The Red Cloud chief., 1889-12-13
MIRIAM.
The Romance Of Heathalagl Hall
By MANDA L. CROKER.
CHAPTER XXIv.-CoNrIxuED.
COPYRIGHT, 1889.

CHAPTER XXIv.-CONrINUED.
Well, this is hard! All Lily little dreams
Of fanciful and sweet romance are pushed
back behind the sable curtain, M q differ
ent tableau brought forth. And it may be
that Miriam will never know Of the mes
sage / bring her; perhaps l am too late! II
I had not taken that trip with Gladys,
and if / had come home on Queen Bess,
which sailed the very day we bought tickets
at the PaddingtOn station for Taplow, why,
I should have been in time to have-nOt
averted her illness! Hardly. but l might
have alleviated the sorrOwful burden winch,
Twas sure, had borne her down into the IN
certain valley.
Dazed and heart-sick I 60 upstairs to my
room. l must remove my travelling cos
tune, battle and dress before l can 90 into
the darkened room across the hall.
Maggie finds time to bring me up a cup of
tea, and sits down on the edge of the bed
for q little gossip In uniertone. Dear child,
she is overjOyed to see me and to get rid
of the responsibility of the house. Under
the circumstances l don't blame her. She
looks worried and thin. And as I sip
NV tea she tells me that Miriam stock
with a pain in her head" and that the doc
Dor said the illness was brought on by IN
due emotional exercise OF the brain"
Whether Maggie heard Alright or not, I
AN convinced that my suspicious arc cor
rect in the main. The physician is 70 call
ut three O'Clock; it is now thirty minutes
past two, so I am obliged to wait a half
hour before l can ak with him myself con-
corning Miriam. He is such q voluble old
man that l conclude to go down stairs to
meet him, as he will perhaps give INT a
noisy greeting, and it might disturb her
all the one l have to care for in particular.
meet Mrs. Courtney on the landing, COM
ing up with ice-water for the sick-rOOm.
Maggie has told her of my return, and she
clasps my hand warmly and says in q
whisper: '.It's too bad to find Mrs. Fairfax
sOdreadfully i'll, isn't itg' She doesn't ex-
pect me to reply, and keeps on in a staccato
whisper: ''Would l come in and see her!
She wouldn't know me, of course not, but
then maybe l would like to see her, any
how"
l follow the nurse into the sick-room with
an affirmative nod. There on the pillows,
in the semi-twilight of the room, lies the
fair. proud face l remembered so well. The
dark, haunting eyes are wide open now,
with q dull, listless expression in them,
and the taper fingers stray over the pill
lows and clutch aimlessly ut the lace frills.
Her breath comes fitfully, INT a hectic
flush on either cheek tells the tale.
/ go close to the couch, and, bending over
her, whisper her name. She starts, looks
up at me for q moment, while the fcvered
lips part in a smile as she "Yes,
yes, yes.' but she doesn't know me.
IgrOw sick and ain and turn away with
the hot tears ON my face. / go to the win
dow and look out. The beautiful day is
cIouding over and the autumn wind is tear
ing across the lot beyond the forsaken gar
den like q thing of spite, the dead leaves
flying on before. The garden, too, is DESC
late; the lilies are dead; every thing which
seemed full of joyous welcome at first
now has faded out into sable folds. / gaze
down the road and see the Doctors carriage
coming. and then / go downstairs after once
more turning to the bed and brushing back
the brown tresses from the hot brow of one
who knows mt not at this my sad home
coming.
The physician says that ''within the next
twenty four hours the tide will turn in Mir
iam's favor or ebb with the tide of time, and
she will pass over" l recall her words of q
year ago: If I only could pass over and be
at rest!" Somehow the very memory chills
my hearts blood. Will her prayer be an
sweredl If she only could 1--we to read the
message of ~sOul-sunshine l have brought
her she might not want to be Eat rest" now.
Perhaps if h lives there will be un-
folded a bright, glorious chapter in the
gloomy history of this child of bitterness.
Perhaps where the thorns are nOwthe roses
will bloom, for "Love can never forget his
own" l repeat; but I am only thinking Of