Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1882-07-13

man in charge of the house, and allow her te
take her place.
Drew yielded to the wish of his wife, whose
heart was breaking with the pain of absence
and the mystery of silence, and Matte, on
this soggy day, had already lived months at
Stonedene, on the watch always for the com.
ing of Adam.
The fog increased instead of diminished
with the approach Of evening. Drew could
not see his own house until lie was close to it
as he had remarked, the mystery of Mattie's
affairs was not more impenetrable than the
veil hiding all the natural objects just. then.
tea, Mrs Banks, as she hustled about, prepar.
ing the meal that Mattie's deft fingers had
been wont to set out with so much quietness
as well as celebrity, did not fail to meet him
with the question "Well, how is she?''
'sShe" had come to mean Mattie in the Vo-
cabulary of the farmer and his sister.
About as usual, in health,' Drew replied,
lifting the ive-year-old Harry to his knee ;
''but troubled in mind, to be sure, that is as
usual, too"
"She is out of her mind," exclaimed Mrs.
Banks, irritably.
Every one but yourself knows that and if
you do not know it, it is only because you are as
mad as she is-or any one might think so from
the way you 60 on"
NAY, nay" said Drew gently, as the dish
was set upon the table with vehemence that
made the teacups rattle. ''There are 10 signs
of madness about Mattie-unless you call her
trust in her husband by so hard name"
Husband a pretty husband, indeed. I've
no patience with him nor with you either. AS
if it was not common talk enough! 1t would
be better to persuade the girl to come home
and get to work again than to encourage her
in her fancies, while you pay another servant
here-and times so hard as they are"
81 was thinking to-day" the farmer went
on softly passing his broad palm overthe blonde
head of the child upon his knee. II was think
ing as came along of how it stands written ::
s'He that loveth not his brother whom he
hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath
not seen.'''
At that instant the sfadowy form of some
one going around to the front door, passed the
window, against which the fog pressed close
ly. Drew set little Harry on his feet and rose
slowly listening with an intentness and sur
prised look that made his sister ask what allied
him.
''Rover-the dog does not bark wholly
the mercy OF heaven, it is the man himself ~
cried Drew, as the door opened with sudden
ness that caused Mrs Banks to drop the plates
on the brick floor. For Adam Armtage stood
upon the threshold Adam, pale and worn, a
shadow of his former self, but himself unmis-
takably.
Adam looked around the room as though
seeking some one, smiled in his old fashion at
Harry, gave half curious, half Indifferent
glance at Eliza Banks, and then turned to the
farmer
Drew" he said simply, "where is my
wife 20
''Mrs Armitage is waiting for you at Stone
dene, sir there was some talk OF your coming
back that way"
''Waiting!'' Adam threw up his hand with
a passionate gesture what can she have
thought 70
''She has thought you were gone after all
upon that voyage, and that your letters had
miscarried. Sometimes she thought that you
were dead, Mr.. Armitage, but never -"
Drew broke off and held out his hand. 1--WE
knew you could explain what has happened,
sir, :" he concluded.
Adam drew his own hand across his eyes in
the way man might do who has lately been
reused from bad dream and has some trouble
to collect his thoughts.
"That has happened" he said, (which if it
had not befallen ME myself, and become a
part of my own experience, should find 1t
difficult to believe possible. A strange thing
has happened, and yet''-here the old smile
they remembered so we'll broke slowly like
light over his face-''and yet thing not more
strange as the world goes, than that you'll
say nothing of Mattie-but that you should
have trusted me throughout. I detected no
mistrust in your voice, no doubt in your eyes,
not even when they first met mine just now.
They call mine rare case, friend they might
say the same of your belief in me. But
Stonedene did you say? Walk with me there,
and hear my tale as we CO."
''This evening and in the mist and you,
sir looking far from well, began Eliza Banks.
''Mattie has waited 80 long already that one
night more will make but little difference
Zone night, one hour more than can help
will make all the difference between willful
wrong and misfortune that has fallen on
both alike" said Adam. He would not be
dissuaded from setting out at once, and in
another minute the two men were pursuing
their way through the driving mist, Adam
talking as they went.
After parting from Matte, he had taken a
train for London, where arriving in due
course, he drove in a cab toward his mothers
house, in Grosvenor street, within few yards
of which his cab overturned and Adam was
thrown out, falling heavily upon his head.
After long interval, however, he opened his
eyes dtlu lSCOfclCu tiiu3 go IN
did so, slowly at first, after time more fully,
the astounding discovery was made that memo
ry was entirely gone.
However, this state was one from which,
so said his friends, science could at will recall
him, and the operation necessary to restore
Adam to himself was deferred only until his
health admitted of it being attended by a min
imum risk.
1t was while Adam was in the state above
described that Drew had seen Mrs. Armitage.
A proud woman, she was i'll pleased to hear
he had married Il farm servant; for that was
the one fact that, stripped of Drew's panegy.-
RIGS upon Mattie's superior education and
refined manners, alone stared her in the face.
Hastily resolving that there was no need to
embitter her own life by an attempt to recall
to her son this ill-fated marriage, she did
not hesitate to deceive her unwelcome visitor.
Change of scene had been ordered for the
patient, and before Drew called at the house
in Grosvenor street for the second time,
Adam and his mother were gone. 1t was i'll
Paris, months after that the operation was
finally and successfully performed, and then
the first word of Adam, was Mattie's name.
The first effort of his newly recovered powers
was to relate to his mother the history of his
marriage and to write to his wife.
"God grant the suspense has neither killed
nor driven her mad - he exclaimed.
1t was to his mothers hand the letter was
consigned, and with that exclamation of his
ringing in her ears, Mrs. Armitage stood be-
side the brazier filled with charcoal and burn
ing in the ante-room of the apartment in the
Champs Elyses. She was not bad woman,
but the temptation was too strong to allow the
affair to unravel itself, and see what would
turn up If the girl were dead, why no harm
had been done, and this terrible mistake OF her
sons was rectiied at once If the other al.
tentative were to prove true, and Matte had
lost her senses, Adam would be equally free