Connecticut western news., 1878-09-05

grave, handsome, elderly bachelor had treated her from the first with fine courtesy and respect. She liked him thoroughly. "Poor Dick" she sighed, softly, to herself ''It is far better so for him also" So she wrote him sis terly letter of farewell; and in three weeks MT. and Mrs. Furlong sailed for Europe.
 Four enchanted years had Clara Fur long in the Old World, ripening under prosperous sunshine into sumptuous womanhood, and returning to make her drawing room in New Babylon genu- inc salon. She sometimes smiled to herself at thinking how vast her old am bitions had seemed to her, how easily she had compassed them, and how smaller than pin-points they had be- come And sometimes she vaguely won dered whether life with Dick would have involved deeper experiences and larger vision. But one day she ceased to smile and wonder, for, with one swift turn of Fortunes whirling wheel, her husband was bankrupt and a paralytic.
 
 The crowded cars seemed to seethe and blister in the scorching summer sun. Dust filtered through the closed blinds, and the cinder-laden air burned instead of cooling. Two little curly headed babies of two years old and four, fidgeted and murmured on their flaming plush-covered sofa. The lady with them, talked to them, diverted them, with an unwearied ingenuity and patience. But when the train ran into the great junc- tion station of Deerfeld, she rose with deep sigh of relief. "Now, little ones," she said, "mamma can get you some nice cool milk. Bobby, sit very still, and take care of Dicky, and watch to see mamma come through that door with both hands full of things for her brave little men," .. ,..e:
 Bobby sat bolt-upright, large sense of responsibility looking out of his stead fast eyes. Dicky cuddled up to his pro- tector, serenely confident of future bliss. Trains ran in and out, screeching like demons. Men on the platforms rushed and shouted as if the worlds work were to be finished in the five minutes pause of the Limited Express. The warning bell rang. The wheels began slowly turning. Four blue eyes were still fixed upon the door, through which no man. ma came. As the train glided out into the daylight new passenger caught sight of the waiting children.
 'sWhose boys are you?" he asked, eagerly, slipping into the empty seat.
 Mammals" said Bobby.
 "And who is mamma, dear ?''
 'Mamma is Mamma says we is not to talk to peoples. She said she'd come fIoo that door with bofe hands full, and we is so 'tarved P added poor Rob- by, obedient but wretched.
 Good heavens she must have been left at Deerfeld p exclaimed their new friend. "Conductor, where can I tele- graph back to Deerfield that these chill dren are in safe hands ?" -. Not till you reach West Chatham 6.30. Probably the lady will take the 5.2O. Better dispatch to Jones, conduc- tor, also" ...
 "Now, Bobby, see here. It's going to take mamma long time to find what she wanted, and she would like to have you stay with me till she comes back. And in my bag I think there are some great big sweet oranges. Your papa's name was MT. Furlong, was it not ?'
 "Yes he died ten, seven, two months ago. Mamma was sorry. Is dose velly big olanges? Cause Dicky's hungry j; he's so little, and it's so hot.''
 "We'n see. Here's one. And did you ever hear about the crocodile that lived in an orange grove, and couldn't pick one because he was so short, and didn't have any stiIts ? We'll, I'll tell you.' -.t.....
 That morning MT. Richard Ware had felt sure that business required him in Lowell before dark. But now he found ample time to take his captives to the best hotel of Chatham, put them ten derly to bed, and return to the station on the chance of finding their distracted mother. When she. stepped on the platform he thought how superbly hand some she had grown, but he only said, "They are sound asleep, Mrs. Furlong, and they've been as jolly as wood-saw- 1yers, I assure you. But as you won't believe me till you've seen them, car riage is waiting for you." .. .
 "Oh, Richard" she said, ''I think I died 9 thousand deaths before I got your dispatch. How good,1 how good, you were How few men would have noticed two little unknown waifs! ..... t..
 Probably I shouldn't, if I hadn't known your little urchins at glance, They are startlingly like you, Clara ; and 'hough the children of Alice call Ber- tram father, they are like no other chil- dren in the world to me, notwithstand- ing."
 You are very good, Richard
 "On the contrary, I am very deprav- ed. I have been pumping those inno- cent babies with the most ingenious persistency, abusing their newborn con- fde14ce in me in an absolutely shamelesss way; and translating their dialect into English as well as I can, and filing up certain gaps in their narrative with my own preternatural acuteness of infer. ence, discover that you have been working yourself half to death to take care of them, that you are about to con- sign them to your mother, and break your heart about them, in order that you may be freer to complete your own sui