Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1874-05-22

nv dear madam, that your htiSoaiiu LIZ
ness is not the cause of your palor and ev-
ident anxiety"
INV husbands illness'' she cried. "Oh,
where is he, and what is the matter :"
uNav, do not alarm yourself, | merely
supposed he might be i'll, shetland he
hesitated.
SIS he not here, then 20 she cries in ter
rible agitation. :.
! ssIndeed. he has not been down to-day. =
| "Not at the office to-day? Oh, my love,
| my husband - and the poor young wife
( sank back helplessly in the carriage.
Mr. Steel, much grieved for her distress,
endeavored but vainly to soothe her fears
and account satisfactorily for the mystic
rious absence Of the junior member OF his
firm. II assure you there is no cause Tor
alarm,'' he said. !sCome to think OF IL,
| we.L!.ssd case up the river that needed per-
sonal attention, and no doubt, the weather
being propitious, he has gone thither In
deed, feel quite sure of it. now that l
take the matter into consideration.
But the unhappy woman thinks she
knows better than the man the cause OF
her husbands absence, for she cannot dis
connect the mysterious disappearance with
the unhappy scene of the morning. "Per-
haps you will feel more kindly towards me
when I am gone" Those were the last
words she had heard from his lips. Did
not they embody threat !? All, no, they
were too lovingly spoken for that, but they
had proved a prophecy terrible and true
A thousand fears, horrible and vague, and
more horrible by reason Of their vague
ness and uncertainty, chased each other
dread, remorse, and tender love.
'1Tell John to drive nae home," she sob
bed 81 must go home"
"My dear, dear lady, said the old gen.
4lemen, at his wits end to lull the tempest
he had brought about, II beseech you to
calm yourself; am SO sure there is moth
ing wrong"
'sHome home !" she sobbed, and almost
as frantic as herself, Archibald Steele-he
was bachelor-gave the order, and stood
looking after the carriage as it rolled away,
with perplexity and compassion strangely
mingled on his features.
"Where in the mischief has the fellow
gone? He ought to be horse-whipped for
giving that pretty creature such distress.
Why couldn't he tell her, OF leave word at
the Office? Thoughtless young scamp y
And how she adores him! All, that is one
mistake of my life. / see it every day. I
ought to have married. High-ho" And
he returned to the Office to examine the
desk more closely for any note left by the
missing man, and to question the clerks
individually for any clue OF his where
abouts he might have left behind him yer-
bally. Finding none, he was almost tempt
ed to forge LETTER or invent a message and
carry it to the terror-stFicken wife, so
touched was he by her woe, and so sure
that it was causeless.
AS for Arthur, he had left home the pre-
vious morning with heavy he art, ponder
ing unselfshly what he could do to soothe
his wife's anger towards himself, and re-
awaken in her heart the love for him he
felt sure existed there 'sTime," he said,
twill bring her to herself. For a day or
two [ must be patient, and since my pres
ence annoys her-poor darling, she can't
help it must be as little in her sight as
! is practicable" And then he had well
coined as a happy thought the business
tkat had been demanding his attention for
a fortnight, but which he had deferred
from time to time, simply because he could
not bear to leave his wife even for twenty
four hours. But now it was the very
thing to be done, and perhaps when he re-
! turned she would have forgotten her an
ger, repented of her Harsh words and meet
him with love and penitence, and recon
ciliation, all to be brought about by this
voluntary absence on his part. His resolve
was made and acted upon at once. 1t was
ten O'Clock. He had just time to get the
next train and rushing into a postofice
station on his way, he sent message to
his wife, simply accounting for his absence
and giving time Of his expected return
! But in vain did he seek as he sped on his
way to turn his thoughts to the business
| that awaited him. Over and over again
rang in his ears the cruel words of the
morning, as he pondered painfully how
I this woman, of whose love he had felt Sc
sure, could suddenly turn her heart to
stone against him; for Arthur Scrivnel
was an only and an orphan child, and till
he married, knew little of woman's wiles
and ways.
His besides was a young and loving
heart, and this first breach Of love and
confidence between himself and wife,
which might have been but a scratch to
| time SCARED veterans in the matrimonial
service, was Il Misunderstanding matter to
our hero.
| ssCouldn't it be, y he unused, as he was
whirled along his way, "that she really
meant what she said, and. that she will go
on regretting more and more the fate that
binds her to my side ?" and d long, love
less future stretched out before him, bare
and bleak, and cherries rs the scar, brown
fields lying there before his tear dimmed
eyes in the gloom, clouded light of the
chill November day. And then smile
came into his eyes, though it was a sigh
before it reached his lips, as he recalled
how together they had looked timidly into
that future all aglow with hope and love
and promise; heard the distant echo of the
little feet that were coming to enter their
home and walk in and out before them ever
more; saw through mist of tears and
bright imaginings the tiny face that would
in time look up to theirs with answering
smiles and baby words; felt already within
their hearts the new tie, tender but strong
that drew them closer together day by
day. And muslng thus, his great heart