The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1877-05-19

search. In and out among the barrels ant
boxes she went In the utter blackness, call
ing out merrily now and then that sh'
would find him and punish him for giving
her so much trouble. Once she almost
touched the shrinking figure; but 1t helt
Its breath, and she passed on.
1t was q weird game of hide-and-seek
the dark figvre with the ugly face covering
among the wheels, listening with strange
kind of savage fear to the light footsteps
that sounded now here, now there he
heard them climb the ladder and patteI
about in the loft overheard, then come
down again, and the voice-not 30 merry
now-repeat her assurance of finding the
truant, and sudden desire entered his brain
to spring upon her and choke. 1t would
not be the first time he had done such a
deed, but her perfect audacity seemed to
paralyze him, and again she passed him all
unconscious. He saw her pause in the door
way, dinily outlined against the sky, and
then disappear down the path.
"Ef she amt the pluckiest un ~ he
growled, as he crept behind the carriage.
"Aanged if she amt a ghost or suthin.'
| And with this peculiar comment on Mrs.
Cuthbert's bravery, he shook himself and
made his way out of the barn wit side
long gait, as if he were used to sinking In
and out of places.
Mrs. Cuthbert meanwhile sped on to the
house, her steps fastened by the idea that
her husband might be. there-perhaps 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 1t:
Not despairing yet, she snatched up the
| NJ Jota 70 onurnh the hnlaa.
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 dowr by the
| babys cradle and burst into tears.
| "Oh, how can he be so cruel !" she sob
| bed, sand for such little thing. He might
have known was only in fun but may be
| 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 u
blaze. and stood watching it, too fidgety 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 it it we're
the time-pieces fault that it was so late.
Where was her husband? Perhaps he was
| wandering about in the dark, unable to find
the house. Why hadn't she thought OF
that before? She would put a lamp in
every room.
And in a few minutes lights were twink
ling from all The windows, giving the little
cottage quite gay and festive air. Who
could have guessed that lonely woman
and sleeping child were its sole occu-
pants Not the dark figure with the ugly
face, doubled up under the lilac bushes thai
bordered the gravel path.
AS the hours wore on, another dark fig
ure Joined the one of the ugly face, and was
greeted with an oath upon his lsziness, and
the information that something was up,
that the first chance was "spiled,' and they
would have 10 'lay while;" and then both
the dark figures, with many curse and
SILVER, crouched together, biding theii
time.
Poor Mrs. CuthbeIt, as the night crepi
On, wandered from window to window
with the vague feeling that if she could
not see her husband from one. she might
from another. Sometimes she stood at the
door, listening intently. and conjurine
every breath of wind into the longed-fol
footsteps, her heart dying within her a.
each fresh disappointment. She must have
walked miles in that small house the baby
waxed restless, and she was up many timei
to replace the coverings that the sturdy lit
tie legs had thrown off in climbing the in
visible mountains that the child is Away
ascending in his sleep.
The clock struck one. How like the voice
of fate it sounded! 1t was not at all The
cheeful ting that, when the sun was shin
ing, had announced the dinner hour tina
day. -.
A distant dog barked, and Mrs. Cuth
bert rushed to the door she had resumed
her sewing to keep herself from going dis
tracted, and she still clasped it 10 her hand
What black, black night and how colo
the wind was Hark she was certain sh'
heard voices by the gate. Yes she did
Just then the baby began to cry, and only
stopping to call back, sin a moment, dar
ling" she plunged down the walk.
All was silent there was no one there
She stood with her hand upon the gate
few seconds, looking eagerly up the road
and then walked slowly back to the house
AS the front door closed, the lilac busl
by the gate quivered, and two dark figure
crawled from under it.
When Mrs. Cuthbert laid the baby in hi
| ultCi binBihR bueh W thS al aoi
BILE mountains, the clock struck two, an,
Mrs. Cuthbert looked hopelessness in tn
face.
George was never coming home she de
cided. 1t was no use watching he wa
never coming home any more. Then, a
the next gust of wind sent twig rattlin
on the gravel, she was at the window
straining her eyes as she had been doin
all the evening.
, How strange every familiar object in tn
house seemed the lights burned s
, Whitley, ahd the sitting room looked 30 IN
canny, with the tea table spread, and tn
hands of the clock marking the sma
hours. An unreasonable moth went bang
ing about the ceiling with what sounded
+ tremendous noise in that dead silence, an
, the fire refused point blank TO be cheerful
despite the armfuls of wood piled on it.
, How the hours dragged She seemed I
have lived years since she heard those foo
, steps on the porch. Why had she bee
such a fool
9 1t was five o'clock now, and the rooster
far and near began to herald the approac
! OF dawn. The sky turned from black t
a gray, and whitish smudge in the east al
, neunced the rise Of the glorious sun.
Mrs. Cuthbert put out the lights an
r went to the front door. A drizzling raj
had set in, and the damp raw air made he
|, shudder. She went back to the sitting
! room, and, in dreary, mechanical kind {
way, lit the fire there and in the lit
y kitchen then brought baby down stair
washed and dressed him as usual. and pI
:, him on the floor to play while she prepare
v his bread and milk.
h But baby was not destined TO get b
d breakfast just yet, for at that moment