The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1882-03-12

over Mr.. Middleton In the next few DAYS
pnd he was scarcely ever In doors, roaming
for hours with his sketth.book, and then
coming home. lis pages all untouched and
blank. On the fourth day after the Incl
dent lust told, he came in after a long soil.
,ary tramp and found the cottage empty Of
its inmates. He had promised to walk
with Meg TO the village, and had forgotten
all about it until the sight of the deserted
room recalled 1t to him, He looked at his
watch. She must have been gone an hour
lie would start at once and meet her re.
turning. But as-hc picked up his hat from
The table, his eye ioll on q letter lying there
addressed to himself His checks flushed
as he grasped the letter, whose handwriting
he could not mistake. A mist rose before
his eyes for one moment, and his fingers
!remhled ever The seal; then he pressed his
lips firmly together and tore the letter open.
There were but a few lines:
Thevessrl Is almost IN. Arthur. as I write these
SacEo vo ME 60 az once 10 The Temont iI"nss
NE.
The rush of Joy and the relief from the
prolonged suspense Of three months quite
unnamed him, and he fairly sobbed with
emotion, but ii was only for a moment.
The next came the happy, practical Gle
ment that belongs TO success. He need no
longer dream away his hours; he conld
act He must go TO her at once--just time
to reach the village and catch the evening
boat; his baggage might follow. He had
soon written few words 10 Anderson, Civ.
ing his directions, and then what moreg
Mcg-hc must not forget her. How she
will miss me, poor little girl" he said TO
himself. IL must say some word to her; :"
and drawing sheet Of paper toward him,
he wrote on il:
Ny ship has come In and have gone 10 meet IL.
You shall hear from me soon. A. NJ
In few seconds more il was addressed
10 Miss Margaret Anderson" his clear,
round hand, and then he was out of the
house, striding rapidly toward his goal.
Each step seemed TO be one step nearer 10
Helen, for the road between them now was
straight and plain. BY din, OF taking a
cross cut he reached the village, and barely
caught the boat, springing on the plank
one moment before il was withdrawn. In
q few moments more he was standing on
the deck. his eyes riveted not on the fa',.re-
ceding shore, upon which the shadows OF
evening were -..A.us rasI a. -. me dasL.
ing white foam. vet alive with the dying
sun. through which the boat was fast ceav.
ing her way. Tie past had already Shrunk
to speck in his minds eye; the future
was luminous with light, and he was hap.
ny with the happy ego,ism OF q successful
lover. When he lay down to rest that
night, his thoughts went back 10 the little
cottage on the cliff, and with kindly, SUI.
rerticial thought Of "poor lille Meg" and
o hearty intention Of seeing what could he
done for her" It's shame she should be
buried there; I'm glad ! made this sum.
mcr pleasant to her "-he tell asleep, still
conscious in his golden dreams that he was
speeding fast toward the desire OF his
heart.
Meg had a weary walk that afternoon.
She had waited more than an hour for
Middleton, and then started alone periorce,
for the errand must be done, with or with.
out him. Every one knows how it tires
one TO wait as she waited that hour with
her eyes and ears on the alert and her
heart alternately leaping as she fancicd she
heard his step and then dropping down
like lead in her bosom. Nor was it much
better when she began her reluctant pro
gress toward the village. A hundred times
She stopped and listened, and thought, "Per.
haps if had waited q minute longer, he
would have come! =" and then went on
again, each step making her heart heavier
and her body wcarier. At last Che village
was reached, her purchases all made, and
with heavy basket on her arm she turned
homeward. She was in that state Of feel
ing when it seems relief to add outward
annoyance and even pain 10 ones inward
burden; and she had obstinatcly refused to
have the heaviest Of her packages sent to
her, but had doggedly packed them into
her basket, feeling as if the aching Of her
arm and the weary tug up the hill would
soOihc the haltsick, half.resentful throb OF
her heart. 1t was long walk, and she
walked slowly, and stopped more than once
for moments rest, so that the darkness
had fallen when she reached her home.
There was no light In the little window,
and she wondered how II was; surely Mr..
Middleton could not still be out? A vague
fear shot through her, and she hurried over
the few remaining steps and entered the
door All was still and dark within, and
she CROPPED for the matches and struck a
light. No one was there, that vas evident
She did not stop TO think, but ran up the
steep stairs and gave quick glance at Mr..
Middlctons chamber door. 1t was wide
open, and dark within. She came down
the stairs more slowly, and set her light
down upon the table. lis flicker fell upon
letter, and she saw her own name on it,
She knew his writing very we'll. She sa,
down and opened it, 1t did not take her
long 10 read the few words Arthur haG
written, but it was long time before she
moved or raised her head In truth, she
was almost stunned; the weary waiting and
disappointment, the long, lonely walk, had
not fitted her to encounter the shock OF
Arthur's sudden departure But unwilling.
ly he had chosen the words best calculated
TO prevent her from arriving at that in.
stinctive solution Of his flight which o,her-
wise, she being woman, would have at
once occurred to her. The words which 10
him were figure Of speech, to her still
suggested some material reverse or success
Of fortune, perhaps the more readily as, a
sailors daughter, she had always connected
the idea Of worldly gain or loss with ships.
So, as she pondcred his words, nothing OF
their true meaning dawned on her, and
soon her pain resolved itself into the simple
ache Of absence; the idea Of this being the
end never occurred to her. Indeed, the
more she unused over his words. the greater
comfort did she draw from them. She had
heard Of men In cities losing or making