Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1877-03-01

not at all the cheerful ring that, when
the sun was shining had announced
the dinner hour that day.
A distant dog barked, and Mrs.
Cuthbert rushed to the door: she
had resumed her sewing to keep her.
self from going distracted, and she
still ella ped it in her hand. What a
black, black night and how cold the
wind was Hark she was certain
she heard voices at the gate. Yes,
she did. Just then the baby began
to cry, and only stopping to call
back, Gin a moment, darling" she
plunged down the walk.
| All was silent, there was no one
there. She stood with her hand upon
the gate few seconds, looking eager
ly up the road, aud then walked
slowly back to the house.
As the front door closed, the lilac
bush by the gate quivered, and
two dark figures crawied from under
it.
When Mrs. Cuthbert laid the ba-
by in his cradle, after singing him
back to the invisible mountains, the
clock struck two, and Mrs. Cuthbert
looked hopelessness in the face.
George was never coming home
she decided. 1t was no use watch~
iug; he was never coming home
any more. Then, as the next gush
of wind sent twig rafting on the
gravel, she was at the window,
straining her eyes as she had been
doing all the evening.
How strange every familiar object
in the house seemed ! = the lights
burned so whitley, ard the sitting
room looked SO uncanny, with tea ia
BILE spread, and the hands of the
clock marking the small hours. An
unreasonable moth went banging
about the ceiling with what sounded
tremendous noise in that dead ST.
lence, and the fire refused point
blank to be cheerful, despite the
armfuls of wood piled on 1t.
How the the hours dragged She
seemed to have lived years since she
heard those footsteps on the porch.
Why had she been such fool.
It was five O'Clock now, and the
roosters far and near began to herald
the approach of dawn. The sky
turned from black to gray, and a
whitish smudge in the east announce
ed the rise of the glorious sun.
Mrs. Cnthbert put out the lights
and went to the front door. A driz-
zing rain had set in, and the damp
raw air made her shudder. She went
back to the s;ttng-room, and, in a
dreary, mechanical kind OF way, lit
the fire there and Ia che little kitch>
en-: then brought baby down stairs.
washed and dressed him as usual,
and put him on the floor TO play
while she prepared his bread and
milk.
But baby was not destined to get
his breakfast just yet, for at that
moment light step was heard in
the entry. and a tall young man
walked into the room. The bread
and milk were dropped nywhere,
and Mrs. Cuthbert flung herself into
his arms, sobbing, crying, and beg
ging his pardon oil in breath.
"I'll never do it again. Won't you
forgive me, George?'
"Forgive what p? | haven't any
thing to forgive" said the astonished
George.
"Oh yes, you have. l know it was
dreadfully wicked of ne: but | will
never do it again."
"What on earth is the matter ?"
"Won't you forgive me? 2" was all
Mrs. Cuthbert's answer.
"Eleanor, what is the matter % de-
manded the distracted young man,
all kinds of awful visions flying thro'
his brain. "What have you done p
"Why, didn't let you in when
you came home last night. | only
meant to keep you waiting little
WHILE"
"When I came homo last night ?
Why, / haven't been within fifteen
miles of the house since seven o'clock
yesterday morning. I've just como
down on the 4;30 train"
| "You did not come home last
night?" gasped Mrs. Cuthbefs.
"Come home? No, of course l did
not; I've been working at the office
half the night Didn't you receive
my telegram saying that | should be
detained in the city all night?"
"No; have not received any:
What does it all mean?'
And then she told him all about it
jim rather an incoherent style to be
sure; but she made him understand,
and he was greatly puzzled as to
who it could have been.
Mrs. Cuthbert, now that her mind
was relieved, began to remember
that she had eaten nothing since
dinner the day before, and was soon
flying about broiliug ham and poach-
ing eggs, stopping to have hearty
laugh over the charred remains of
her husbands supper, which she
took from the oven. Then they sat
down to the Tea table. baby and ell,
and ate their breakfast.
That afternoon the village youth
who die their "chores" was unusual
ly late in coming, but when he did
arrive it was with such budget of
news that his hardness was forgiven.
He had been an eyewitness to the
capture of two burglars at Squire
Jones'; they had been discovered in
the very act of carrying off the sill
| yer.
"Laws. how they ftp said the
boy. "They smashed Bill Williams
head in with the plate basket, and
came most near hittin' me, an when
we had m caught tight, how they
did talk They cussed an swor, an
one on 'em--a Teller with a powerful
ugly face-said as how they wouldn't
hev been nabbed if they hadn't been
foolin' round another house all the
| evapins. AM ha saa tThare'a ono of