The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1882-09-27

natural sounding lines, anu no uOuDI Oh
their truth and authenticity entered No.
ra's mind.
He had promised to watch and wait.
Thus he kept his promise!
The blow stunned her. She staggered
from the room, holding both hands be.
fore her, like one suddenly grown blind,
while her mother looking after her,
murmured again:
"She drives me to it. She will thank
me yet"
"Nora, Lord Erlesmere wants his an.
swer. Child, do you wish Arthur Nor.
ton to know that you are breaking your
heart for himP"
Three weeks had passed since the
reading of the letter which had felled "
one blow hope and happiness.
The girl glanced up listlessly. She
had grown wan and thin, and the brown
eyes were full of ineNpressible sadness,
"Can you not leave me alone?" she
asked, YEARLY.
But in the end Mrs. Fame gained her
way.
What mattered it now to Nora what
the future held for herp No one but
herself knew how, through all the long,
silent watches of each night, sleep re-
fused to come to her, and she lay, with
wide-open eyes, staring into the dark
ness until the dawn broke, and she
would fall into restless, troubled slum-
ber-no one save herself and God, and
even to Him she made no prayer. What
could prayer availP
1t was the night preceding her we'd
ding. Her wedding-dress lay folded on
lounge beside her bed 1t was to be
her traveling-dress as well. The we'd
ding robes in which her mother would
have bedecked her beauty she resolute-
ly refused to wear, The marriage was
to take place at twelve, yet at five, while
the first rays of the breaking dawn were
in the east, she rose and dressed.
Her eyes were bright and feyerish, her
cheek crimson. and she smiled for the
first time in many weeks as she fastened
the buttons OF her dress and tied the
dainty hat beneath her chin. Then she
drew on her gloves
What was She about to do? Had the
night seemed so long in her wakefulncss
that she had mistaken the hour? or was
it the fire of delirious fever burning in
her eyes?
Softly she opened the door the
household were silent and asleep. Soft
" she stole down the stairs and opened
the outer portal, standing at last in the
open air of the bright summer morning.
Then she walked on, with quick, firm
steps, crossing street after street, until
she reached the Midland Station.
Here she entered. and learned that
the train would leave within an hour
for the place to which she wished to 80.
She bought her ticket and took her
seat. She smiled again as she felt the
train in motion. The long day wore
away.
She had not tasted food food she
had not thought of it. Night fell, but
the brown eyes never closed. 1t seemed
to her she must not miss one revolution
of the wheels which were bearing her
onward.
1t was not vet six O'Clock when her
destination was reached. She staggered
as she left the carriage, but by power
full effort of will she dragged herself
along the platform of the little station.
No one recognized her.
A half-hour later, she stood outside
the little cottage she had come all this
way to see. Within were Arthur and
his wife.
What did she mean to do? She
thought she wanted him only to know
that She had been true only to tell him
this, then to 90 back and be married to
Lord hriesmerc, As though quite uncon.
sciou, That her wedding-day and hour
had passed.
Would Arthur be clad to see her? she
wondered, as she turned the handle OF
the door, which opened at her touch.
A man sat there, his arms folded.
She heSitated but an instant, then
moved quickly forward, and laid her
little trembling hand on his sleeve.
Arthur she cried. and fell in a
dead faint at his feet.
Later in the day a telegram reached
Mrs. Fame as to where Nora might be
found, and bidding her hasten if she
would see her alive Something of the
harshness and hardness left that moth.
er's face as she read the message. Nc
one knew what this terrible time Of sus
pense had been TO her, nor the agony Of
her remorse.
Twenty-four hours after, she was by
Nora side; but the child was all un
conscious of her presence, as she haC
been unconscious since that one utter.
ancc of her lovers name; but to hin
her deirious rawlings had revealed all.
But although the cruel plot had beer
revealed to him, he had allowed NJ
word TO escape his lips to tell the fac
to his darling's mother.
81 did it for the bestp' murmure,
Mrs. Fame, on Bonded knees. "Oh
Heaven! give me back my child! Live
my darling, live! and / will bury my
pride and ambition in your happinessN'
Did the promise penetrate even the
mis,s Of delirum? So it seemed, fol
their clearing Quickly followed, ant
Nora, opening her brown eyes, smiled
into her lovers and her mothers faces
and learned that both at last were tru'
to her and TO their own hearts; bu