The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1880-07-23

against the sky for one instant, and in
the next lost it entirely as he passed out
of sight over the swelling line of hills
just so she seemed to have lost him in
one instant out of her life. And yet she
never lost faith and trust in him-never
ceased TO watch for his coming again.
Drew, after a time, either goaded to
the step by his sisters loud-voiced argu-
ments, or prompted to it by his own sense
of what was due to Matte, not only took
pains to ascertain that the marriage was
real enough, but the further pains of
searching Tor and finding the address of
Adam Armitage in London. 1t was
strange how this girl and her former mas
ter both trusted Adam in the face of his
incXplicable silence; in the face of even
n more ominous discovery made of Drew
when in town-the discovery that he
had never mentioned Mates name to his
mother, or alluded TO Matte at all As
for Adam, Mrs. Armitage declared he
was not with her then. and that she could
not give an address that would find him,
IN assertion that confirmed Matte in the
| idea that he had started on those far
away travels that he had spoken of to
her
AS autumn passed and the evenings
grew chilly with the breath of the com
ing winter. Mattie's health seemed to
fail. The deep melancholy that oppress-
ed her threatened to break the springs
of life. In order to escape from Mrs.
Bankes the girl took to lonely wander
ings over the Downs, until, with the in
stinct of wounded animal. that seeks to
endure its pain alone, or from the ever
present recollection of the last words of
Adam, when he had said it was by way
of Stonedcne 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 fogy day had lived
months at Stonelene, on the watch al
ways for the coming of Adam.
The fog increased instead of diminish
ing with theapproach of evening. Drew
could not see his own house until he was
close to it; as he had remarked, the mys
terry of Mattie's affairs was not more i'm
penetrable than the veil hiding all natu-
raj objects just then. When he had put
up the horse and gone into tea, Mrs
Barkes, as she hustled about, preparing
the meal that Mattie's deft fingers had
been wont to set out with so much quiet
ness as well as celebrity, did not fail tc
greet him with the question: well, how
is she?'
She had come to mean Matte in the
vocabulary of the farmer and his sister
about as usual in health Drew re
piled, 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 mind; 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 ON,
might think so from the way you &c
on
Nay nay. said Drew, gently, as thu
butter dish was set upon the table will
vehemence that made the teacups rat
tie. There are no signs of madnes
about Mattie-unless you call her trus
in her husband by so hard name.
r Husband a pretty husband, indeed
, I've no patience with him, nor with yol
:, either. AS if it was not common tai
, enough! 1t would be better to persuad
the girl to come home and get to worI
a again than to encourage her in her fan
! cies, while you pay another servant her
:, and the times so hard as they are.
i was thinking to-day, the farme
went ON, softly passing his broad pain
| over the blonde head of the youn
!; child upon his knee, i was thinl
ing as / came along of how it stand
t written: 'IIe that loveth not his brotho
= whom he hath seen, how can he loy
a God whom he hath not seen?
o AT that instant the shadowy form {
some one going round to the front doc
t passed the window against which tn
n fog pressed closely. Drew sat little Ha
e ry on his feet, and rose slowly, listenin
it with intentness and surprised look tn;
; made his sister ask what allied him.
IS 'Rover!-the dog does not bark; WI
e by the mercy of Heaven, it is the ma
g. HIMSELF cried Drew, as the door opene
e with IA suddenness that caused Mr.
II Bankes to drop the plates upon the brio
% floor For Adam Armitage stood .upC
W the threshold, Adam, pale and worn,
t shadow of his former self, but himse
5 Enthusiastically.
n Adam looked around the room
e. though seeking some one, smiled in !
l' old fashion at Harry gave n half curiol
le half indifferent glance to Eliza Bank
'e and then turned to the farmer.
H. Drew, he said, simply, where is 1
e. wife?
e, Mrs Armitage is waiting for you
NJ Stonedene, sir. There was some talk
z your coming back that way,
lie Waiting! Adam threw up his han
50 with passionate gesture. What can 5
IS have thought!
" She has thought you were gone, af
20 all, upon the and that your lett
" miscarried. Sometimes she had thoug
't that You were dead, Mr.. Armitage,
~ never Drew broke off and held (
-, his hand. we knew you could eXpl
mut m what had happened, sir he concluded.
W Adam drew his own hand across
~ eyes in the way man might do who
ao lately aroused from a bad dream g
g" has some trouble to collect his though
~ e That has happened, he said 'whicl
~, ~, it had not befallen me myself and beco
vs., ,. part of my own experienced sould +
y it difficult to believe possible, a stral
ON thing has happened, and yet-here
-of old smile they remembered so well br'
w. slowly like light over his face-'and
~ a thing not more strange, as the VIC
,'n goes, that than you'll say nothing
we Mattie-but that you should have trus
~ me throughout. / detected no misn
~ in your voice, no doubt in your eyes,
even as they first met mine just now, II
he call mine a rare case, friend they mi
ed say the same of your belief in me. Blu
er Stonedene, did You say? Walk with
II there and here my tale as we 90.
lie sfnl. -, IL q,