The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1881-09-04

out his arms, and | know the time Is come
TO say goodbye, and cling to him-sob-
bling.
"IIumphrey, know I ought to have
gone with you. Say you forgive me before
you go"
"Good.bye, my wifc--my darllngW His
voice il not like his own. "Heayen keep
you, Madgie! Good-byew
A few minutes afterwards am standing
alone, white and fearful, and Humphrey Is
gone.
Bees illness turns out to be very slight,
and In weeks time she is out of danger.
1t is the very mildest form of scarlatina.
Isabel and Regy take it too, equally light
ly.
am dreadfully lonely, and the days
seem intermnable. My first letter to
Humphrey causes me much thought, espe-
cially how to address him. "Dear Hum
phrey" looks formal, but have written II
down, and there it stays; and the orthodox
ending, "Your afectionate wife," looks
strangely cold. II Is u very short letter;
but don't know what TO say; and there
is q whole half sheet staring me in the face
in its spotless purity. read my letter
over again, and it seems sitter and more
stilted than ever. SO over the blank half
sheet | write, 81 do miss you very much,
Humphrey"
know long afterwards that he kissed
that one little sentence again and again,
and that the postscript was the only part
of the letter he cared to read--the few
words in which told him that l missed
him.
And | do miss him every hour Of the
day--for time hangs heavily on my hands,
and the house is dreadfully, painfully still.
Humphreys own room, with the uniinish-
ed pictures standing against the wall,
looks dreary In the extreme. ! miss the
form am so accustomed to see sitting at
the easel, but always looking up with a
smile when appear. | long-yes abso-
lutely long to hear Humphreys voice, for
sight of his gray eyes-the eyes that are
always full of sympathy for me-
] must be getting fond Of him | say to
myself, or should not miss him so much;
and then think it is only because am
lonely that miss his presence and put i'm
aginary cases to myself.
Which would rather see arrivc-IIum.
phrey or Bee. / know that | would
thousand times rather hear Bees merry
voice than my husbands deep tender
tones.
Humphrey or Lena' There is little
doubt here but Lena carries the day.
Humphrepyor Helenl l think that
Humphrey would get the gladder well
come.
And so the scale of my affections runs
thus like Humphrey nearly, but not
quite as well as Lena. Though better
than Helen. But oh, how unreasonable
low is my standard of love for him COM
pared with my love for Bee!
With Bees returning health my spirits
revive, and the sickening anxiety at post
time abates. | can eat and sleep now, and
cease to start at every knock believing
every sound TO be summons to call me
home. Mrs, Steele Is very anxious about
me, and comes repeatedly to see how am
getting on. She scolds me if she finds me
crying.
"For illness, ma'am, is a dispensation
of Providence. Tears wont make the young
lady well; and your own health is to be
considered"
But Bee is out Of danger now. The
weather is fine--a mild green winter IL is
and weather prophets foretell a white
March. SO ~: out into the world again,
accept an invitation to lunch at Ripley,
and lind that Captain Delacourt is home on
leave.
| think every one is little surprised at
my not going with Humphrey; and | fam
cy that the outward world regards my
anxiety about Bee as an excuse TO stay at
home.
$50 you were afraid to cross the seas,
Mrs. Carstairs" says Captain Delacourt.
81 don't wonder; at this time Of year il Is
far more comfortable on shore"
II was not afraid" | answer. "But
how could 90 when my sister was illl" o
He smiles, and says in low voice
ave are the gamers; and it would have
been selfish OF Carstalrs to take you away
when winter is the gayest time here"
eyes, but cannot go to any Of the gay.
cites when Humphrey is away"
"Oh, you muSt-yOu cannot shut your.
self up! George talks of coming home
soon, and she won't be content to live qui-
ety."
Chris sitting at the end of the table turns
his smiling blue eyes on me.
"Clive is beating about the bush, Mrs.
Carstairs; he wants to get up private the
atricals, and believe your presence and
assistance are Indispensable
"Oh, couldn't act never did such
thing in my life ~ eXclaim."
"There is to be no acting Captain Della
court hastily interposes It's only tab
lcaux vivants; and you have merely to
stand perfectly still. They are awfuly
good fun il well got up; and you must help
us, Mrs. Carstairs"
"You must wait till George comes home,
Give" Mr.. Delacourt says. 81 expect
her home In about three weeks. And a
month hence will do for the tabeauX--
the getting up OF these things is half the
fun
"What are they likep 1 ask. 81 have
never seen any,"
Captain DelaCourt proceeds to explain.
"Living pictures, you know. You can
take any subject you like---from Beauty
and the Beast to Mary Queen Of Scots on
the eve OF her execution. Of course you
get people as near like the characters as
possible, group them after a picture, and,
seen through u gauze, the whole thing is
very effective when properly lighted, win
you be Mary Queen OF Scots, Mrs. Car.
StairsD
al will be anything you like" | answer.
"Mrs Steele told me that there used TO be
a Itil nI al InI oil "A ali