Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1880-07-29

| 10 MatClo~ NJ all. AS fOr Adam, Mrs.
Armitage had declared that he was not
with her then, and that she could not
give an address that would find him, an
assertion that confirmed Matte in the
idea that he had so often spoken of to
her.. I.ET
As autumn passed and the evenings
grew chill with the breath of the coming
winter, Mattie's health seemed to- fail.
The deep melancholy that oppressed her
threatened to break the springs Of life.
In order to escape from Mrs. Bankes the
girl took to lonely wanderings over the
Downs; wanderings that ended always at
Stonedene; until, with the instinct of a
wounded animal that seeks to endure it's
pain alone, or from the ever present re-
collection or the last words of Adam,
when he had said it was by way of Stone
dene that he would return, she besought
the farmer to send away the woman in
charge Of the house and allow her to take
her place.
Drew yielded to the wish of the wife,
whose heart was breaking with the pain
OF absence and the mystery of silence,
and Matte on this foggy day had
already lived months at Stonedene, on
the watch always for the coming of Adam.
The fog increased instead of diminish
ing with the approach of evening. Drew
could not see his own house until he was
close to it; as he remarked, the mystery
OF Mattie's affair was not more impene-
trable than the veil hiding all natural
objects just then. When he had put up
the horse and gone into tea, Mrs. Bankes,
as she hustled about, preparing the meal
that Mattie's deft little fingers had been
wont to set out with so much quietness
as we'll as celebrity, did not fail to greet
him with the question: "Well, how is
shea"
"She had come to mean Matte in
the vocabulary of the farmer and his
sister.
"About asusual in health" Drew
replied, lifting the now five-year old
Harry to his knee; "but troubled in
mind, though, to be sure, that is as usual,
too"
"She is out of her mintl," exclaimed
Mrs. Bankes, irritably.
'Every one but yourself knows that;
and if you do not know it, it is only be-
cause you are mad as she is-or any one
might think so from the way you go on"
"Nay, nay" said Drew, gently, as the
butter dish was set upon the table with q
vehemence that made the teacups rattle.
''There are no signs Of madness about
Matte unless you call her trust in her
husband by 50 hard a name.''
"Husband apretty husband, indeed
I've no patience with him nor with you
either. As if it was not common tale
enough! It would be better to persuade
the girl to come home and get to work
again than to encourage her in her
fancies, while you pay another servant
here-and times so hard as they are.''
81 was thinking to-day" the farmer
went on, softly passing his broad palm
over the blonde head Of the child upon
his knee, II was thinking as I came
along of how it stands written: 'He that
loyeth not his brother whom he hath
seen, how can he love God whom he
hath not seen?''
At that instant the shadowy form OF
some one going round to the front door
passed the window, against which the
fog pressed closely. Drew sat little
Harry on his feet, rose slowly, listening
with intentness and surprised look
that made his sister ask what allied him.
Rover the dog does not bark;
wholly the mercy Of heaven, it is the
man himself?" cried Drew, as the door
opened with suddenness that caused
Mrs. Bankes to drop the plates upon the
brick floor. For Adam Armitage stood
upon the threshold. Adam, pale and
worn, shadow of his former self, but
himself Enthusiastically.
Adam looked around the room as
though seeking some one, smiled in his
old fashion at Harry, gave Il haf-curious,
half indifferent glance to Eliza Bankes,
and then turned to the farmer.
"Drew," he said simply, 'fwhere is
my wife?''
Mrs. Armitage is waiting for you at
Stonedene, sir. There was some talk Of
your coming back that way"
''Waiting!" Adam thrcwup his hands
with passionate gesture. "What can
she have thought?'
"She has thought you were gone after
all upon that voyage, and that your let
tiers had been miscarried. Sometimes
she has thought that you were dead, Mr..
Armitage, "but never-"Drew broke off
and held out his hand. "We knew you
could explain what has happened, sir, :"
he concluded.
Adam drew his own hand across his
eyes in the way a man might do who has
lately been reused from bad dream and
has some trouble to collect his thoughts.
"That has happened" he said,
(which, if it had not befallen me myself
and become part Of my own experience,
I should find It difficult to believe pos
sible. A strange thing has happened,
and yet here the old smile they re-
membered SO well broke slowly like light
over his face-"and yet a thing notmore
strange, as the world goes, than that you
II say nothing Of Mattie-but that you
should have trusted me throughout. ]
detected no mistrust in your voice, no
doubt in your eyes, not even when they
first met mine just now. They call mine
a rare case, friend; they might say the
Same of your belief IN me. Birthstone
dene, did you say? Walk with me
there, and hear my tale as we go?'
"This evening, and in this mist, and
you, sir, looking far from WE'LL" began
Eliza Bankes. "NIattie has waited SC
long already that one night more will
make but little difference
"One night! one hour more than ]