The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1884-12-14


opened mp the sore, you see, and made 1t
bleed aire,h.
We never had a minutes trouble with
Ralph; he was as good boy as ever breath
Ell. don't mean 10 say that he hadn't his
tcmrels; wouldn't have a boy without
them; he'd have no spirit; but he was a
good boy. We could trust him, and we did.
Well, he grew up, and when he was big
enough he went into the squire's service
too, bird soaring, and wedding, and all sorts
Of odd things at first, and then into a regu-
lar place about the preserves, till, when he
was eighteen, he was undtr-keeptr and as
fine young fellow as ever | set eyes on.
The squire liked him very much, and put
him forward all he could, and he had money
in the bank, and all seemed TO be going well
with him. when evil days came upon him,
and he fell in love.
don't mean to say that falling in love Is
evil; Heaven knows there never was bet
ter thing for me than my marriage; but it is
when lad falls In love with the wrong wo-
man that mischief comes of il; and that's
just what my poor boy did. never saw
her; she lived mile, away on the other side
Of the county, and he had seen her when he
went with the squire and stayed two days
once at place where some Of our pleas
ants were taken for the breed.
And Ralph went there about it, and from
tina, hour he was changed lad. He was
absent and broody, and the old light had
gone out of his eyes, and the smile, that was
so fresh and pleasant, from his dear face,
and we guessed what had come to him, and
rs mother-we were always father and
mother to him, for he knew no other-taxed
him with IT,
ITS woman that's wrong with you,
Ralph, my lad Cherry said, when he could
not eat his supper, and sat with his head on
his hand staring at nothing. You've been
falling in love, and 1t don't agree with you"
Don't laugh at me, mother" he said;
don't chaff me; can't stand it."
II won't" Cherry said. Tell me all
about it, my boy? Who is it?"
don't think we ever made out rightly
who she was. She was in service at farm
er's over wherH Ralph had en-, and she
was as beautiful as the daylight. | didn't
take much account of that, b cause if wo-
man is as ugly as Bee zebub, and as wicked
as the father of lies himself, the man who
is unfortunate enough to fall in love with
her, will think her an angel, in spite of all.
This girl was as good as she was beautiful,
Ralph declared, and, like himself, she was
an Orp an.
| asked Ralph did the girl love him, but
lie shook his head; he was not sure he
didn't know; he hop d so but he had said
"a "a. N'It al sd
else, someone with longer purse than he
had, and more winning ways maybe, though
don't see how that coIld be very well, and
altogether lie was far more unhappy than
happy in his new excitement.
1t went on for some time, and at last
things grew settled, and Harry came home
one day, after he had had a two days holi-
day, On te IA liant and satisfied. Harriet
thai was her name-did love him, sh had
admitted that much, and the rest would
come all right IN tines she would be his
W.T., and he was The happiest fellow in tie
three Kingdoms. don't know why fit
miNg wing aDout it, but did: queer things
com into ones mead sometimes, and had
feeling that RolpA's love would bring him
III schief
seen the girl and Judged for mysef what
she was like. gathered that she was rath-
cr tIlghty and fond of dress, from one or two
things that Ralph had said and present
or two that he had gwen her. which seemed
filter for a young lady than poor servant
girl; but Ralph said she was like q lady in
her pretty ways, and | felt troub ed as
heard it. | asked him about the other man
that had been hanging about the girl, and
he laughed and said that that was all over,
thai Harriet had told him she wanted moth
ing more to do with him, and he had had
the good sense to give her up.
| daresay good many people would have
gone to where the girl lived and found out
for themselves what they wanted to know,
but Cherry and are old-fashioned folks
rather slow-minded, p rhaps, and it never
occurred to us. We knew that Ralph wou d
bring her to see us soon, and one Saturday
he said he was goirg off to see her and, If
che could get away, he would bring her back
with him the next day. She couldn't, for
he came back without her and rather down
hearted we fancied; but she was to come
the next week; her mi, tress had given h
i'hNN WV NV Wv ~ W. hIll't w anu
entertained him quite no riably.
There had been something little IN
pleasant between him and Harriet which
accounted for his low spirits The other
man had been hanging about her again, and
she had treated it lightly and as if it were
good Joke, instead Of life and death to the
lad who loved her SO we'll
shes heartless hussy, if she's playing
fast and loose with my boy" Cherry said,
when he had told us about 1t, II shan't like
her, Rllph, am sure Of it,
"Oh, yes, you will, mother dear he said.
"No one can help loving my Harriet, she's
prcttier than any woman you ever saw,
mother; she's like an angel"
Handsome is that handsome does"
Cherry said, and She was right; good looks
aren't everything and Il lph would have
found IL so rf-uut I'm getting on too fast
there's deal to b. told yet about Harriet
B 1t. She didn't come on Sunday, and
Ralph was in n dreadful way. Something
had happened to her, he was sure, and moth.
ing would do but that he must 70 off tbe
very first thing on Monday morning TO in
luirc. The ,qulre was very kind and let
Inn 90; he was in love himself once u,on n
time, aud said, and under TODD how If was
with Ia pin.