The Russellville Democrat., 1880-05-27

reminding him of the dear home whicl
 he might never see again, which he ha,
 llttle hope of seeing. There was tn,
 maple grove eh the hillside; the lak,
 lying calm and placid in its setting of al
 uers rehecting now, the sweet saintl,
 night; the gently flowing river iesuln.
 from it, and meandering peacefully aloni
 the base of the hill, with lulling mur
 muring sound. The night air was lader
 with freshly distilled odors, and tho
 dreamy hum of crickets and ether in
 sects sounded on his ear. What swee
 homecoming it would be he thought, i
 only he was sure of meeting with wei.
 come. But how could his heart leap in joyful recognition of each dear familiar
 scene, when the horrible fear was haunt
 Ing him, that perhaps he would not bt
 welcome, that another might be reign
 ing "lord of his rights" and that the
 wife who had loved him once, might now regard him as bar to her future
 happiness. With strange shrir king oi
 heart, and wavering uncertain footsteps
 he pressed on, uncertain as to what course he should pursue, but with hun. gry longing to look upon her face again
 At last he entered the precincts of his own domain-the home which had been his fathers, and which had been to him
 to scene of one short happy year oi welded life. He walked up the dim avenue of trees that led to the house and soon he saw it looming up fair and stately against the deep background oi the sky. How his heart leaped and throbbed with intense longingl II he should find her there unchangedl If she were free to renew the close uuion of hearts, for which his waiting-starved soul yearned dunutterably, hat an ecstat ic moment this coming home might be! The fountains were playing with musical murmurs as of old, and wonder was the summer-house where he had often sat with Florine and pictured the coming years. The nearer he approached, the more nervous he became. He wished. yet dreaded to know the worst, what ever it might be. "Can it be possible?n he thought, "that I, the master here, em moving along stealthily, as thief might do who fears detection?" The front piazza was embowered in shrubbery, through which the white pillars showed scent of sweet briar mingled with the Ol IOScs, uldut tllt dewy air heavy with fragrance. It was a moment of such supreme hope and fear, and to the end of life, Ryan could never inhale the odor of summers sweetest flowers without pang. There was no lights in front below stairs, but the windows were open, and above, he could see that the room that used 10 be their chamber was brightly lighted. He summed the front entrance, he had not courage to enter boldly, and stole around to the back of the house. He preferred the torture of suspense for time, to the certainty that might be death blow to bis happiness. He heard the sound of voices somewhere above him, and crunched low behind clump of bushes which were a mass of bloom and fra grance. There was the rustic of woman's and then the couple stepped one of the low windows to the balcony which ran around the second story. It was a lady and gentleman, who commenced slow promenade along the balcony. From his hiding place he peered upward, his heart beating with great heavy throbs. He could make out the lady's figure distinctly; it was--yes, it was his wife. That was her tall, slen- der, graceful figure dimly outlined in the She was leaning on her arm, and his face was bent very near to hers. But if he could be in the form he could not doubt that it was her voice, whose clear caden- ces fell upon his ear as if they came to- wards him. The precipitation started to his forehead and stood their in great drops as he heard the words of tender ness between them. Another was reign ing in his place; of that he had no doubt. There could be no hearty welcome to him come back from the dead. They stopped just above him and leaned over the railing, and these words came float ing down to his ears from her hps;
 "Dear Lawrence, did not dream two years ago that any one could so utterly fill my heart as you do."
 He answered her with low words of and kissed her lips.
 "I thought when lost that dear one," she continued, "that could never again find peace, but God has been good to me healed by your love, my husband; the dead past has buried it's dead, and am at rest"
 He adjusted her shawl carelessly around her, keeping his arms close about her.
 "I must not let my wife get cold" he said," she might take the wings and fly away. I almost think now she has a pair of wings folded away somewhere" !"
 She laughed the sweet musical laugh he remembered They were evidently in the fitness of their honeymoon, and it was as sweet to her as that other had been with him, the lonely man thought with an infinite grief too deep for bit terness. She had lived down her love for him: to make himself known now would shatter her happiness and fail to secure his own. He could not share a divided heart. He must get away as quietly as he had come. He might claim his fair ancestral home. but what did that matter to him without her loveY Perhaps she would prefer me yet, hei early love-" he thought, with dawning of hope. But he was one of your fine grained, sensitive natures, and he re- fiected he was not the man who had left her, youthful, buoyant and vitality, bui a man grown old before his time. The five lonely years had done the work oi fifteen. He was prematurely bowed, and his black, luxuriant locks had grown gray with grief The man beside hei
 was tall, erect and vigerous-a fitting mate for her, still in the first freshness of her womannood. No, he would no
 break in upon her happiness now although he could clsim.he and the law could bear him out in it; he would cal
 up to his aid the self-repression which
 had been the habit of his life so long