the present.
There is nothing to prevent my
walking home with you, presume,
SAID Will, in the coolest manner i'm
aginable
why no. answered Ruthic, 'only
I thought
you thought | was going TO al
low you to walk home alone, while
stTolled about and talked sentimen-
tai nonsense to tho moon2
-shh, RUtl.ie,- -al4il-l s,o,a, lia.r q.
too limited a knowledge of human
nature for a schOol-teacherp
So they walked leisurely along
the moonlit path, talking Of them
selves and their plans for the fu-
ture. VIII told her of the sweet
little cottage awaiting her in dis.
tant city, and of the trouble he had
taken to render it a fit palace for The
queen of his heart.
Ofcourse, you say, as they went
over the pas, Win fully explained,
and gave his reasons for his sudden
disappearance. How a mischief.
making girl-a belle in her own cir
cle-had told him that Ruthie WAS
Oh the point OF wedding another;
aud when viii stoutly refused to be-
lieve it, and threatened to refer the
matter TO Ruthie herself, she beg
ged hun with tears in her eyes, nos
to do SO, as Ruthie would never for
give the violation Of her confidence.
OF course, you say, he told her all
this, and Of his travels in foreign
lands, where he strOve in vain to for
get her; of his determination to re-
turn LONE, aud see if she was indeed
lost to him forever; Of his grief and
dmazemGnt, when he found she WAS
gone, no one knew whittier; OF his
long tedious search for her, and his
success W hen he last dreamed OF it
Of course he told it all that night,
y0U say, but / say, OF course he did
nothing Of the kind. He merely
took her in his arms, and as he fold
ed her in a close embrace whisper
ed:
And my darling is found, never
more to be lost. Never more to bat
tie single handed with The world, SO
long as l have power to protect her.
Goodnight, my darling Buthic,
God bless and keep you eyerm6rc.'
There was quiet wedding a few
weeks later, a short trip to Niagara,
and other p aces of interest; and a
final settling down in sweet little
cottage,' where as the good old fairy
tales say, they lived happy ever
after.
And so ended 'Ruthie's Expert
ment.'