Weekly Trinity journal., 1877-03-17

maps ne NNt ~NNOlN O0t OF tNt hhi0 Whlle
she was up i'm the loft, or perhaps he had
not gone into the barn at al
Alas Cor her hopes ! The sitting room
was empty, and justas She had lca it.
Not despliring yet, She snatched up
the lamp, and determined to search tho
house. From room to room she went,
calling upon George, and looking into
every closet and behind and undor every
article of furniture, but not glimpse OF
her husband gladdened her eyes, and at
last She sat down by :he baby's cradle
and burst into toars.
ooh, how can he be so cruel ~ she
sohbel, "and tor such little thing lie
might have known | was only in tun;
but maybe hos only in fun himself, and
viii como in soon"
Checred by this last reflection, she
trottci briskly down stairs, stirred the
lire into blaze, and stood watching it,
too Gdgetv to settle to her sowing again.
Tho wood tanned noisily, then glowed
silent red, then cumbled and ttll, an mn
tidy, dreary mass of whitoued ashes and
dying ombors, and still her husband did
not come
The clock struck nine, and Mrs. Cath
bert locked at 1t roproachtully, as It it
was The timc-pieco's .aat thatit was So
laJc. Whcte ra~ her husband Pahnps
he was wandering about ia tho dark, un
able to Gud the house. Why hadu't she
thought of that before ? She would put u
lamp in every room,
And ina few minutes lights were twink
ling from all tho windows, giving the lit
tie cottage quito gay and festive air
Who could have guessed that u lonely
woman ana shopping child were It's solo
occupants ? Not the dark liguro with the
ugly face, doubled up uudor the lilac
bu,he. that bordored the gravel path.
As the hours wore ON, auother dark
figure joined the one OF tho ugly tuce,
and was greeted with an oath upon his
laziuess, aud the intot nation that some
thing wa, up" that tho drst chance was
"spiled," and they would have to lay
to whiic )" and then both tho dark fig
ures, with many curse and shiycr
crouchcd together, biding their times.
, Poor Mrs. Cuthbcrt, as the night cropt
on, wandered from window TO window,
with The vague feeling TINT il she could
not see her husband from one, she might
from another. Sometimes sho stood AT
, the door, listening inteutly, and coujur-
ing overy breath Of wind into the longed.
for footsteps her heart dying within ben
, at each fresh Disappointment. She must
have walked mile, IN Jhat small house
the baby waved tost.e-s, and she was uT
many times To repaca the coyoriug- that
, tho stNdY ultio ieg. Ind thrown of IN
climbing the invisible mountain that Il
child l- always ascending in his sleep.
Tho clock struck ono. How like the
voice of fate IL sounded twas not mt al
the choorlul ting that, when the sun wa.
shining, had announced tho dinner houi
that day.
a distant dog barked, and Mrs Cuth
bert rushed to the door she Ind resuuel
her sowing to keep hcroIf from goiul
Distracted, ana she stiIl clasped il ia be-
hand. What black, black night aue
how cold the wind wa- llmk ho wa
, certain sho hoard voices ut tha gate. Ics
she dtd. just then the baby began t,
cry, and only stoppag to call buck, " Il
a moment dariug,' she plugged down
the walk.
All was silent tlFre wa. 20 one thore
- She stood with her hand upon tbs goto
few seconds, loorios eagcdyup the roal
and then walked slowly back to th
house.
A the front door closed, the lilac busl
BY the gate Quiyarcd, and Two dark lg
urcs clawIed from oudarit.
when Ms. Cuthbert Iaid the baby il
his cradle, after singing bin bacl, 70 th
invisible mountains, thococll struck two
i and Mrs Cuthbort looked hopeoasbes
r IN the hco.
George WAS never coming homo, sh
e decided. 1t was no usa watching b.
- was never coming home my mote Tlen
as tho ueSt gust Of wind .ent q t@ig ran
y ting ON the gravel she was al the win
i dow, strainug hsr oyos as she had beeI
doing all the evening
q How strange oyey familiar object il
p the house seemed Tho lights burned 81
/ Whitley, and the sitting room looked 81
h uncanuy, with tho tea table sproad, an
q the hands Of tho clock marking the smal
hours. An unreasonable moth wen
banging about tho ceiling with wha
sounded Tremendous noise in that don
= silence, and the G,e refused point blau
a to be choeriui, despite the aiIntuls G
{ wood piled an it.
Y How the hours dragged She SCENE
r 70 have lived years since She heard tho,
, footsteps on the porch. Why had al
- been such a fool ?
o 1t was. five O'Clock now, aud the roos
r. ters far and near began to herald the AZ
r proach Of dawn, The Sky turned iron
t black to gray, aud whlsh smudge /
r the east announced the rise oil the gor
Gus sun.
B. Mrs. Cuthbort put out the lights an
y went TO the front door. A drilling raj
= had set in, and The damp raw air ma
her shudder. Shn went back to The sit
e ting.room, and, ms dromy mechanic,
= kind OF way, lie The fire there in the liltI
# kitchen then brought baby down stair
washed and dressed him as usual, an
e put him OF the floor to play while sh
# prepared his bread and milk
pt ll.. - . ltt,.l - al