Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1892-06-25
III.
"She has not come"
elid \ nnf toll x,n 80

over his cOuntenance.
'She said she would CONF" he answered
sheepishly.
'Of course; but that was before she had
begun 10 consider. You know there was no
reason In the world why / could not receive
her at my own house"
II thought IL was best to have her here.'
"And she did not think So"
Miss Priscilla sat down as she spoke, and
united her bonnctstrings. and the rector no
ticed that she was flushed and brcathed hur-
riedly, as though but little would he needed
10 make her cry.
II am very sorry" lac said, penitcntly.
ut was not your fault; you meant well,
and In any case | am ~ worse or than 1
was.''
She wiped her eyes furtiyely as she spoke,
and her host grew still more miserable.
IL never dreamed of this" he said: land
no one else would have played me such a
shabby trick
We'll, never mind. Let MS take it for the
best. Bat it does seem hard, when a likely
thing arose, 10 lose it like this!'
''But she may come yet. There Is another
tram al five, and she said positively that |
might expect her. You will wait, won't
your
IF you think there is any chancc.'
He had meant kindly, and he was very
dOwn-hearted, and SO she could not bear to
be hard IN him. His face cleared.
at will be quite like old times Il have you
here for an afternoon lac said.
Miss Priscilla assented, but not very cordi-
ally. Where there are diverse periods of old
times in n life, ii is sometimes difficult to tell
which Is referred Ia.
at Is a long time since you have spent a
day here" Mr.. Horribly continued. eager to
make conversation.
II have not been here since Mrs. Hornby
died. Miss Priscilla answered grayely.
You will notice changes" signing.
Miss Priscilla aSsented, but did not com
nit herself 10 a statement Of the form the
changes seemed to take.
I'VE used to be a good deal about the rec
tory IN our young days, Priscilla. he con-
tinucd after a pause. II think Mr.. Maxwell
was partial 10 Us. Why, il seems like yester-
day that he used TO take Us birds-nesting in
the woods"
"Yes; ii does not seem an age, though
you and | are old people"
IL suppose we are; and yet you know,
Priscilla, | never felt myself younger than
now? ! never remember enjoying nature
mO1eor finding more likable qualities in ordi-
nary peoflo."
SAID, Kiln 4 ihTcfsSr n ET SSiiSfai fNsiffffn.h Priscilla
"Yes, Isnppose 50; and yet | can't realize
that it Is SO very long ago since 1 was a lad
and You the most beautiful girl in the world
to me-"
You were very young them" Miss Pris-
ella said c0ldly. at must have been quite
a yeGr before you got married"
The rector's whole form seemed to droop
from It's momentary happy attitude.
you never understood that, and 1t was
sudden, | own" he said; ''but / suppose in
every life there are inexplicable occurrences"
AS il every one did not know that she
married yOu and not you her, you poor
gOOsel And serve you right, too; | never
pitied YOU" Miss Priscilla said TO herself
very clearly and emphatically for she was
only q woman. and his detection, though
twenty years old, had power 10 move her
still. Not that she held him wholly mex
eusable for il, for il had been the foolish time
of life with her then-thc time when she had
believed in heroes and felt a fine seorn Of
ordinary men. And 50 she had fouted him
and held him al0of till il was too late.
IL had been a little hard Oh her, though
neither he nor any one ever guessed 1t; and
aftcrward, when he returned as rector TO the
parish where he had been born (her influence
working always for his beneiit), shewas one
of the first to welcome him, and the readiest
TO find something good 10 say of the pecyisii,
frctful wife WHO made life as hard for him
as she knew how.
But all that was over long ago, though for
a moment Miss Priscilla felt ms ii the past
were not SO long past, and In that moment
she had called Mr.. Horribly, mentally, a poor
goose; but, looking at his troubled face, her
heart sOftened.
"One need not understand ones friends TO
approve of them" she said heartily.
Mr.. Horribly sighed; his momentary expar-
sion was over. For the time he felt that old
things were quite ended.
Looked back on, life is different from
ones ~anticipations," he said, sadly. Not
that / have not got more than my deserts,
but still the award has been different from
anything | expected"
II think it is better, even for our happi-
ness, that results of all we do are in other
hands than ours" she answered gently.
mo doubt, no doubt; but still"
He stopped, as though his thoughts would
not shape themselves to amy words that fitted
the occasion.
They had been sitting all this time In the
bleak. damp little drawing-room. and, wheth-
err from the conversation or the atmosphere,
she felt chilled and depressed, though bright
sunshine lay athwart the land. The rectory
was a cherries house now, with dusty dee
orations dragging from the spotted CRATES,
and long cohwebs hanging unnoticed In dim
corners. And once she had known him SO
fond OF brightness, and free air, AMI sum
light. Poor George! or course, he was no
more neglected than are other lonely men,
but having known him young and hopeful,
his circumstances struck her with mclancho-
" sense OF contrast. II WIS like Miss Pris-
ella to forget her own Immediate troubles In
plying some one else.
The lunch made q diversion, though II was
not what could be called, strictly speaking,
an enlIyening repast. A grim scrying-wo-
man waited on them aud banded them cold
plates with an air or protest. and her pres
ence, taken In conjunction with the dim
glasses and spotted cutlery, made Miss Pris-
ella very unhappy.
lie has seven Hufiuftu NtaI " w HIS "
penny and yet everything Is perfectly drcad-
ful.r she said 10 herself, while his g~oos-na-
tured hospitality over the soaked potatoes
and hard peas and UNDERGONE mutton gave
her a trcmrious inclination 10 laugh and cry
together.
Hut all this time dark clouds had been pill
ing themselves In the west and u sharp wind
had begun 10 blow coidiy. so that when q
messenger came to call tho rector urgently
20 a ~dcath-bed, Miss Priscilla became sud-
tcnly aware that q storm was threatening.
.syou must wrap mp WE'LL" she said, ms he
prepared 10 co; lyon know You are not
Young enough 10 run needless risks; = and he
thanked her smIlingiy for the unpalatablo
information.
.sYou viii make yourself quito at homo
during my absence" he said. and went away
cheerfully ON his melancholy crrand.
The house looked worse to Miss Priscilla
when she was left alone In II. The furniture
seemed to acquire an uncomfortable human
ness suddenly the mirrors stirred at he'll the
chairs held themselves stifiy ai00f. and the