The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1877-02-16

monosyllable, "No," that trcmbled from
her lips, was audible only to the ear of tn,
inquirer. In vain Mrs, Elliot despatched
one of her children after another, in ques
OF their father and brother; they came anJ
went, but brought no tidiugs more cheering
than the moaning of the hollow wind
Minutes rolled into hours, yet neither came
She perceived the prouder of her guests
preparing to withdraw, and, observing tha,
"Ihomass absence was so singular and uu
accountable, and so unlike either him or his
father, she didna ken what apology to make
to her friends for such treatment; but il
was needless waiting, aud begged they xausd
u,o uu ovromuny, but just begin.
No second invitation was necessary
Good humor appeared to be restored, and
sirloins, pies, pasties and moorfowl began to
disappear like the lost son. For moment
Mrs. Elliot apparently participated in the
restoration of chcerfulness; but low sigh
at her elbow again drove the color from her
rosy cheeks. Her eye wandered to the
farther end of the table, and rested on the
unoccupied seat Of her husband, and the
vacant chair of her first-born. Her heart
fell heavily within her all the mother gush-
ed into her bosom, and, rising from the
table, "What in the world can be the mean
ing O. this p said she, as she hurried, with
a troubled countenance, toward the door,
Her husband met her on the threshold.-
. .Z9WhA.s haa.ya -hna,a; Pa.s- an n--.ssa -vt1o,
eagerly; "hac ye seen naething O. him ?"
Matching naething p repliod he lis
he no cast up yeti" And, with mclau-
choly glance, his eyes sought an answer in
the deserted chair. His lips quivered, his
tongue faltered.
"Gude forgie me ?" said Be sand such
a day for even an enemy to !; out in I've
been up and doun every Wy that 1 can
think on but not living .ciS Sfure has seen
or heard tell o him. YeIfE Ecuse me nee
bors," he added, leaving ths ouso Il must
ava again, for Gamma rest.5F
II zen by myself, friends, - said Adam
Bell, aecent-loOkins NQ1thumbriau, "that
a fathers heart is as sensible rs the apple
o his e'e; aud, think we would show o,
want o natural sympathy, and respect fay
our worthy neighbors ws gtspa every one
get his foot into the stirrup, without lossto
time, and assist him in his search. For, in
my rough, country way o thinking, it must
be something particularly out of the common
that could tempt Thomas to be amissiag.-
Indeed, l medina say tempt, for there could
be no inclination in the way. And our
hills, " he concluded, in lower tone, 1" are
not owre clancy in other respects, besides
the breaking up O. the storm.
cob " said Mrs Elliot, wringing her
hands, II have had the coming O this
about me for days and days. My head was
growing dizzy wi happiness, but thoughts
came stealing upon me like ghosts, and l
felt a lonely soughing about myshearE with
out being able to tell the cause but tho
cause is come at last And my dear Tho
mas-the very pride and staff o my life
is lost-lost to me for evcr!"
II ken, Mrs. Elliot, replied the North
umbrian, sit is an easy matter to say COM
pose yourself, for them that dinna ken what
it is to feel But, at the same time, in our
plain, country way O thinking, we are al
ways ready to believe the worst I've often
heard my father say, and.I've as often re-
marked it myself, that, before anything hap
pens to body, there is a something comes
owre them, like cloud before the face O
the sun a sort o dumb whispering about
the breast from the other world. And,
though / trust there is naething o the kind
in your case, yet as you observe, when find
myself growing dizzy, as it were, with hap.
.pi.e.s. IL makes good !. er-y:.ss- oi-u.y mo.
theirs, poor body BARNS, BARNS, she
used to say, there is owre muckle singing
in your heads to night; we willhave show
or before bedtime. AndI never, in my
born days, saw it fail"
At any other period Mr.. Bells disser,a
tion on pressntiments would have been fount
o fitting text on which to hang all the
dreams, wraiths, warnings, and marvellous
circumstances, that had been handed dowr
to the company from the days of their grand
fathers but, in the present instance, they
were too much occupied in consultation re
garding the different route to be taken il
their search.
Twelve horsemcn and some half.dozcn pc
dessriaus, were seen hurryiug in divers d
rections from Maschlaw, as the faint lighh
|of . melancholy day we're yielding to tn
haavu I.~k vxee~ x~hs..6t nnx>o.-oJ x.ose;,,