Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1884-12-10

ramble through the woods would
scarcely have fatigued Esme SO as to
knock her up for the rest of the day or
have covered Hector with dust.
About week afterwards | was rid
ing home through GreSsbroOk, when. as
passed the post-ofiice, the post-mistress
stepped out and handed me a letter.
For the young lady, if you please,
SIR she desired Inc never TO send her
letters 10y the carrier. This has been
lying here since yesterday morning, and
she has not come for it; SO perhaps you
would take it.n
letter with her morning walks, and re-
membering that on one occasion she
had not wished for my company, | de
termined To leave the letter and not ap-
pear 10 know anything of 1t.
Bob and / went out one day for a
row up the river. 1t WAS dusk as we
were returning, and Bob was lying at
full length along the cushions, asleep,
as L supposed. After a while, tired
with rowing, 1 drew in the sculls and
let the boat drift along with the tide.
Presently it approached one Of the
banks, just where, two summers before,
We had built little rustic wooden
house. The door was open, and there,
engaged in earnest conversation, stood
ESme. l recognized the tall graceful
tigHre in moment; and | knew the
dress too. Her companion was stand
| ing back in the shade. | saw that he
was bending eagerly towards her.
They had not noticed our approach !;
so guided the boat nOiseleSsly away
again, and we were soon hidden from
their view by the Overhanging trees.
| Then turned TO look at Bob, in the
hope that lie was still asleep /; but his
eyes We're wide open; and, looking me
straight III the face, he announced
| calmly
''Never mind, Harry, old fellow-I
saw it too but she need not know that
either of us passed"
"Do you mean to say" cried hotly,
aggravated at his apparent GOODNESS,
that you were awake, and never got
out of the boat to see who that fellow
was 2"
He turned on me in "A minute, all fire
and animation now.
81 mean to say that have a pretty
| good idea already as tc who it is, and
that, If things are rs | suspect, she
cares more for him than she does for
me and there Is an end of the matter. ?"
We reached the landiIg-place and
moored the boat in silence, and in si-
lence we walked up to the house. As
4 M. r.aaahal rha ,harN- Rnlg Ia ia his
hand on my arm.
Remember, Harry-nOt word of
/ this To any one"
Not word" answered.
Then We went into the house; and
all that evening Bob kept every one in
rOars of laughter by his jokes and queer
! speeches. AL the next day he was
away from home ; and when he came
back in the evening, he did not seem to
have a very full account TO give of his
proceedings. Late that night, when
Tom was snoring away, l heard the
door of the room open softly, and Bob
. stepped in.
"Harry l''-s.Weu ?''
''A-e you awake ?''-"Yes. What's
wrong 2"
"Hush Don't waken Tom. Harry,
| have found out all about it, and il is
rs thought. To think that she must
have been caring for him all these
months, while | thought her love was
all my own ~
who is it p, asked in a whisper.
1.-The very last man in all the world
that should have supposed capable of
| a dishcnOrable action ~
You don't mean Rue's friend, Sir
Arthur Trench? That pretty little Sis
ter of his used TO be a great deal with
ESme this summer"
"No, no, it is not he. But listen TO
what have to say, Harry"
"StOpl ] must know whom it is you
suspect. You don't" l stopped,
half afraid to finish the sentence. You
don't think lt's-Rue 2"
~ do not think-I know" he said,
shaking his head sadly. Let us say
no more about that now, What | want
| TO tell you is this. | heard two or three
days ago from a friend of mine i'll Lon
don. lie wants mo u 90 and stay some
time with him and l am going to-
morrow morning by the first train. L
Sltdll BOilt DtlblC vi lilCih uP,
SO you must say that l made up my
mind very suddenly. 1 must he think
ing of returning to India next January.
Perhaps | may come down here again
for a few days, and perhaps not. In
any case remember that Esme is your
charge as long as she lives here"
"Are you not going to see her before
you go ?"
'NO. / don't think l shall ever see
her again. Goodbye V"-and he was
off.
Every one was astOnished the next
morning TO find that Bob had run away
during the night. And L had nothing
TO tell them, except that he had come
into my room to say that he had ac-
cepted his friends invitation, and was
going.
He had been gone nearly month,
and had never written a word to any of
us. Poor little Esmei How quietly
she sat every morning in the drawing
room window, pretending to read, while
| knew she was only watching FOR the
po5tman. My mother was angry with
Bob and, through veXation at him and
Rue, though he attributed his illness to
the damp weather, my father got thor
oughly knocked up.
Once since Bob went | knew that
Esme had met Rue-if Rue it really
was. What was To be done, or whittier
things were tending, could not see.
Between them both, Esme had lost all
her yivacity and animation, and seemed
uale and listless they had made my
father ill and had nearly worried my
mother to death; and, as to themselves,
| did not doubt that they were both on
the high-road to destruction.
81 never did see such a pair ~ l NUT
tered, throwing a fresh log upon the
fire,
"Well, we are rather good-loOking
certainly, remarked Tom cOmplacently
he was kneeling before Esme, holding
skein of red worsted while she wound
it. II wish | could succeed in throw
ing myself into the emelodramic attitude
-. To- -..,,