The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1878-09-26

she would at least be pleasant to look
upon, Mr.. MacNeil awaited his wife.
l needn't say he waited in vain; and
two or three of the servants not being
able to find her, Mr.. MacNeil, in high
displeasure. sent Shiel off with an inn
mediate order for her peremptory APP
pearance before him. Shiel hunted
high and low, and came back to his
partner with q wild look of alarm in
his face, and his now scanty locks al
most on end.
"She's clean gone!-not sign of
her!'' he said.
Mr.. MacNeil was more mad than
grieved, for he knew she'd come in, he
said, at the fag-end of the feast, and
spoil everything. s'She's run out
somewhere for something" said poor
Mac, little thinking of the nature of her
errand. He made an apt excuse to his
daughter, and the supper went on sue
cessfully. Poor Shiel ate never a
mouthful, and his face was as white
and blank as if he had seen a ghost;
but nobody minded Shiel. In truth,
Macs own appetite was little frus-
trated, and as the night wore away he
was heartily glad to see the people
trooping out to their carriages. When
all were gone, q little upstairs maid,
who had been always civil to poor
Jenny, put a little note into Macs
hand, saying that her mistress told her
not to give it to him till the festivity
was over. Mac opened it with trem-
bling hand, and read poor Jenny's
scrawl:
I'm gone for good and all. dearie; For a long
time I've seen that you and my darling child
were beyond me in everything. can never get
up to YOU e please forgive me if stop by the
" and soo " seG
Mac handed it over to Shiel, and
dropped into chair as if struck by an
unseen hand. The air was little
heavy with the breath of his artistic
guests who had just departed, and the
scent of the exOtics sickened his nos
trils; the big blaze of light grew dim
about him, and all he could see for that
weary minute was the sweet face of a
young English girl he had known and
loved almost beyond his strength a long
time ago.
Shief had read the note for the sixth
time, his face growing more and more
distracted and imbecile, and had begun
to read it over again, when Mac cried
out, in broken voice, "Could any vii
lain be at the bottom of this, Shiel?-
could anyone have tempted her away?"
"Never!' cried Shiel, Indignantly.
I'm answer for that with my life. l
know how fOolishly faithful she was
never an eye or an ear for anybody
else. ! know that by experience.
Many's the time I've tried to console
her myself for your indifference"
My what?' roared poor Mac.
"Your Indifference and neglect, STRIP
cried Shiel, now aroused to the pitch of
recklessness. "She was pearl of pur-
ity and sweet simplicity, but she was
cast before swine, SIR"
"Shiel, you are always more or less
of fool" groaned Mac, land now
you're clean daft" But he listened to
Shiel as he went on to give him piece
of his mind, and took heart as he gath
cred in the evidences of Jenny wound
cd love. "She'll be back before twenty
four hours" said Mac, "and we'll all
be the happier for this little bout
But twenty-four hours went by, and
forty-eight: whole week passed away,
and no Jenny came to lift the weight
from Macs heart. Shiel advised him
to secretly consult the police, at which
Mac first revolted, then succumbed;
but with no success. A fortnight went
by, and even Shiel forgave every fault
of Macs, so deep and sincere were his
sorrow and penitence. The musical
abstraction of Miss Jean served in q
measure to mitigate her grief, and an
eminent professor had offered her the
warmest sympathy and consolation a
man can offer; but poor Mac hated the
thought or sound of music now, and
would have no commiseration save that
of Shiel, which, indeed, partook of so
unwearied nature that Mac chung to
it as drowning man will to Il straw.
st the end of a month Shiel declared
that journalism was the only thing left
to them. He had held it, he said. as a
dernier resort, not wanting to set the
tongues of the world that Jenny SO
hated wagging in her behalf; but her
cruel obstinacy had left them no altern-
alive.
II see," said Mac" the personal
column in the Herald. Make it us ag-
onizing as you can, Shiel. God knows
it can't hold misery enough. Tell her
to come back and rule in every thing
manage the money and the business,
smash the piano, and forbid Jeans
marriage to the professor, and tell her,
Shiel, the house is 'cauld without her,
and my heart wearies sair.'" And
here the tears rolled out of his eyes,
and lump in his throat stopped his
speech.
Nonsense, man," said Shiel. "Call
you that journalism? Listen here, sir,
to the cunning touch of genius, the
lever that moves the world.'' And he
read forth to the responding partner a
little paragraph from a prominent
newspaper, stating the deep regret
with which they learned that the recent
domestic troubles of the eminent musi-
Cal critic Mr.. MacNeil had not only
FRUSTRATED him upon q bed of illness,
where he was now lying in a critical
condition, but that his business affairs
had become hopelessly entangled, and
there was probability of an early sale
of his household effects for the benefit
of his creditors. Among these articles
were some musical curiosities, infor-
nation of which could be obtained of
MIR. Shiel, Printing House Square, No.
blank.
"And now l must 60 to No. blank at
once" said Shiel; "f0r, if I'm not mis-
taken, this will fetch her within the
hour"
Shiel had no sooner got seated at his
desk than there was a timid knock at
the door that sent his heart humping
in unison. Upon the threshold he pres
emily saw familiar little figure, and