The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1882-10-20

Dwight Edgar's name in the list OF
"saied for Europe;" read 1t aloud,
with some careless comment.
Rossmond was in the room, he recol-
lected. What had she said? Had she
said anything? He seemed to remem-
Der that she got up quietly and left the
room.
How should he ever tell her? And
what use to tell, when Dwight was gone,
gone for years, as likely a. not7 Oh,
what had his carelessness done?
II suppose he went because lie
thought she would have nothing to say
tohim, he said to himself, miserably.
The sound of the dinner bell inter-
rupted his unpleasant meditations, and
he went down feeling as if he ought to
be hanged.
Rosamond was in her usual place,
neat, graceful, smiling even; but, study
ing her face with awakened attention,
Ashley thought that he detected effort
in the smiles and the cheorfulness. The
sweet face was little thinner; the Wild
rose bloom, which was it's characteris-
tic, had paled to fainter pink, and Asst
lev heard his mother ask, Headache
again, my child?" And caught the
patient answer, Just little
With increased remorse he execrated
his carelessness. What ought he TO do !?
What could he do?
Long and deeply did he study over
the question. At last he took half
manly, half-cowardly resolution. Con-
fess his delinquency TO his sister he alb
solutely dared not, but that night he
wrote to Dwight Edgar, made full
exposition of his fault, and inclosed the
faintly-blotted scrap that said so little
and meant so much.
This done, he set himself to wait for
the moment when be could produce
evidence that, so far as in him lay, he
had made amends for his misdoing, and
TIL then he resolved to be silent.
Ashley was right in his guess. Dwight
Edgar had gone to Europe II deeply
disappointed man. In the letter, to
which Rosamond's was answer, he had
written, Don't say no. L could not
bear that, nor could ] give your gem
tleness the pain of uttering the word.
/ will wait two weeks, and if Mt their
end You have said nothing, shall go
abroad, and travel till I can bear to
come home again.
Not a wise arrangement this, consid-
ering what chances and changes, includ-
ing postoilice laXities, are involved in this
mortal life; but lovers are not always
wise.
The two weeks passed without word
or token, each slow day deepening his
hopelessness. and at their end he sailed.
His final arrangements were made III a
| FURRY, and he Lad been glad to accept
n friends benevolent offer of half u
stateroom on the ovcr-crowded steamer.
1t WAS benevolencc very poorly re-
warded, for John Blagden found him
very dull company.
For the first few hours he made some
little effort at conversation, then he
dropped all pretenses and sat in moody
silence, staring at the backward hori-
zon from which each stroke of the
paddles carried them farther and
farther
1t was no better after they reached
London. The two men took set of
rooms together ut the Langham, but to
all plans for pleasuring Dwight turned
deaf ear.
"Go by yourself, that's good fell
low" he said. II won't bore you with
my dullness. I'll just sit here till post
time and read the American news
papers.
and that is what I left him at" ex-
planned John Blagden to a mutual ac-
quaintance encountered in the coffee
room. "Poring over an old Herald,
twelve days out-what an occupation
for man to take up in London
Poor Dwight, / never saw fellow
so changed in my life. He's all cut up
about something. and / wish / knew
what, for really, have no notion what
i ought to do about him. Nothing L
can say makes any difference"
And nothing did make any difference
till week after this conversation, Mr..
Blagden returned from an excursion to
Hampton Court, to find his friend bus
ily engaged in examining his belongings
into a portmanteau, with a light in his
eyes and color in his cheeks which
made him seem different man.
"Halloa I'm glad you've come, old
fellow. I'm off at once"
"Oh? Where to-"
Home. Liverpool train at 9 o'clock
and catch the Bohemia"
@Home! The States Why, what does
it mean? You were going to Paris with
me on Tuesday, you said"
"Well, so did intend, but I've had
letters. and must get back as soon AS
possible. "
Nothing wrong, / hope
"Not at all; quite the contrary. Eve
rything is right"
Marveling greatly John Blagden
turned to the table, where amid news
papers and torn wrappers, and other
debris of just-arrived mail, lay a sheet
of closelv-written paper with a little
heap on it of something odd and blot
ted
Whats that?" he asked, with natu-
raj curiosity, STOPPING down to exam
inc il.
Dwight Edgar snatched it up. "It's