New-York tribune., 1881-09-11
WHAT 1T MEANT.
BY RHODA BROUGHTON.


had the last look / shall always maintain
that Alice thought that she had got the better of
teasing him to kiss her through the window, though
she was all snouched with tears-a thing he never
Liked and he bv bunting fT his flask hsa ne
ut the last moment and drove down with him to the
gate. We did not say ANYTHING at all but he iet
me hold his hand all the way and at the very last.
when | was actually on the step getting out, he
said, God bless you 49,,
Alice will not believe it, but he did. He, so un-
demonstratve. who never in his life be,dear-ed or
be-darlinged us. said God bless your l am so
glad that did not annoy him with tears | think
that that was his way of paying / told Alice
so, which made her very angry, as she had cried
a little to brawl over it. as we did internationally
for the rest of the day. If we had not quarrelled
cannot think how we should have got through the
day at ALL 1t was at least an Occu patton and the
only one which was not rendered intolerable by
being inextricaby entangled with his memory.
earlier. our life had been so built upon him and his
convenience. that now that the keystone was
five months our every action had had some refer
ence to him. Now that he was gone. all action
seemed useless. this passing was, as we both
agreed. worse, far worse. than any former one.
They had all been bad enough. but when he was at
ns the at sf to e long S beTe We
Jam to send him, and the penny post to bring
letters only twelve hours old. Even when he first
buoyant gladness in the prospect his confidence
that the climate would snit him, did not hot
weather here always suit himf the hotter the
betterl-had impaired to too. some faint raw of
courage But now that we knew certainly that
that young confidence had been misplaced, now
that there was burnt in upon memories the
look OF HIM I'M sent back to us as he lad been last
almost past recognition-is it any wonder that our
pulses beat low as we gave him back trembling
to that feyersh soil that is ever being new paved
And though he would not for moment have
plagued him with anv morbid forebodings. vet we
agreed Alice and l. that his own dear heart seemed
tG grow heavy as the time for parting, drew nigh.
nnh cntIra htph hn oft hnhI ind
On that black first day, house and garden were
equally bitter to us the house where in the hall
after his return, he languidlv lay stretched the
garden where in his later better time during the
thrust themselves among Februarys harsh cold
troop he had swung hammock for u.s.. There
had pinched and the cedar that no stress of frost
or storm could change from it's unaltered green. |
stood with my hand on the han mock ro es.., Only
sons should not be sent on foreign servicen said
with sententious sadness my eyes absently fixed
on the solid red brick Georgian house that seemed
to share the snlenness of the low atecoored slv.
Only sons sisters should be sent on foreign
service with themP answered Alice bettering
getherr
How pleased the regiment would he to see usr
reioined drily, and we both laughed. We were
surprised and shocked the moment that we had done
three hours when we laughed At % luncheon che Soe we
were quite upset again by Figaro the black noodle;
taught him. Usually 1t required entreaties. threats
and unlimited Albert biscuits to induce him TO
execnte one; but to-day, lust when he knew they
would he too much for u.s. he volunteered them all
In the evening-the evening latterv dedicated to
our rnbber-thai happy muff-rubber which in Its
resembled round gsme-in the evening, saw, we
all lay strewn about. limp and fearful in arm
wistfuly till the clock struck ten, and the dav
mercifully at an end. The next day was shade
shade better again; and the next shade better
again than that In 6ne by the end of the week
Figaro half new trick and our a-mchairs being
limited-and our dear boys empt" one patiently far
first. but with evergrowing callousness, abandoned
the idea of its conservation to emptiness and mem
Dry. Indeed Alice and I had wrangled good deal
over our respective claims to its possession. BY
and-bv came his letters. the first from Paris 10
say that he had had rough passage. and that
everybody on board. except himself had been sick,
but that he had walked about and enjoyed IL
that he was going to the play at the Varieties; and
that he hoped we would not forget to send him the
sporting papers The next letter was from Brndisi :;
the third from Alden and so on. Very soon father
and mother began to drop into their old wav of
showing his letters about taking them with them
to exhibit when they paid vi sits and bringing them
called. 1t was plan that Alice and had always
deprecated, aud that no one would have disliked
Ace nd bad oee the ss 1T
indifferent guests during these readings and had
stlli 9teneT observed the hurried excuses and re-
was any talk of the Indian letters being produced.
And so, in time he reached India; and was well
soldiers, who hardly knew him again-so hale, and
brown and strong his legs And to us, we
fell into our old tame and tranquil ways-our main
events. the Indian mail DAYS; twin bugbears
cholera and war. We had returned TO our evening
rubber; mother who never c0uld tell one card from
another, and hated them all. being mercilessy
compelled by us to take hand.
AS the season advanced. and the air warmed, and
the buds swelled. we spent more and more of our
be e ynE % II f hi M IN the faFHen
and even the shrivelled lick put ont some
leaves When May came there was scarce mo-
ment of the day when it not occupied by one
or other of us, and quarrelled over the right to
occupy it as sharply as we had quarreled over the
possession of his armchair and of the old torn gloves
TOO worthless 10 take with him. that he had left
iyng-petuantly pulled off and rejected-on tho
hall table.
May had now inst gone. and Junc's first splendid
DAYS were holding high holiday in earth and sky
The lilacs were over; they had been exceptionally
wane and the hot sun We them the coup de grace ;
and though the pink horse-chestuut still held up its
stiff and stately spikes vet. little te-tale flushed
carpet at its foot betrayed that it too departing
But 10 make up TO MS for what we lost. the white
pnks spread their spicy mats everywhere about the
borders; the only waiting for one
lghtest shower, to rush forth one and ALL and the
cloying syringa made the air lanGuid. 1t was not
only the syrlnga however The day had been
weighted with excess of unwOnted heat and even
on coming night had brought but little freshness.
We had strayed on the parched lawn and under the
rnstiTed trees in vain search of reviying breath,
listening TO the owl and the harsh but summer
voiced corncrake We strayed till bedtime had
come and passed-since our dear lad went the day
had seemed long enough, yes over-long by ten
and the clocks with one consent We're telling the
hour of eleven So turned homeward and
Imply climbed the stairs to bed My in
June day, the sun had been nightly striking, SO
shat, though all my three windows set open to
their fullest extent, the atmosphere was as of an
Iundresscd dejectedly and lay down beneath the
one sheet, which on that night seemed TO have the
weight and consistency OF five good blankets
of i M