The record-union., 1894-11-03

ing Tor him, you uknow!-oftentlmes some
one falls 10 the earth, as l told you. II
Betty knows OF it, this is where they
bring them for little, my dear, for l
think, what if he fell TO the earth. might
not some other body do the same tor him!
es. yes, yes-forty years IS Il long, long
time, my deari"
BLESS you, aunty, for the dearest,
bravest soul i'll LondonW burst from my
lips as | almost reverently patted her
white old head. And you have been all
these years trying to find hiln?"
The white face against the gateway of
another hospital was now haunting me
more ominousiy and desperately than
this living double of the little old face in
the lnkstand.
She was pouring the tea into the cups.
a cup and saucer stood before the half
turned armchair. She raised the kettle
as II TO I'LL this empty cup. l thought
her face grew more pallid tor an instant.
She hesitated in q scared, startled way
and then said sadly and plaintively:
AlI-these-years! Why, 1 nearly
filed his cup! Tell me, sir-tell mel
would not know it here-here, SIR" as
her hand tiuttered to her loyal heart, "if
he was deadr'
Yes, yes, yesr'
And you are sure he is still iving?'
1t would have bean cruel heart that
could have cast the shadow OF a single
doubt upon this almost infinite patience
and faith, and | answered her with the
bravest words l could.
Then as we sat at tea 1 listened, listened
to another life e-drama of waiting, search
ing, longing, such as the books can never
tell; listened TO hopes and plans and faiths
as fresh and sweet and innocent as ever
maiden breathed to other maiden's eager
ears, and listened, daring not to reveal
what L eXultantly hoped and believed.
for the one word, the absent husbands s
name, TO make me safe and sure.
Deepest artitice could not secure it.
Wiliest surprise could not reveal it. AS
though 1t were the las. slender thread
that led her TO her own she had buried
this most needed things, perhaps from
the very horror of the tinaiity which
might como from its utterance, in the in
nermost depths of her irreconciliably
tender yet cunning nature and life.
The gray OF the morning had come
when l arose 70 20. And would 1 come
agaln?-for at times the hours were lonely
here. 1es and yes, and yes again from
me II could bring friend. Then the
sooner the better, the sweet old voice
prattled and pratJled on. 70 breakfast,
then, this very morning at l0-tor this
friend might know Of him. Yes and yes
again and again as l stroked her silvered
head ana turned away.
Then to my inn for few hours sleep
my story still untouched-Where the face
III the inkstand had wholly faded out
with the night and then 1 felt solemn
conviction that the sign had been real and
sure and true.
At last, with all speed, to Royal Chelsea
Hospital, where / learned that Uncle
Billy had suffered a sad turn in the night
and where his pensioner comrades whis-
Dered he would follow Mike to Brompton
now.
Not if love can save himr' l mentally
vowed, and In all hours time l had him
clad in his flaming Prince Albert and the
smartest he possessed. and safely beside
me. In swiftly whirling hansom, headed
for the Strand and Drury Lane.
With pursuing lips. lowering brows and
wildly buiging eyes, the old pensioner
often essayed to speak, and as l often in
creased his dazed wonderment but si-
lenced him with, 'l've found a friend
who knew her, Uncle Billy!'
AS we allghted in Drury Lane few old
fruiterers, standing at their doors, nod
ded and whispered together:
Maybe it's him at lastr'
Inside the hallway an impulse seized
me TO bid him to remove his numbering
shoes. He obeyed me unquestioningIy
and we stole softly though laboriously
up the stairway to Aunt Betty's open
door. When we entered the little dwarf
was busy in her hospital ward of the
loft.
l seated Uncle Billy in the huge arm
chair, drew the waiting slippers upon his
feet and the old war dog in an instant
had closed his eyes with inexpressible
peacefulness and rest.
Then, stepping to Aunt Betty's side.
there was pleasant morning greeting,
just as though we had known each other
Tor years.
Aunt Betty" began with lily sup
pressed excitement, my friend is over
there by the fireplace. Won't you see if
he Is IN the right chair? I'll be back
presently from the street."
L sped down that ancient stairway as
though had committed capital crime.
But my flight was not swift enough to
prevent my hearing few thumpings
of Aunt Betty's staff upon the floor of the
loft; hoarse gurgle of, "Fore God-Betty
It's you! Purity heyes, lump am hall!''
sweet voiced ripple of. "William Mey-
rill!-something told me the waiting,d
soon be donep' and my knowing that in
the blessed silence which followed, as
bllsstul love as earth had ever known
had found anew it's own.
a murmur of eager impatience finally
succeeded the almost reverentiaI silence
which had fallen upon the assembled
company as the Student Travellers tale
was uOsle.
But the storyi-the storyw' was Choir
ussed. Was that story ever written?''
"Eh? oh, yes; the story. Yes" the
Student Traveller concluded musingly.
and quite in time for press. 1t was a
thrilling story Of grand and impossible
people of whom grand and impossible
people dearly love to read, while grandly
aud impossibly ignoring such simple
lives and loves as these. But the story of
the face IN the inkstand has never been
even imperfectly told until now"
Nh. johnson a0iiL be elected to the 3e7g
Congress. But he should aCt3t 6g an almost
unanimous cote IN has oc1s cit2i G7ld cou,,tU.
We should see to 1t that the first caJadiGdfe
e0ef VOuchSGJed this county that Had a
chance to 1clal, does tOiH, and by such an
emphatic cote Gs a05tL greatly strenGthea
ham ip Congress.
For the RECoRD-UNIoN.l
THERE WAS 4 TINE.