Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-03-13

world of strangers, with no link of human
love but Clarice, who had been torn from
me! l thought of her desolation ant
despair at our separation, and of the un
happy night she was passing. She wa
awake, as was, thinking of me, as wa
| of her. A small clock in a wooden cast
was on the mantelpiece, and | watched the
hands until watching became torture
they moved so slowly Then | sank tt
my knees, and prayed, and with my
thoughts concentrated upon the necessity
of waking early, l fell into an uneasy
slumber.
cat 5 o'clock in the morning I was
standing outside the ian, in the light Of
the early sunrise. The presage of a fine
day comforted me little. l shall see
Clarice soon, I thought, with gladness
: l shall see Clarice soon = And I mentally
vowed that, when she was once more
within the shelter OF my arms, nothing
but death should ever again separate us.
Never again should 1 be caught sleeping
at my post. The place l was in was
strange to me; | had no knowledge Of
the roads by which we had reached it,
nor in which direction we should wend
our way to Clarice. The conviction that
if 1 were left to myself l should
be lost for ever was one of the
acutest miseries of my position. | had
absolutely no dependence but my master.
There is no doubt we shall see Ciarce
tomorrow, he had said Tomorrow had
come. and in a few hours my suffering
would be over. l walked to field, and
picking few wild flowers, made two
posies, one for the landlords children and
one for my master. 1 must meet cunning
with cunning. 1 placed the childrens posy
in their room, and I gave the smaller
bunch of flowers to my master, who was
by this time awake and up. He received
them with smile, not of thankfulness,
but of triumph, and stuck them in his
hat
"s'You are growing sensible, Margaret,
he said
GAIT o'clock, true to his promise, we
started, and within an hour two numbering
vehicles passed us, going our road. l eyed
them wistfully.
'''Can we not ride?' l asked.
'All my money has gone, he replied ;
q have barely enough to keep us for the
week. We will ride and welcome, if you
will pay for it.
"' Alas = 1 said; i have nothing.
81 was foolish enough to look wistfully
along the road, in the absurd hope that a
kind providence would place a piece Of
gold there, to help us more quickly on the
way. On and on we walked, he often lag
ging behind to try my patience, but l ut
tered nc word of complaint. Before noon
there was a change in the weather dark
clouds approached us, and the rain began
to fall heavily. 1 was for walking on,
needless of the storm; my master would
not have it so. He stopped at the first
hut we reached and sought shelter within.
This caused delay of three or four hours,
for he was deaf to all my entreaties, saying
there was time enough, and that we should
arrive at our destination by night. In the
afternoon we started again, the rain being
over and shortly after nightfall our weary
walk was done. There were many houses
and people IN the village, and it was alto
gether more important than the one we
had left behind Clarice is there =
whispered to myself. Thank God, we
shall presently be together And l said
aloud to my master:
"'Where shall we find my sister,
"tAt the Salutation Inn.
g Have you been in this place before :?
"'Once, years ago. My friend told me
he knew the inn we'll
ellis ready answers confirmed my hopes
/ had tortured myself with needless fears.
"'We cannot put up at the Salutation,
he said we must seek cheaper accommo-
dalton. My purse has little enough in it.
.'There was no difficulty in discovering
what he sought-a poor inn, frequented by
the poor and needy.
"'This will suit, he said, and l dare
say we can raise a little money by our
performances. Remain here; | will bring
Clarice to you.
"He would not allow me to accompany
him. Alone he went; alone he returned.
His face was troubled, his manner confused.
and did not pause to consider whether
he had schoeled himself into this expires
sion of feeling.
".My God!' I cried where is Clarice :!
s'She has not been seen, he replied
sullenly. 4 do not understand it. Why
should she have taken it into her head t.
run away from so loving sister as you?
"The truth flashed upon me in a mo
ment. We had been betrayed.
You villain 1 exclaimed. You
shameless villain ! o, that were man
to punish you for your treacheryl
To be continuel..l