Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1893-02-02

upon objects SO young and fresh. and
| full of life. His fancy was pleasantly
struck with the picture OF young life 10
which il formed background. His
heart stirred. and he stepped nearer TO
the children, who had been-so absorbed
in the labor of getting along with their
burden that they had not perceived the
Professor. Now, as they heard his APP
preaching footsteps, they raised blue,
startled eyes toward him, aud threw pro-
tecting arms across their hamper. The
Professor felt irresistibly drawn toward
them, and, contrary to his usual custom,
spoke.
II won't hurt your cat, )" he said.
His voice was gentle, and so were his
grey eyes, which were not too shy to
meet the innocent blue ones. His broad
brimmed hat was like their fathers, the
stoop of his shoulders reminded them of
their father. too, and his manner invited
confidence, so the children accepted his
friendly overture and took him at his
word.
Come and look !" cried the younger
of the two. She jumped to her feet,
and, tripping up to the Professor, took
his hand.
At the contact of the little soft con-
fiding fingers thrill shot through the
Professor. He looked down at the child,
and catching the sweet look Of the limo
cent round face, it was most strangely
borne in upon him that that sweetness of
expression, that heavenly blue of tho
eyes, and that soft 'fiutfiness of the brown
hair on the fair forehead were not unfa-
miliar As the child's hand drew him
along he held it with gentle pressure,
and a musing expression crept into his
sad eyes.
The elder child lifted the yellow cat
from the hamper.
"There!'' she said, 'those are Amber's
dear little kittens. We brought them
here to save their lives because Gwennie
said they would all have to be drowned ~
The Professor bent his back and peered
into the hamper, where family of
blind, cropping, ihree-days-old kittens
lay. The Professor did not find them so
charming or so interesting as the chill
dren. He looked from the kittens to the
child hugging the yellow cat, her blue
eyes sparkling under her sun bonnet.
Who could those ue-eyed children bel
Why should he fancy that they bore a
resemblance to a blue-eyed girl whose
life had been closely entwined with his
own in the hidden paste The Professor
put out his disengaged hand, keeping
gentle hold of the clinging child with
the other, and absentlv stroked Amber's
yellow head Amber purred approval,
and the children's hearts were com
plctely won. They invited the Professor
to sit down on the grass with them, and,
inwardly amazed and amused at his own
unusual proceedings, the Professor did
so. The children babbled about their
kittens, and he, listening with rather
distracted smile, turned his eyes eveI
from one child to the other.
''What is your name, little one" he
asked, abruptly, after while. The
question was addressed to the younger
child, who still kept his hand and was
leaning confidently against his arm, look
ing up with curiosity at the bumps on
his broad forehead. She was wondering
if they had been caused by a tumble
! down stairs.
''My name is Phyllis" she said, in an
swer to his question.
The Professor started as if an electric
shock had passed through him, and his
face burned suddenly red. From Phyl-
lis's face his eyes travelled to her black
Grape trimmed dress.
"Why do you wear this?" he asked,
touching it very softly.
Because mother has gone away from
us, said the child, her lips quivering a
little. "She has gone TO Heaven, and
1 Il. % h. IN until
there too"
The Professor said no more. He sat
silent, looking out with dim eyes across
the sunny land. He did not see the
fields stretching hot and parched down
to the village; he did not see the grand
mountains fading away right and left OF
him into mist lie saw neither the calm
sea shimmering out there beyond the vii
lage, nor the exquisite sky of turquoise
blue smiling like embodied Joy above it.
He saw girl named Phyllis, whom in
the past he had loved with the intensity
of reserved and yet passionate nature.
She had seemed to return his love, and
to understand him as few understood the
sensitive, reticent student. Assured of
her love, convinced by many a token
that he was the elect out of many suit
ors, he had left her one year to join an
exploration party in Palestine.
Thither, after few months absence,
he was followed by news which turned
him outwardly to stone and made his
inner life an agony of bitterness and
grief. The news was conveyed in a
cutting from the London Times, sent to
him anonymously. 1t contained the an
nouncement of Phyllis Wynne's marriage
with Colonel Llewellyn, who had at
one time appeared to be a favored rival
of her love, but who had long since
ceased to press his suit. A letter in
Phyllis handwriting followed the an
nouncemcnt, but Hugh Morgan tore it
to atoms, unread. A second and third
letter shared the same fate. Then the
letters ceased. Hugh Morgan remained
abroad for q year or two, and on his re-
turn buried himself in the obscure corner
of Wales in which he had now lived for
ten years.
The unmistakable likeness in the faces
of these two children, and the fact of
one OF them bearing the name of his
faithless love, set both memory and inn
agination at work in the mind of the
Professor. These were without doubt
Phyllis children. And Phyllis was dead
1t was a strange chance that had brought
him and Phyllis children together
strange and sad that from the lips OF
Phyllis child he should hear of Phyllis
death.
So out there in the August sunshine,
at the foot of the old ruin, the Professor
read, as he thought, the last page of the
romance of his life. But he was mistaken.