The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1889-08-17

able day. On bic return he had sought Sir
Rupert's asy:rtments hurrjediy, and handed
him 6 .etter with black seal.
lis master was lying on couch, near the
window, in the cold, uncertain light of the
au5umn afternoon, He turned YEARLY over
| toward the shimmering sunlight, and
stared at the suggestive seal of black; then
he said, hurriedly: "Pull the curtain aside
john Then with trembling fingers Sir Ru
pert Percival broke the badge Of death, and
read the solitary line written III Miriam 4
fine, lady.lix1 hand. Over and over the
one si:i gle sentence he went, forgetfu]
Of Tohn's presence. The servant would
have gone down~stairs, as was his wont
after delivering message, but in this case
his inquisitive anxiety overcame his man
ners, and he stood with hungry eyes fixed
on the masters white, haggard-looking
face, shrewdly guessing it was from the
long-absent daughter, and trying to divine
the con.sata &: tic v1,s,,Ae.
Presently the old man looked YEARLY,
sadly from the letter to the anxious face
bending over him, and said, as if neasur-
''He is dead--Fairfax is dead, and Miriam
is widow Then he turned his white face
away in the shadow Of the curtain, and
uOblOACu W OCAlA AlS uAoAAAoo0A.
'sMiram mas wntten,'' said the tender
hearted John to the servants, as he wiped
his eyes with his handkerchief. s'Her-
husband is dead; yes, Arthur Fairfax is
dead!"
A moan escaped the lips Of the little
group gathered about their lonely dinner at
the close of this memorable day. "Poor
Miriam" and John made another applica-
ton Of the handkerchief to hide the tears
gathering in his honest eyes.
can it's dead We say he is? Obi this
wurruld is full Of throuble. Dead, an not
pairson TO comfort IT,, misthress. Oh!
Oh expected if :" i-uu Peggy bowed her
| gray }>z,,,: 81. the table and Wept aloud.
ssseadv echoed Ancil, shaking his
whitened locks as he knocked the ashes out
of his pipe against the broad, hospitable
lamb, and came over and sat down by his
wife can now the masther'n be Arthur
sendin' fur the heart-bhroken nisthress
an repintin' ov his sins," ventured he
further as sort of comfort.
cam he won't naytherp' blazed Peggy,
angrily, and suddenly forgetting to sob
IN her resentment of any thing humane
as expected of Sir Rupert. "Niver! whln
he let the young gintleman wurruk hisselt
into the grave, and niver welcome loine
could he sind--not even to herr
AS usual, A1cil subsidized with his notions
ST charity and devoted himself to his dinner.
while Peggy enlarged on the doings Of the
past and wandered off into the future, with
very severe opinions concerning her mas
ter
She was the ruling faction il the west
wing, and when any one Of its inmates ex-
pressed the hope, or belief, that Sir Rupert
would send for Miriam, or may be go TO
her himself, ''seeing she was in mourning
so soon again." Peggy would shake her CAP
ruff1es into confusion dire in her authority.
Her negatives usually silenced all hopeful
expectation as with the spell of seer,
capped with her ALDERMAN climax of
'sniver bit will the haythunlsh masthur
go to the childer: he wud dole forninst the
day of puir stubborn maneness."
And uncharitable as Peggy seemed, she
was, nevertheless, right in her assertions,
for not word of coincidence or pity did Sir
Rupert send to his bereaved daughter,
neither did he express any sympathy he
might have felt for her in her sore be-
reavement
But Peggy, good old soul, seat letter
hrimful of comfort and loving sympathy to
the lonely hearted Miriam, sunbehnowin'
to the masthur,'' for, as she confded to
John, who struggled the missive in with
the mail of the Hall, che needn't think as
how the whole wurruld is goin' to walk in
the loikes of his name footstheps." And so
the long letter of coincidence indicted to
Miriam by the faithful Peggy was sent,
aud all the servants promised to keep It
secret from the master. They never forgot
his commands of four years ago, to never
mention Miriam name in his hearing, nor
to appear concerned in her welfare icr
fear of his wrath. These orders they had
never broken, with the exception Of the
time when they heard of Arthur Fairfax
having gained in wealth and position. In
keeping their thoughts far from the masters
ken they had s.grown wise as serpents and
harmless as doves"
Some weeks after the cuckoo had sound.