River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1884-04-24

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merry had become Julian the mysteri-
Gus, and there was no clue to it all.
One memorable evening the bishop
/ having finished the sketch of a charge
| II mean, Of course, such a charge as
would be produced by Bishop Butler,
not Mrs. Butler). sat in his study brood
ing over it all He was doing his best for
his boy" he kept repeating to himself;
but his spiritual wresthngs were dis
trrbed some way, and between him and
/ the fire there came attimes a glimpse of
certain wistful little face he had once
seen with Julian in the park, and apho-
/ tograph of which said little face hung
| framed in old gold.pIush beside Julian's
bed His lordship's musings were in
terrupted by the sound of his sons
quick step on the stairs, and then his
voice
"All right, Pollard, I'm just running
ont to post letter; III be back to dress
IN five minutes.
"You can post it here, Master Julian, "
said the voice Of the old retainer, the
| Bishops butler I'm taking his lord
/ ships letters presently"
quite sure it will go all riget, Pol
/ lard Very well, then" There was a
metallic flap" as the letter was dropped
into the oak pillar box that stood in the
hall, and then Julian ran back to his
study
A letter! To whom? Why wish to
post it himself? And then I fear some
little demon had the audacity to whis-
per in the Bishops ear, for that good
man was disquieted, and rose from his
/ chair. The room seemed hot, so he
opened the door The hall looked
cool, so he walked into it. There was
no one there. Like Eugene Aram, he
took three hasty strides, and then
stopped opposite the oak letter-box, of
which he and Pollard had duplicate
keys.
After all, there can be know harm
/ in Just seeing to whom he is writing; it
might be some vile money-lender; and,
besides, added the Bishop to himself,
/ II may possibly have misdireeted some
/ of my own letters" Still he paused,
and the little demon kept Whispering:
"Take it out take it out" Finally,
with quick beating heart, the Bishop
opened the box. Was thata noise? No,
only the parrot Hate parrots" he
i thought, as he peeped in. Yes, there
/ it was, right on the top of the pile, adj
/ dressed in Julian's big good-natured sort
! ia scrawl. Feeling very like afraudu-
| lent bank secretary borrowing securi-
/ ties from the strong ROOM" but still
/ urging ON his conscience that he was
doing it for the best" the Bishop put
| the letter in his pocket, slammed the
/ door Of the box, and retreated with his
prize to his study, just in time to hear
Pollard painting up from the regions
below to send the post off. Would
| that old servitor discover the loss?
/ Should he rush out and restore it No,
/ he would be firm; it was for the best"
The letter was addressed to
Miss Kitty Blewsby,
214A Cockerton Crescent,
Bayswater.
Corresponding with her secretly
Nonstrous 1t must be stopped at once.
/ His fingers PLAYED with the envelope as
/ he held it up between him and the fire
mo, no, can't do that wouldn't be hon
est, said the Bishop sternly and having
comforted himself with the reflection he
! locked mp the letter in his drawer, and
! then the dressing-bell rang.
Julian was very pleasant and bright
that day at dinner. He told his father
old Oxford stories, insisting on pledging
him in the old AT, and when he ran off
to read (he never went to the theater
now, he dropped into the drawing room
and ran his fingers lightly over the keys
/ of the Erard. The Bishop heard the
music as he sat, brooding and melan-
/ choly and remorseful, in the room be-
/ low; for all that he hardened his heart
like Pharaoh. and would not let the let
! ter go, because cit was for the best "a
bit of Jesuitical casuistry that he never
| theless derived but small comfort from.
| It required much more Pharaoh
/ like fintness to endure
/ Julian's first anxious, and
/ then disappointed, face when the early
! post next morning, and several success
sive posts for the next two days, failed
/ to bring him something he actually
looked for. The inquiry: Anything
for me father?" Nothing, Julian,
became little tragedy, in which the
/ bishop felt he was cast for First MUIR
derer," and was by no means easy in
| the part.
The piano was never opened now. and
Julian stuck to Lis work quietly and
4 pluckily. At last he was duly called"
and won the Gl00 prize given by his
/ Inn for an essay upon Probate and
! Divorce as Practiced by the Early Aryan
/ Races He never slackeued work for
a moment, but went to court every day,
and still preserved the same quiet man
ner that so baffied and worried the bish-
/ op His fun seemed to have all evapOr-
ated, and in its place he had purpose.
/ His father had bad time of it passed
/ sleepless nights, and even went so far rs
/ to read the essay on Probate and Di-
vorce." Once lie suggested in playful
/ fashion to Julian chat NOW that he was
| on the high road to the Woolsack, it was
/ time for him to look about and settles"
| but he only elected rather solemn
Don't let's talk OF that subject, father,
/ nd felt snIbbed.
/ 1t was clear to the Bishop that he
/ had succeeded in alternating Julian's af-
| lection for Kitty but he certainly never
meant to make confirmed misogYnlst
/ and bigoted bachelor of him, and this
was seemingly what had happened, for
| dancing Belgravia knew him no more.
at was precisely at Q AS ON the even
/ ing that has been so much talked of
| that the Bishop was strolling home after
| attending the great conference that met
| to discuss the long vexed question con
/ corning Archidiaconal Functions. He
/ had once been an arch deacon himself,
/ and he svmpathized with the rather
4 vague position of the Very Reverends,
and he was really rather pleased with
the resolution lie had proposed making
CATERS and broad brims obligatory on
them as class, although dearold Saw
! dust and Bran Ca brother Bishop had
so stoutly opposed it, on the ground
that it would lead to aprons. 1t IS right
| to mention this, rs it accounts for the
Bishops preoccupied manner that even
ing Passing UP that pleasant little
segment of circle that is called Dean
street, the Bishop noticed carriage
whisking rapidly westward. 4 glance
as the lights flashed by showed him a
glimpse Of pale, sad young face, with
a square line of stiff white linen cutting
across the brow, round which fell the
folds of a nuns veil; the dress was that
of a religieuse of some order.
The Bishop was thunderstruck. 1t
was Kitty Blowsby, poor little Kitty,
and in that dressl The thought flashed
quick upon him, of course she was go !
ing to a convent immuring her young
D