Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1885-11-20
say, I may Be mixing him up with
az f,,nh adv nlsn Esa 81; :

say, / may be mixing him up with
melody else. ''$ 5
Why don't you ask him outright?''
aS 81 did hint at it once. One Of the
horses was sick, and we had good
deal oftrouble with him; and one al
ternoon / was watching Arnitt put q
bandage on, when Che conviction that
/ had known him before came upon
me stronger than ever. This is not
the first time you and I have had to
do with a horse together, Arnitt,' ]
said to him. He looked up at me
quickly. q flash of a look as if I might
be detective who had been tracking
him for years, and had hunted him
down at last. For God g sake, don't
my lord, he said, all in hurry; Sits
no use pretending that I was once a.
AN undergrade at Brazenose,' put
in; when, poor beggar, he gave such a
cringing shiver that l felt sure I'd put
my hand on an open wound, and
wished / had let him alone. Il want
to forget all that, my lord; Isunk that
life and everything connected with it
long since he said, desperately. i
wouldn't have joined the Black Horse
II I'd ever guessed you would have
been gazetted to it. oh, it's all
right. I'll not remind you OF it
again, Arnitt,' told him; for, OF course
l didn't want to make his burden
any beaverton him to carry. knew
his face, but could not remember his
name, and should not try to find out.
Only l said I do remember perfect,
~ we'll that you didn't call me "my
lord' in the old days. Don't talk
about the old days. he burst out. 4
forfeited all that made them worth
having, and I can bear it; but don't
remind me of them, if you know what
pity is--don't.' So of course told
him wouldn't, and no more I did.
never tried to find him out. but I've
often thought about it, and tried to
fix the name I knew belonged to the
face, but I never could; it has always
eluded my memory just as dream
often does. Yes, there is q queer story
at the back of Arnitt's hard life, !
know that. It's q strange fate for a
man to have been a tuft'at Brazenose,
and then aprivate'in marching regi.
ment, with wife picked out Of a circus.
And he's fond Of her, too; oh, yes, for
she is not bad sort, and was always
pretty, Yes, it's queer story, very
Well, I must be getting along-by-by."
"By-by," returned Oxford, and went
on his way, wondering much about
the story he had just heard. Mean.
time Lord Archie went further along
the street, and turned in ut an arch
way between two of the little feature
less houses, which brought him into
the stable-yard. He just cast an eye
over the animals, and then inquired OF
the groom which was Arnitt's house.
The man pointed it out, and Lord
Archie crossed the narrow, ill~paved
little street, and knocked softly ON the
panel OF the door. It was opened by
the pretty, fair-haired wife, who look
ed worn to death, and had baby in
her arms; two other children, yet lit
tie more than infants, chung to her
skirts, and the bigger ones stood in the
background looking shyly on.
"Good-day, Mrs. Arnitt. How is
your husband?" he asked.
ooh, my lord, he's very ILL.," she an
swered with quivering lips and eyes
Drumming over, not because she had
been weeping much, but because the
sympathetic tone went straight to her
heart, and made it culver like harp
swept by a strong hand; "he's very i'll,
indeed; and DR.. Granger scarcely gives
me any hope at ALL"
who's attending to him? Have
you got a nurse or anybody to help
you?" Lord Archie inquired.
eyes, my lord; Mr.. Oxford sent one
in as soon as ever he heard Arnitt
was ill-very i'll, that is. But he will
never get over it, my lord-never. )"
And lowering her voice almost to q
whisper. Hes got something on his
mind; know it; I'm sure of It,"
What kind OF a something's" Lord
Archie asked.
II can't tell that, my lord" she an
swered; "but something there is, for
certain. Arnitt is Il very quiet,
close sort of man, and though
he's one Of the best husbands that
ever drew breath, and has never
sAf AIC ~ NkoSo NOlu cluCC Nc were
married, and has never raised his
hand to one of the children-and they
are trying at times, there's no deny
ing it-he's never told me q word
about his past life, never a one.
don't know anything about him, my
lord, not even where he was born, or
whether he has relation in all the
world. But he isn't like me, my lord;
and though he's no better now than q
common soldier, he's gentleman,
Arnitt is; and sometimes Icould fancy
he was even more than that"
Lord Archie's conscience pricked
him little that he was Obliged in
honor to keep from this distressed
little soul, with her pretty fair hair
and blue tear-drownded eyes, the fact
that he knew the truth of much of
what she was saying. Then a sudden
thought came into his mind.
! would he like to see me, do you
Think" he asked.
~ feel sure he would, my lord" she
answered. ''"
"Well, you might ask him. he said,
for he had no desire to disturb what
probably were his ex-groom's last
hours by recalling painfully to his
mind the incidents OF the past-inci-
dents which he most likely needed no
stimulus to remember, and which
would now be crowding back, upon
him, as the past does when we have
nearly done with the present. :
So she went up the creaking little
stairs with the baby in her arms, leav-
ing Lord Archie standing in the midst
OF the group of aw-stricken and be-
wildered youngsters. Hespoke to one
or two of them, the eldest boy amongst
them, and found that Marcus Oxford 8
little anecdote had been literally
doctored in the matter Of pronuncia-
ton md accent. and that be in com.