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

that took his fancy once Has he tired Of
mep He Is kind and polite, but never do
| hear the old loving words 1t is hard, it
is bitter; and all the binding tears cannot
wash away the pain.
"Ilumphrey," | say once, tryingto speak
naturally, but bringing out the words in q
harsh whisper, "haye | done anything TO
vex youW
He gives long look down into my eyes,
but his face never softens.
UWhy do you askY' he says at last cold
", as if he was speaking TO stranger, and
not his own wife, and | steady myself with
an effort.
"Iou have changed lately, Humphrey.
You know you have"
| do not look at him as | speak; but
when hear his voice know what his face
il like,
"How changcdl Is there anything you
wish for, Madgie, anything that can do:"
"Nothing," | answer, hurt, cut to the
heart as | never thought to be by word Of
| his.
Oh, what pity that Spartan boy ever
existed 10 be a model for us ever sinCe--a
| model whose example shows us how TO
| hide the pain and let IL eat our hearts
away before we make sign! | suppose
| that Spartan boy had to give in at last, and
| suppose that sooner or later we Spartans
of later days, who hug our pain and smile
over the torture, will have to give in; but
| in the meantime it is pleasant to hold out
as long as possible.
| 90 away from Humphrey with light
step and face that makes no sign, al
| though feel an intense longing to burst
out crying and humble myself in the dust
at his feet, if only lie would care for me
again.
"Guardians always fall in love with
| their wards.' | have not forgotten that
remark. have tried to forget il; but it
comes back to my memory again and again,
| and stays there persistently. DO they al
ways? | wonder. Why are wards attrac-
tive to guardians Is Felicia Here
| stop and drive away the thought, drown
| ing it in fierce game Of lawn-tennis with
Bee. But, when the game is over, the
thought is there still.
Scenc-A dinner party at the Grant
leys', distant neighbors of ours who give
two or three stupid dinners in the year and
consider they have done their duty TO the
world and themselves.
Sir Joshua Grantley is an oddity--a per-
feet oddity--aud his wife is portly placid
matron. Looking at her calm tranquil fea-
lures wonder if she has ever known Il
moments care or a seconds uneasiness.--
She sits at the end of her table, with a
ceaselcss smile which comes to her lips at
the commencement OF the evening and
stays there all night. Does she sleep with
that smile on her faCeE | wonder Her
daughter, on the contrary, looks rs If She
had borne since her infancy the cares Of
the whole world on her shoulders, 50 liNid
is her face 80 sour her expression.
Sir Joshua takes me in 10 dinner one
popularity Of his is that neither rank nor
precedence takes the lead, but the lady
who has the greatest claim to beauty takes
the place of honor at his right hand. To-
night he is graciously pleased to select ne
as the favored individual. am told after
ward that another lady said sir Joshua
has very bad taste that he fixes on most eX-
traordnary people as goodlookng.
| wish he had not chosen me this even
ing; it is WEAKNESS and yeXatiOn to listen
and respond to his chirpy remarks, and
find myself counting the number of times
he adjusts his cycglass and lets it fall again.
lie opens his pale little eyes very wide,
and with fearful contorton Of his puck
cred old features grasps the glass firmly by
| some eioft of will and muscle, takes
| glance at me, opens hi mouth to speak,
and away flies the eycgltS, and the whole
thing is begun over again.
Opposite to me sits Bee, with Captain
Delacourt. She looks radiant, and he is
lan liufr his I.,rl- bpYI nd t11 90
in that low voice of his, and looking every
now and then into her face. Ouce or twice
catch look from his dark eyes directed
across the table at me but have avoided
him of late and even Humphrey cannot
say that | have left his warning UNDECIDED.
At the end Of the table can see my huS-
bands face, and note how grave he looks.
lie seem. nearly rs moody and dissatisfied
as Chris, who has been toled of TO wait
upon Miss Grmtlcy, and does not appear
to find the post a delightful one
"Sue won't talk" he contdes TO me af-
| forwards; "and when she does IL is 10 rail
! against her felow-creatureS."
a few minutes later see his tall grace
| full figure steering towards Bee, and a look
| Of satisfaction come, over his face As they
| get together at last. Bee in pure white,
| her own ChoicC-a dead-white dress, with
| crimson rose, in her hair and at her throat.
| She stands talking to Chris, her tall figure
| drawn up, her head thrown back little,
and her arms lightly folded. Bee, the
hoyden, is growing into avery lovely wo-
man.
Captain Dclacourt appears suddenly be-
| side me.
"What is the NATTER You arenot your
self Tonight" he says, "and Carstairs
seems out Of sorts too"
A short laugh falls from my lips.
"You are very observant, what do you
mean by my being not myself"
"You appear preoccupied, bored. All
the time at dinner | was watching you, and
you never smiled naturally once"
"Sir Joshua is not Il very amusing COM
panion," say, and see Humphrey, at the
other end Of the room looking ut me.
"Mss Grant is not here tonight"
In spite sof myself, hot flush rises to
my face at Captain Delacourts words.
"Don't talk-that lady Is going to sing"
say, and avert my head till the blood
flows back again.
81 look steadily at the girl who is going
TO sing, She stands looking over her mu.
sic, tall girl arrayed in white, with pink
sashes tied around her at regular inter.
walls; she looks like pink-and- white sugar.
stick, and evidently finds much difficulty