Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1877-10-22

and then disappear down the pain.
EFF she amt the pluckiest un p be
growled, as he crept from behind the
carriage. Hanged if she amt a ghost
or suthin." And with this peculiar COM
ment on Mrs. Cuthbert's bravery, he
shook himself and made his way out of
the barn with sidelong gait, as if he
were used to Sinking in and out of pla-
ces.
Mrs. Cuthbert meanwhile sped on to
the house, her steps hastened by the idea
that her husband might be there-per-
haps he might have slipped out of the
barn while she was up in the loft, or
perhaps he had not gone into the barn
at all.
Alas for her hopes The sitting-room
was empty, and just as she had left it.
Not despairing yet, she snatched up
the lamp, and determined to search the
house. From room to room she went,
calling upon George, and looking into
every closet and behind and under every
article of furniture, but not glimpse
of her husband gladdened her eyes, and
at last she sat down by the baby's cra-
die and burst into tears.
"Oh, how can he be so cruel p she
sobbed, "and for such little thing. He
might have known | was only in fun /;
but maybe he's only in fun himself, and
will come in soon."
Cheered by this last reflection, she
trotted briskly down stairs, stirred the
fire into blaze, and stood watching it,
too fdgety to settle to her sewing again.
The wood famed noisily, then glowed a
silent red, then crumbled and fell, an
untidy, dreary mass of whitened ashes
and dying embers, and still her husband
did not come.
The clock struck nine, and Mrs. Cuth-
bert looked at it reproachfully, as if it
were the time pieces fault that it was
so late. Where q0aS her husband ? Per-
haps he was wandering about in the
dark, unable to find the house. Why
hadn't she thought of that before ? She
would put lamp in every room.
And in few minutes lights were
twinkling from all the windows, giving
the little cottage quite gay and festive
air. Who could have guessed that a
lonely woman and sleeping child were
its sole occupants? Not the dark figure
with the ugly face, doubled up under
the lilac bushes that bordered the grav.
AS the hours wore on, another dark
figure Joined the one of the ugly face
and was greeted with an oath upon his
laziness, and the information thai
something was up" that the frs
chance was spilled and they woult
have to "lay while;" and then boil
the dark figures, with many a curse ant
shiver, crouched together, biding thei
time.
Poor Mrs. Cuthbert, as the nigh
crept on, wandered from window to win
dow, with the vague feeling that if sh
could not see her husband from one, sh
might from another. Sometimes sh
stood at the door, listening intently, an
conjuring every breath of wind into tn
longed-for footsteps, her heart dyin
within her at each fresh disappointment
She must have walked miles in tha
small house; the baby waxed restless
and she was up many times to replac
the coverings that the sturdy little lee
had thrown off in climbing the invisibl
mountains that the child is always a.
cending in his sleep.
The clock struck one. How like I'll
voice of fate it sounded 1t was not ;
all the cheerful ting that, when the su
was shining, had announced the dinn
hour that day.
A distant dog barked, and Mrs. Cut
bert rushed to the door; she had resun
ed her sewing to keep herself from goir
| distracted, and she still clasped itin h
hand. What black, black night al
\ how cold the wind was Hark she W
e certain she heard voices by the gal
Yes /; she did, Just then the baby I
!, gan to cry, and only stopping to C;
u back, sin moment, darling" S
: plunged down the walk.
All was silent there was no o
e there. She stood with her hand up
: the gate few seconds, looking eager
up the road. and then walked slow
Y back to the house.
h AS the front door closed, the lii
) bush by the gate quivered, and two da
e figures crawled from under it.
r When Mrs. Cuthbert laid the baby
his cradle, after singing him back to
i invisible mountains, the clock stru
E. two, and Mrs. Cuthbert looked hopele
2 ness in the face.
e George was never coming home, S
decided. 1t was no use watching;
was never coming home any more. Tn
v as the next gust Of wind sent twig r
h tling on the gravel, she was at the W
1t dow, straining her eyes as she had b.
W doing all the evening.