The Canton mail. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882, 1875-05-29

voyaging round the cape-there were Mt
2. and O. liners then-was not TO b'
thought of, as it was expressly forbidden
by the medical men, so they were to b'
| separated for time and that time o
parting, so dreaded by Constance, cam,
| inexorably.
The last fatal evening cirae--the las
| Sidney was to spend with her. Hi
strapped overlands and bullock trunks
! his sword and cap, both ca-ed, wer,
! already in the entrance hall, the NOR
rows morning would see him off by tn,
train for Southampton, and his p'sc,
would be vacant and she should re,
his fond hazel eyes no more.
Tears again = said he, almost impa
tiently, while tonderlv caressing tn,
dark and glossy hair of his girl-wife
why ON earth are you sad, COMFY
about this temporary separationp"
"Would that could be certain that
it is only thus :" she exclaimed. "Sad
oh, can You ask ME, Sidney darling
Toe prese ntiment of great sorrow tO
| come is hanging over me.
"A presentiment, Constance Do not
indulge in this folly"
"If 1 did not love you dearly, Sidney,
would such painful emotion rack my
hearth '
''tt is the merest superstition, darling,
and you will get over it when L am fairly
away"
Her tender eyes regarded him visit
fully for a moment, and then her tears
fell faster at the contemplation of the
coming loneliness.
After pause, she asked care there
mspy passengers going out with you?''
"a few-in the cuddy," he replied
carelessly.
''Do you know any of them?"
eyes one or two fellows on the
staff"
"And the ladies ?" she asked after an
other pause.
''I don't know, COMFY dear what do
they matter to me?"
Il heard incidently that-that Miss
Eastwood was goinscut in your vessel"
Indeed, believe she will.
Constance shivered, for with the
name of this finished fiirt that Of her
husband had been r:oie than once
linked, and tis change of color was
unseen By her as he turned to manipu-
late cigar. So for four, perhaps six
months, these two would be together
upon the sea.
Constance knew too well the irritable
future of her husbands temper to say
more ON the subject of her secret
thoughts and deeply 10th was she that
such ideas should embitter the few
brief hcGrs they were to be together
row; so a silence ensued, which, after
a time, she broke, while taking between
her slender fingers hand of Sidney,
who was leaning half modify half list
lessly against the mantlepiece, twisting
hi la
of face.
"Sidney, darling" said she entreat-
ingly, edo forgive me if am dull and
sad-so ikte-this evening"
SCI do forgive you, little one."
"You know, Sidney, that would die
for your
ayes but don't dohny-for I hate
SCENES" said lie, playfuliy kissing her
sweetly sad. upturned face !; and the
poor girl was forced to be contented
with this matter-of-fact kind of tender
ness.
So the dreadful morrow came with its
cad moment of parting.
To muffle the sound of the departing
wheels she buried her head, with all its
wealth of dark, disheveled hair, among
the pillows of her bed, and some weeks
of the most utter loneliness
elapsed, ere sko left it, with the keen
and ardent desire to recover health and
strength, to the end that she might fol-
low her husband over the world of water
and rejoin him but the strength and
health so necessary for the journey were
long coming back to her.
She had hoped he would write her be-
fore sailing from Southampton single
line would hsve satisfied the hungry
of her heart; but rs he did not
do so, she supposed there was not time;
vet the transport lay three DAYS in the
locks after the trunt were on board.
He would write by some passing ship,
he had said, and ono letter, dated from
reached her but its cold
and careless tone struck a mortal chill
TO the sensitive heart of Constance, am
one or two terms of endearment it con-
tanned we're manifestiy forced and i'll
HE writes me thus" she muttered,
with her hand pressed upon her heaviug
bosom thus-and with that woman,
perhaps, by his side"
She consulted the map, and saw how
far, far away on the lonely ocean was
That island speck. Months had elapsed
since ne had been there SO she knew
that he must be in India now, and she
had the regular mails to look with
confidence alas ! that
soon faded away. Long, tender and
passionate was the letter written in re-
ply; she fondly fixed the time when she
proposed to leave England and reioiu
him, if he sent her the necessary remit
without any tiding from Sidney, and
fat o1I Aha laI1 IL 90
the postmau for letters that
never came
Yet she never ceased to write, entreat-
ing him for answers, and assuring him
Of answering sffection.
Slowly, heavily and imperceptibly a
year passed away-a whole year-to her |
now black eternity of time.
"Could Sidney be dead ?" che ssked |
herself with terror but she knew that
lis family (who were all unaware of her
sxistence) had never been in mourning,
Is they must infallibly have been in the |
went of snch a calamity and in her |
she never thought of apply |
ng TO the Horse Guards for informa- |
ion thar she might quite have cared to |
earn.
Her old thoughts concerning Miss
Eastwood took a strange hold of her |
nov; hundred "trifies
light IS air" came back most galIingly
o her memory and took coherent and
angible shapes but stray number of
he IC dian Mail informed her of the
of Miss Dashwood-h bette
Major Milton, and also that
he regiment to which Sidney belonged
was moving up country" phrase to
Ter perplexjng and vague.
Her funds were gone-her friends
we're few and poor. Her jewels-his
reasured presents-were first Turned
nto cash then the furniture OF her
pretty villa, and next the villa itself,
With its sweet rose garden, had to be
for humber apartments in a
neaner street, and, ere long. Constance
Warren fouud that if she was to live,
t must be by her own unaided efforts,
nd for five years she maintained
desperate struggle for existence-five
ears