The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1883-01-14
A PHANTOM BRIDE.
BY the Author of THE Ice CAR
NIYAL."

| net was not unnaturally overcome by
| the narrowing "reminiscences thus sud-
denly dsinterred. and Dick too deeply
| touched-too painfully interested-to
venture just then upon any trite con-
Solatory remark.
Words of his however well-inten-
| toned or welI-choSen, could but seem
| commonplace and meaningless, il APP
| peared TO him, by contrast with the ill.,
describable pathos of the old mans
| brief lacOnlc sentences, and low sepul-
| chral tones.
After awhile he continued abruptly.
II idoli2ed the child-the blossom
which burst into life as the parent rose
faded and fell christened hern-here
the baronet involuntarily paused and
cleared his throat in a strange nervous
fashion. continuing only by palpable
effort-"Greta' he did not notice how
Dick started-"whch was a name of
endearment had been wont to apply
sent the girl abroad TO school; ulti-
mately to finish, as they call it, in one
OF the best seminaries in Hanover,
whence, in no less than six months. she
she, the only child of proud English
baronet, mark you. in whose blue veins
ran the Norman blood which her ances-
tors had preserved throughout long cen
turtles undiluted, indebted by a single
drop Of plebian allOy-she eloped with
her music-master, some domino-thump-
ing, caterwauling. moon-struck Pole,
who, no doubt, perceived the immense
advantage Of contracting an indissolu-
bic tie with a scion of the British arts
tocracy. Later investigation proved
that before this miscreSnt rose to the
dignity of All instructor of youth he
had been an intinerant musician, wan
dering from one small town TO another,
performing at concerts held in barns,
as is the fashion in those parts. Well
he had married my Greta-my only
child, Marguerite's legacy-the sole
thing for which | cared on earth, And
then they forthwith 'implored forgive
ness, as the story-books say; entreated
pardon, and the paternal benediction
kuelt at my feet, and all the rest of it
the foreigner, 10 doubt, concluding
life of luxurious idleness was ensured
to him in perpetuity from that day.
But II spurned them both. Dick
Babe him 60 10 work for her, babe her
starye, if needs were, with the husband
OF her choice. for she had nothing to
expect from the father she had deserted
and betrayed. Can you marvel, boy;-
was over stern, think you, with-wi
Marguerite's Childr'
There was no responsible old man,
perhaps, expected none, for with eyes
riyeted upon the fast-eXpiring embers
in the CRATE, be seemed suddenly Obliv-
ious of time, circumstance. or place.
absorbed in sad "reminiscences, en-
tranced 10 the exclusion Of all else By
those melancholy spectres the phan-
toms Of bygOne sorrows which the
breath Of his own lips had. as it We're,
m6ued anew with quick and vivid
life.
And and the sequel, sir?" ques-
| toned Dick III a low voice after that
! long pause
The sequel was--the one inevitable
in all such casesl" the old man respond
ed slowly, his eyes still fixed upon the
dying embers in the CRATE. They sank
| lower lower in the social scale, until
at length cannot doubt they lacked
the mere necesSaries of life. Sill |
remained Obdurate, was far too deep
| ~ wounded to feel even any temptation
to relent. And then--soon after their
child was born though not until many
months subsequently did learn this,
| the yillainous foreigner deserted her
| deserted the fair young English girl
! who had resigned wealth, rank and sta
ton, in order to share his miserable lot!
And she--in due course she died the
| barOnet'S voice had sunk so low now as
| 10 be almost inaudible even TO Dicks
| stranng ear-"died in poverty
| stricken clearinghouse, surrounded by
| the mere refuse of society, lacking, per-
! chance, the WhereWithal to sustain life.
| ! know not even where she lies, - he
continued hoarsely; lin all probability
| no stone records her name or age, no
| l0Wly cross even marks her resting.
| place. so Welll | said in my heart,
and deemed the chapter closed for ever
and for aye, But, IL is not given NOR
tails to control Destiny, nor thus to con-
clude at will debit and credit account
with Fate, | was henCeforth spared,
It's true, the constantly recurring an
noyancG Of fresh overtures from my UNI
grateful child but the remembrance Of
her blighted life, her early death her
misery, and, above all, Of the infant she
had left behind to the mercy Of a cold
and callous world, refused to slumber.
became prey to remembrances the
most narrowing, and after many years
albeit my heart remained long hard
and insensible under the memory Of
my wrongs, a victim TO remorse--that
most dread despoier of the human
peace
The old mans voice was harsh and
grating, he stirred nneasily IN his cush-
Toned elbow-chair; whilst, glanCing at
him askance, Dick reflected on the in
justice men do one another by Judging
Of facts from appearances, Who, at
this moment, casually regarding Sir
Jasper, would have deemed 1t possible
the heart beneath that rugged breast
could ever have thrilled with pity.
throbbed with anguish, futtered twiyt
the throeS of alternating hopes and
iearsI still less have suspected that
during those long uneventful years
whilst he had lived the life of recluse,
shut mp IN the dreary splendor of Bleak
House, he had in truth been prey to
remorse, and the victim Of a sorrow too
deeply rooted to find alienation in the
ordinary cares and joys of sociability,
or the sympathy Of his kind,
wei, -four years after news Of Gre
"a dealh had reached me, so far re-