Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1893-07-21
which held all that made his life worth

TINS room lie must for ever be almOS
%. the bitterness of the wordD within
touch and call of
The vanished hand,
i And the sound of a voice that is still
> The girl moved away. What was thi,
i trouble in her mind, this unrest ant
: vague foreboding-she, to whom nerve:
were as much unknown as those fits o.
depression that often terrified her il
Doune: 1t was because she was lonely
; out Of sorts-any thing but the true
cause, the casting of this first stone a
the idol she had set up in her heart anG
worshped; while, besides, there might
he a wistful thought Of the stranger she
had met yesterday, and whom she was
never likely to see again.
AS she wandered HstIessIy TO and fro
t her
AimeSs thoughts,
Like Il babes hand, without intent
Drawn down a seven-stIinged instrll
: ment,
she came to the lofty screen that con.
cealed the private stair by which Mr.
! Eyre, each night and morning rose and
. descended.
She had not been i'm her fathers bed
room since she was a child: an impulse
Of love to him made her visit it now.
and she was just turning the corner OF
the screen when voice from the dis
tant doorway startled her. and she turn
cd to see Saunders hur1ying to her
with anxious haste.
Cooks waiting for orders; Miss Mad
- e
poor folks wanting you in the village
whatever Keeps you indoor such love
ly day as this, Miss he added, q
little frctfuIly knowing we'll enough
the dangers to which Mr.. Eyre's sud
den IawlcSS exit had exposed his ador-
eI little mistress.
8, ook can wait" she said. $50 can
the village folkS'-and she disappeared
behind the screen
The old man stood for Il moment
without stirring. then shook his head
as one who sees bitter trouble ahead.
''Eit 10y bit she'll find it all out" he
said to himself, 'tand it'll break her
heart. and it's right down sinful of
master to leave her. and all for some
fad about the murder, or Pm q Dutch
man. when it's clear as n pike-staff
that DiggcS done il with that JcZcbel
to egg him on. But I'll just send Nam
and he hobbled off to find Madcap's
guardian.
Nan checked q scream as, on hurry
ing to the room, followed by Saunders,
she saw Madcap sitting in the arm
chair, lying back with closed eyes.
"The very image of how her mother
looked when she was found" said
Saunders in an incautiously loud whis-
per from the doorway.
"Who was fOund?" she said, opening
her eyes only to see the man vanish,
then rubbed her eyes and looked at
Nan. The chair is so comfortable. -
She said. land I couldn't sleep last
niGht-but I was not doing off when
you came in. I was thinking about
mother-and fathcr-and how he must
miss her
Yes, Miss" said Nan, who knew
every detail of n certain nights work
by heart. and could not bear to see the
girl sitting there, 'but such thoughts
amt for Il bright day like this; and if
you'll come with me for I'm vastly
afraid of them woods, Wen fetch the
things YOU took out to the beggar-man
-lraStways. if there's any left
No" said Madcap, jumping up; I
won't 60 to the cowSlip gate to-day-lf
you are frightened. take Saunders-Tm
going to my poor people
"Anywhere out of here thought
Nan, rs she followed the girl, and
brought her hat and gloves-last of all
her basket, into which Madcap looked
with sudden thought; then turned it
upside down, but nothing fell out.
And l picked such Il lot" she said,
absently. They could not all have
tumbled out. Has anybody touched it
since | came home. yesterlay?' she
added, turning to Nan.
Nobody, Miss" said Nan, who was
Il little offended at this rejection Of the
tremendous sacrifice her offer had i'm
piled: you brought it in on your arm
Just as it is now, you mostly brings it
back empty
But it was not empty when she start
ts!, ten minutes later, for her village,
Iii which tongues We're wagging and
dentcd within these twelve years.
Les abSens ont toujourS tort and
Mr.. Eyre was to be no exception to
the rule. He had been gone barely a
week, yet already whispers OF his en-
rand were abroad; and now that the
grasp of the stern hand which had
held all his world in check was relaxed,
be suffered the usual fate at the hands
of those whose service rested less on
love than fear.
Some of the goSsiperS saw her com
in@ down the hill; saw how halfway
she turned back to look at the gray Old
house that had Graded her SO happily
and in which she had never known an
hour Of SORROW. To her its every as
tpect was beautiful. and the lurid flames
that seemed to rise behind it rs the sun
: set brought no fear to her mind, though
often strangers passing through the vii
llge would pause and attract attention
TO the seemingly burning house. Mad
cap could not have told the precise
point where her first faint doubt dreaG
:. as death. of her father became confirm
ed 10y this visit to the village. All vel
coined her eagerly, rs usual (worship
ing the two Nadcaps in one). took he1
l generous dole with loving thanks, TOLD
her of their joys or woes: but one thlnE
4 struck her curfously, and it was this
that no one either mentioned, or in
lo,,irad for hpr father Yet never be