The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1881-10-09
CmAPTER XVI.

Bee and Lena have been with us for a
month-four weeks of gayety; for the
neghborhood seems to have been suddenly
awakened, and all vie with each other in
adding to the whirl Of summer dissipa-
ton. We have been to lawn-tennis parties,
garden.fetes, pic-nics-eyerything that can
be desired-and the weather has favored
every gathering.
George is to be married heXt week.
Wedding presents are pouring in, and Rip
ley is full of guests. Sir jasper has filled
the Abbey with painters an& uphOlsterers
to renovate the old house for the reception
Of its mistress.
To-day we are quiet, there is no excite
ment in immediate prospect, and Bee has
taken writing fit. | find her scrbbling
hard in her own room, writing story that
is TO make her famous-so she says with
smile, while her pen is flying over the pa
per:
81 am going to send it to a magazine,
Madgic. tried once before; and, after
waiting two months and watching every
post till | was sick with waiting, there
came letter saying that my poor story
was returned with thanks"
"What did you do Bec?"
81 cried for an hour, and then I burnt
it in the kitchen fire. Poor thing, | had
got so fond Of it Madgiev'
Bee laughs as she tells the story now,
but know it was very stern reality at the
time; and can fancy her shedding bitter
tears over her disappointment, and with
somewhat Of an heroic impulse consign-
ing the child of her imagination to the
flames.
"And you are going to try again. | say,
taking up some Of the closely-written
pages and looking over them, to find in the
| hero of the tale an exalted description Of
Give DelaCourt, unlike him, but still with
enough resemblance to leave no doubt as
to the original. "Does it end badly
| Bee?"
She rests her chin on her hand, and looks
out Of the window towards the gray rip
! pling sea.
eyes, 1t ends badly" she says, "but
am in u difficulty. Madgie, ii is so dread
fully hard to think of anything original;
and ! want to kill the hero in some out-ot-
the-way manner
"IIayc him eaten by cannIbals," l sug-
gcst, laughing.
4
what to do with him. can't have him
killed in the AShautce War, for every one
knows who was really engaged In that, and
won't have him lost in the Uity of Bos-
ton for am sure # all the imaginary peo-
pie IN book, ever sailed in her, 1t Is no won
der she went to the bottom and it is too
ridiculous"
laugh at her description, given with
| perfect gravity, and try to help her with
suggestions Of various queer and unac-
countable deaths; but my ideas are all Loo
wildly improbable, and / leave Bee at last
with the momentous question unsolved.
Yes, with pain that l never thought l
could feel, / slowly and unwillingly come
to the conclusion that Humphrey has
ceased to care for me. II Is not pleasant
thing to say of ones husbands but know
and feel that 1t is true, that the great pas
sionate love has died out, and cool indif-
ference has taken It's place. He has grown
weary with waiting for the love that half
promised would come after long years, and
now--it Is almost laughable-I begin to
like him, and he ceases to care for me. A
pitfu comedy this is, none the less bitter
that for very pride must hideit from the
world, even from Bee, and, lastly, my hus.
band must never know.
Whata fool | am TO cry such bitter tears
about Ill And then comes tho question,
Why does he not love me now as ho did
even In the days when hurt and wounded
him by my cruel thoughtlessnes' My face
Is as fair as II was when ho wooed wilful
madcap MadgIe long ago.
fresh beauty he loved 70 madly once--the
same blue eyes, the same charm Of face