The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1881-10-07


small jet of gas which burned within.
1t furnished light enough for Darcy
to see now, for the first time, the sin
gular beauty of the young girl as she
stood before him at the door
Her features were delicate, even clas-
sic in their outlines, and, despite GER
tain marks of care and suffering,
showed her age to be about seventeen
years.
Under plain but neat and becoming
hat, her neat nut-brown hair was taste
fully arranged. with here and there
little curl straying out of bounds to kiss
her pretty cheek.
Her eyes were large and dark, and
as they looked up into his face there
seemed to be mirrored in them the
modesty and innocence Of pure young
heart.
Her dress was of cheap material, but
1t fitted her graceful figure so perfectly
that the texture would have passed UNI
noticed.
She was evidently poor, very poor,
but there was an air of refinement
about her which poverty could not con
ceal.
All this Darcy took in at a glance, as
he stood, hat In hand, bidding her
goodnight, and as she entered the hall
and he turned away, he felt like one
from whom a great light has been
suddenly taken, with only darkness
left
Darcy was young, wealthy, cultivat-
ed, and handsome, and belonged to a
"set' every member of which would
have turned up her aristocratic nose at
his new acquaintance; but there was
no one in that silk-attired circle who
had made so deep and tender an inn
preston on him as the fair young girl
who wore cotton robe and lived in a
tenement-hOuse.
AS he walked home a bewildering
sense of new and beautiful life
thrilled his heart, and the soft light of
her beamng eyes fingered fondly with
him.
Suddenly he remembered that he had
not learned her name-but he would
see her again, and soOn-so it did not
matter much. He little thought what
strange results would follow even 50
slight thing as that.
Darcy was one Of business firm
which had important connections in
Europe, and on the very next day a
cablegram was received which called
him TO Paris. He would have trans
ferred any ordinary business to another
partner, for Mr.. Darcy was especially
DESTROYS of remaining at home at this
particular time; but the matter in hand
was one which demanded his personal
attention, because of previous negotia-
tons, and 90 he must.
Mr.. Darcy's business was complicated
and exacting, and it was two years
before he could leave it to return home.
When Darcy left her on the night of
her adventure, Maude Etheridge climbed
the four long flights of stairs which led
to her room, and after she had told her
mother about it, dwelling gratefully on
Mr., Darcy's gallantry and king ness,
she sought her bed, to lie awake IN that
blissful state of unrest which first love
brings to a young heart
Strange power this all-prevailing,
never-dying, wonderful passion which
we call love, Here were two persons
who, until this night, knew nothing of
each others existence, and yet within
brie. fragment of an hour feeling
whose subtlety is past finding out had
entered the heart Of each and bound
them together by chain which was
immaterial and invisible, but as strong
as life itself
There followed this eventual night q
season of hope, doubt, and fear TO
Maud When she thought of Darcy's
position in life and hers, she felt that
she was foolish to cherish love which
seemed utterly hopeless, and yet there
was n nameless something in his man
ncr at parting which spoke tenderly to
her even nova sort Of electric mes
sage from his heart to hers, which only
woman could interpret, and she said
to herself, "lIe will Gomez
But he did not come, though days
heightened into weeks, and weeks into
months-no word, no sign that she was
remembered. At last her hope became
that which maketh the heart sick, and
in her despair of ever seeing him
again, her pride rebellod and struggled
with her love. 1t was useless; her
hope died, but her love still lived. And
even when she believed it smothered
the fire burned up anew; it was
kindled with q spark divine, and would
not die.
But had Darcy forgotten horP On the
contrary, as week followed week, and
month followed month, and his business
still kept him away, his impatenco to
return became q sort OF half frenzy.
1t would have been better, after all, II
another member of the firm had as
sumed the duty which Darcy went to
Paris to perform, for as the matter
dragged along, month, after month, his
state of mind was anything but suited
to the proper transaction of important
business. The beautiful unknown was
always in his thoughts, and he longed
to be where he could seeher again. In
q word Darcy was desperately in love,
and he heapcd anathemas upon his
miserable business which kept him
away from the girl who had stolen his
heart He felt now how great was his