The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1889-10-12

/ nleadingly towsrd her at the advent oil
the post-bag.
| Johnny and Alicia still adore and
renounce each other on alternate days,
taking small notice of Bingo and Ellie,
too wrapt up in themselves to notice
Rthe feverish intensity which burrows
ABingos face, and lends unnatural
lbrilliancy to his eyes. And the seven
Ismall MacTavishes still skirmish round
itheir elders, eat, drink, sleep and fight
from sunrise to sunrise.
( At last there comes glorious Octo.
I Der afternoon, the air crisp and bright,
1.-THE sunshine flashing through the
erimson leaves, and across the meadows
steps Bingo. his good-tempered mouth
}set firmly, and with resolution in his
keait that shows itself even in the car
4riage of his shoulders.
.sChivalry's pearl is going a-wooing,"
SAYS 1ammy in an awed tone. Five Of
the children are perched on rail in
the sunlight, four of them are eating
sugar monsters with red and yellow
wings and tails, while Tammy is nib
bling meditatively at a chocolate tor
toise. ''He has got on his best nat,
5and l heard nurse say to cook this
morning that Miss Vivian might go
$down on her Bonded knees every day
Kof her life to think that she had got
such a nice young man."
K'Nurse is vulgar. F" says Joe, tersely.
- Mad again silence falls on the quin-
4 tet as thew continue to enjoy the sugar
monsters.
| Then suddenly the FIVE children sit
very still, and forget to go on eating,
for three figures appear in sight upon
the ridge against the horizon-a girl
in dark serge dress clinging to the
arm of tall, thin young fellow. her
golden hair flying in confusion over
his shoulder-the tall, thin young man
expostulating and gesticulating wildly
with his unencumbered arm, and few
feet off them a shorter, squarer figure
with bent head, standing listening,
motionless as a statue, against the
evening sky-just standing, listening.
For moment the tableau is accent
uated by the dull glow in the West.
Then the warm flush fades. The short,
square figure moves slowly away across
the darkening meadow, still with bent
head and resolute, logged shoulders,
but with q curious unevenness of gait
y and then Tammy bursts out crying,
and clinching her fist shakes it furi-
ously at the distant gold-haired girl.
"She has broken my heart" the bad,
false girl!' she sobs wildly. "She
has broken our Bingo's hearth And
unrestrained by Joe's boyish instinc-
tive mind your own business!" she
rushes after the big brother for whom
her little loyal heart is holly burning.
"Bingo! Bingom she cries, 'Bingo!
Bingo! wait for men'
But still he strides on with bent head,
sometimes stumbling slightly, but
never raising his eyes, and uncon-
, sciously obeying the instinct of all
wounded creatures by following the
track which leads in long undulations
| across the meadows and homeward.
e,l-...Bingo! Bingo" sounds the pas
sionate wailing cry behind him. AT
last it strikes upon his ear. He turns
and stops short. But though his lips
move, no sound escapes from them.
20. Bingo, do love you SO much
And | am so tired"' Silently he lifts
her in his strong arms and stumbles
onward again, with her arms clasped
around his neck, and the childish sob.
bling iteration, "Bingo! Bingo" in his
ears. And at last they reach the stile
beneath the haystack.
| He pauses for moment. But she
divines his thought, and begins to cry
| again from sheer misery and sympathy.
Never mind Tammie. Never mind
little Tammie,'' he says at last, in an
odd, broken tone.
And then they go indoors, and he
locks himself into the study. 1t is al
over-the dream, the delight, the rough
awakening. The summer is ended, the
fairy castle lies in ruins at his feet
and NOW
Outside in the darkening garden
there is the soft rustic of girl's dress
and Alicia's voice rings out in amused
laughter as a deeper voice exclaim:
admiringly, 30, Aliciam
The study is cold, very cold. Bingc
suddenly shivers, and the chocolate
tortoise which Tammy had left on his
knee as an Offering of consolation falls
to the floor A slight wind springs W
outside and a shower of withered leaves
are whirled against the window. Their
suddenly Bingo lays his head dowr
upon his arms and breaks out into the
long, low sobs of man in pain.-Bel
gravia.
The Hangman's Stone.