The Arkansaw traveler., 1884-08-23

brought the two ladies to the door, as if there had been some faint possibility of the missing colonel appearing from the other end of England. It was an open ing for me, and seized 1t.
 "You are expecting Colonel Wriothes- Icy, believe. He is friend of mine. You may have heard him mention my name-Travers-Major Trnvers-if can be of any service in his absenceLs She took a good lock at nc. as . seusible woman should cool, deliberate, CO., sidedng gaze; then- accepted the infzO- duction frankly.
 "i am cousin of Colonel Wriothesisy Mrs. Darsie Piezpcns- and vas relying on him to meet no here and take us down to Rocksedge. This is . strange land to us, and am not quite sure of being able to find my way to my own house when get thGe-an have besn rash enough to t1ke it withoat seeinR it." l assured her of my in1imAee acquaintance with the place and ils wnys, and she ended by introducing My niece, Miss Leyland," whereon the bud blushed as is not the won't of evea buds to blush in these days.
 We had a pleasant journey down, during which Mrs. Rerpeint explained that she had taken a cottage for month at Rocksedge on Colonel WriothesIey's recommendation, in search of quiet and sea breezes; and in turn told her how l came to be there; how was in com mand of detachment at For Limpet, a small military penitentiay, situated on a forlorn little spit of land at one end of the strip of pebbly beach along which Rocksedge extends its stucco lines of terraces and esplandes. "Then we are quite near neighbors," she was pleased to say, with charming smile. be- lieve my cottage, Tamarisk Lodge, is near the tort quite away from the town. ] hope yoa will come and see us soon" ]" drove the ladies home iu my trap, there being nothing on wheels procura- ble at Rocksedge without special notice, and received and accepted an invitation to luncheon for the next day.
 Something to write about tonight at least," thought, when l retreated to my room that evening after mess to despatch my weekly letter to my regular corres- pendent, the widow of my late godfather, whom-at first in fun. and also partly to keep her position well before my own mind, and afterward because 1 didn't quite know what else to call her-I had always addressed as Codmother.n I am, it is as we'll to explain at once, a creature of routine; my life is made up of little practices and habits, from which it is pain and grief to me to depart but the one to which cling most fondly, and for the sake of which am ready to throw overheard all the rest if need be, is my weekly letter to godmother and her weekly reply to mine. Every Tuesday night have opened my great shabby old leather writing-case-her present when was starting for India more than twenty years ago-taken out her photograph and propped i: up before me, and then ad- dressing 1t, as it were, proceeded to pour out all the weeks experiences, as could have done to no living being besides, in the full confidence that Sunday evening would find her pondering over the last letter she had received from me, and answering it with the best of her sym pathy. Delightful answers, full of fun, piquant gossip, personal and otherwise, and talk about myself and my con- cerns, touched with the lightest, most delicate finger. am naturally reserved man, reserved to unsociability. can only make myself dscsntly companion able by strong and con6uuous effort, and no ono can tell the relief it has been to pour out my thoughts to this half- known, shadowy confdant as shadowy as her photograph, in a voluminous crino- line and flowing sleeves, taken before her marriage, and which was all had ever had of her till she sent me new one last year. We met once, for two days. at the time of her marriage with my godfather.
 All my people were beyond measure wrathful with Lady Dolly, the little minx of school girl who had bewitched him into marrying her, and 90 disposed effect uaily of all my prospects of heirship :; prospects, l am bound to admit, of the most airy and baseless nature. They were so urgent that should make my approaching departure for India an ex- cuse for not being present at the wedding that l was stimulated to opposition, and started of to Yorkshire to present my congratulations in person, and offer my services as best man. Within half an hour after my arrival at the forlorn, out at-elbows old castle, l had struck up friendship with the little childish bride that was to last my life. She was so TO- mantle in her devotion to her handsome, middle-aged bridegroom, % splendid in her seorn of any advantage that his wealth might bring her, and 90 deter minedly loyal to my interests when ii came to a question of settlsmenss, that it is less than wonderful that she should touch my heart as no woman could be- fore or since. The day aAer the wedding l sailed for India, and we never mel again. When came home on leave my godfather was trying . voyage to Aus tralia as . last remedy for his failing strength. And when l came home for good she was nursing her only brother, taking him from one German bath to another in a fruitless chase aiter health.
 Somehow 1 did not regret the post
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