The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1886-12-24

I1mIy place was ms DrOtncrs now,
and his sister-in-law. always regarding
her husbands younger brothers as 80
many harpies. anxious 10 fall upon
any stray crumbs that fell from her
table. was not likely 10 welcome an in
valid. who might want months and
months u nursing. possibly only 10 die
In the end. A good servant did all he
could for Major Pricstly; but q servant
Is not much when that is all one has 70
rely upon for sympathy, conversation
and any thing else that Is wanted 10
while away the long. weary days and
nights Of illness. II was now Deccm-
Der. At Drayton. where the eye rests
contcntcdly on miles Of blue-grcen fir
trees. whose only difference lii winter |
Is an added shade Of dusk IN the dis
lance. there was nothing 20 remind
any one that Christmas was not more
| than fortnight off, Yet 80 " was
and Major Pricstly felt more melan-
choly than ever, and looked back re-
| grctfully to past Christmases AZ the
| manOr-Christmasc when ne and
| Edith had been all and all 10 each
other; they had spent their time In
decorating the church, hanging Christ
| mas trees with ornament for the sun
day-school children, and In keeping
peace between all those who came
forward to help them.
AS Major Pricstly remembered the
date lying In his long chair facing the
sea, that literally CLEANED like tur-
auiose under cloudless sky. with the
Isle Of Wight rising like a snowy cloud
lust on the left Of the horizon. and the
chimes glittering rcdly in the sunshine
the view seemed to fade, and he saw
instead Priestly church and the heaps
Of prickly evergreens. and could smell
the various mingled odor OF damp,
crushed leaves and holly berries that
was always connected in his mind with
Christmas. Could he not well recol-
lect. too. how he and Edith had spent
hours on their knees. sticking gorgeous
red and blue and gold letters on
squares Of cardboard, that, when COM
plctcd. should form text 10 90 round
the ugly, dark-brown galleries? he
smiled TO himself rs he remembered
how the letters would curl up in a
sticky festoon on the ends Of his fin
gers: how crooked they got, and how,
, | finally. when II was really done and
duly arranged in heaps in the aisle
ready for erection, the old clerk took
advantage Of their temporary absence
at luncheon to prepare a surprise FOL
them: had put up the text just as the
letters came, anyhow. and by the time
they had reklrned had completed SEN
tences that would have defied the clev'
crest hand at solving ''buried SEN
tenccs' that ever won a prize in any
society journal Of the present day
Perhaps the thought Of the old day
had somewhat obscqred Major Priest
ly's generally acute senses, but n
! could have declared that he hcars
Ediih's voice distinctly AS he awok'
\ from his half-dreamy state to recog
4 nizc Drayton. and heard her say: 9Th
1 other side Of the chine will do best, Du
u gaId; then we shall not be IN the wa
n Of that poor gentleman.
lnvoIuntarily he closed his eyes ono
more. and lay very quiet Then b
N opened them again. and saw on hi
e right hand the fair. oval face. an
II waves Of brown. soft hair that
II could never forget while life lasted, q
4 belonging to his lost love. Older
j little; yes. certainly; but othcrw isc IN
4 Edith Of eight years ago sat there un
Z changed Tho old. old feeling surge
!, over his breast. and he knew IN . me
~ mcnt that the love he had felt for ~
4 vas only asleep. and had riser
II stronger than ever. from its reposc,
y assert its empire over him once NOR
y He watched her carefully. noted u
3; calm. sweet countenance II rested hi
q 10 look ut. saw how her dextro'
- fingers arranged her companion scha
" and rugs in the warmcst place, from
" ing the very prctticst part Of the view
~ Aud Major Pricstly thought testify no
y he had vainly tried 70 get Stokes
put his chair in position that wou
q enable him just to catch that rctlcctic
~ Of the sun on the cleaning sand-bank
~ and had a. vainly told him that b
% RUG would slip OF him. and leave b
N feet exposed to the air. II It were n
81 tucked under them properly.
1T Ii did not take many hours
h" make him profoundly abhor Edith
companion. He could not make o
NJ IN the least. who he could BE-. MOI
~ Of the brothers names would retul
i" 70 his mind: but he felt certain, h:
M one been named DugaId. he must ba
M remembered such an uncommon co
- uOmcu. utu Tit iutA -tAShVss ss'sv 7.
~ mind. remaining there obstinatel
y. Edith was married, and this long, !
~ ~ looking invalid was her husband.
y" the meantime. Edith had been gazil
~ attcntively ut Major Priestly and h
r. I, begun to think in her turn that she "
i. dreaming. Since her lovers maria
~; w she had never heard OF him. She y
n an illness on learning his pcrhjy, u
~ left her weak for months. and AT!
vi that no one had cared to mention
4. name before her. She knew ne =
- children, but no mention Of his wifi
- clopement and subsequent death d
~ ever reached her ears, and she bclicy
~, him to be happy, well and prospero!
,nr several thousand miles from the qui
~ pine-clad shores of Drayton.
he When she recognized him. her =
an impulse was to rise from her seat q
~. 20 any where. no matter IN what
~ rcction, SO that IL led her from his
nj mediate presence. But IN a few m
M utcs pride came TO her aid. and. "a
in ing TO her companion, she Offered
INV a low voice to continue reading TO ri
~. But Dugald declined her offer; he wo
81 rather Sit quietly and think, hc y