Sacramento daily record-union., 1882-04-29

arduous profession he spoke of him an,
to him as one who was henoeforth to
looked upon as an intimate friend, to b
welcomed warmly whenever business woul,
allow of an expedition up river, and, NOR
especially, to be looked for on a Sunday
"to get breath or two of fresh air to he'll
you through week of smoke, my lad, " b
said, when that night Ruthven Dyott tool
his leave.
1t seemed long, long while ago, all this
and now the end was drawing nigh.
How often had these two-the womal
who had given her friendship and her higl
ennobling influence so ungrudgingly, ant
the man whose life had been frightened
and sustained by the calm, steady radianc
of her sympathy listened to the rustlin!
OF the water as it whispered in and ou
among the sedges, to the robin singinl
sadly on the big thorn tree by the window
to the clear piping of the yellow billet
black kbird, riotously jubilant over the com
ing of spring! And now they would lister
to these sounds never again together.
What is so sweet to any man as to gar
ner up in the sanctuary of his innermos
heart, in the midst of the hurry and hustle
of life in busy city, the thought of {
shadowy room, perfumed with flowers anc
made sacred by the presence of true
pure woman, friend who cannot fail him
a room where, enter when he may, kindly
greeting waits him, kindly hand meets
and clasps his 4?
All these things had RuthSen Dyott
found at the red house by the river.
What wonder that his heart was heavy
within him as he said
"This means not only going away, but
staying away"
Realizing all that Millicent Warner had
been in his life hitherto, he felt the very
thought of life without her to be unbear.
able. And yet there was something in her
quiet self-contained manner, in her mat.
ter-of fact comments upon the views of his
prospects, that CALLED him inexpressibly,
and made him bite back the hot, passion.
ate words that rose to his boyish lips.
"She is gentle, and true, and kind, he
thought to himself, bitterly; L" but she is
cold, passionless. more statue than woman
after all.
But after one long look at the sweet face
bending over the embroidery, his heart got
the better of his brain wise reflection,
calm resolution fled, and with all a lovers
imperiousness he had taken her work from
her hands, imprisoned those soft white
hands in his, and was lifting to hers a
troubled, wistful face, dark eyes full of
pleading, lips that trembled like girls.
Truly no lack of words was his. All the
story of what the past had been, of what
the future might be-in his opinion-was
poured forth with love-given eloquence.
Kisses fell thick upon the hands he held
SO closely.
And Millicent listened in unbroken calm.
ness for while; then to his passionate
protest of 81 love you, and cannot live
without you, -Millicent," she
made answer, cat all events you think SO,
Ruthven, and at your age it comes to the
same thing"
The words were gently spoken, softened,
too, by the touch of her hand upon his
thick, dark locks, but they pierced like
darts.
He sprang to his feet, and found he had
to straDgle something very like sob be-
fore he could speak again.
She gave him no time to recover his elo-
quence.
"See," she said, "you have upset my
bobbin. basket, careless boy"
At that moment the door of the room
slowly opened, and in came Sir Geoffrey,
happily unconscious of having bandana
across his shoulders, and the
bow of his black satin tie under his left
ear. The old gentleman had been having
a doze in the library chair, and these dis
orders were the results
"Why, Ruthven, my boy" he said,
with the most cordial of welcomes shining
out of his eyeglasses, "who expected to
see you here ,"
Then, without waiting for reply, those
same glasses glanced from one to the other
of the two people whose tete-a,tete he had
"Eh day, eh day have you two been
quarreling?"
Ruthven has upset my bobbin- basket" "
said Milly, rising and wheeling a low chair
round to the window for her uncle.
So there was nothing for it but Tor Ruth
ven to go down on his knees and hunt those
sandal-wood bobbins into the va
rious corners and recesses into which they
had seen fit to roll, and it is to be feared he
inwardly mathematical the whole tribe,
basket and all, during the process. When
the last straggler was captured and Milly
declared their number complete, Ruthven's s
two items of news-the accepted patent
and the offered appointment duly
impaired to Sir Geoffrey, who made merry
and mentally killed a whole herd of fatted
calves over his young friends good fortune.
Later on they all strolled down to the
river, for Ruthven's road lay that way, and
he might as well go by the garden and
through the tield-path as not.
How lovely, how calm, how still it was
Scarcely sound broke the quiet save the
cricket singing in the grass, and the low,
splash of oars somewhere far up
the river. Silence seemed to suit the time
and the hour better than words, and Ruth.
ven's eyes, darkly sad, full of repressed
longing, OF bitter regret, ever sought those
of the woman by his side.
Sought, yet seldom met, for Milly
seemed absorbed by the beauty of the
scene around them.
Idly plucking that leaf or that, at last
Ruthven culled a tiny spray of green,
which gave out faint and pungent scent,
as he ruffied it in his hand.
w has uo SOu Caii tuie Hc Saiu. IL
is very old fashioned plant, l am sure,
for it recalls to my mind going to afternoon
service with my nurse when l was so small
that / had to be hoisted ON to the seat of
cur family pew, and was always on the
point of slipping off again. My nurse car
ried clean handkerchief, folded and laid
upon her prayer book, and in its folds one
or two sprays of this sweet smelling green
thing, whatever it may be"
You're right, boy" said Sir Godfrey,
"it is an old.fashioned kind of plant, and
country people call it Lads Love"
Ruthven, with one quick, flashing glance
at Milly, the while hot flush rose to his
cheeks, dropped the little spray of blue
green leaves as if it had suddenly grown
red hot.
lads Love, he thought bitterly, walk
ing in silence by her side. Yes, that is
what she deems the love l offer her. She
takes me for a mere boy who does not
know his own mind, whose vanity is Hat
tered by a clever woman's notice.
But Milly did not let him go without
word. Just at the last, when Sir Geotfrey
had said goodnight and turned homeward,
she fingered.