The Press., 1894-03-15

for the evening, and Iruthrr and sister went in toge her. The lnmp was lighted on the parlor-tabla, and by th,ii mother on the sofa sat a gentleman who had his arm around her. For one moment the young people stood confounded; the next all was a wild whirl of feeling. Father father!" they cried-and had no words to express their agitation, their maze ment. And their delight? don't know They were glad to welcome him back tc cheerful day again, to dissociate him from ideas of gloom, to find him once more q part of the active, breathing world. But Maria Jane thought, with fearful miSgiv
 ing of the altered house, the costly furni ture, and, most of all, Ned. Would hel father ecer allow her to keep him While James swift fears ranged to Nelly anC the bays, and thousand other topics
 Mrs. Raspton had no such drawbacks
 She sat holding her husbands hand il
 hers, and feeling as if the Severus of hel youth had come back to her. Happily
 the neighhOrs' prophecies had been un
 fulfilled, and there was no new image tC
 interfere. She listened to the tale Of his
 danger his suffering as he clung to the
 plank which the ship had flung him, his
 fear, his despair, his last thoughts ot
 home, his fiual rescue. How those whc
 had saved his life had robbed him cf al
 else; how he had been left p'nnilcss in s
 far, foreign land to work his way back as
 best he might; how he had written let
 ters which, he now learned, had never come to hand; how he had dreaded dGatf or disaster to them in his absence; how he had toiled and g,ieved; how hH Was
 here at last-Ht home, safe, With ;.n uu. broken circle, The wife cried and laugh
 ed together, while the chldren's eyes
 were wet, and tn" harsh lines of the fath
 CTS face grew soft.
 "Here, Maria ,)ane," said Mrs. Rasp. ton, pulling off her widows cap, "grt In, a bit Of red ribbon or flowers, or some
 thing to put in this border: and take of
 that black dress, and put on your biu' silk that you had just before father went
 away. It's no time to be wearing mourn
 ing n"fc."
 "Nevcr mind" said Mir Rasptom
 kindly. ''I cna't spare her long cnou9l
 for that" Ani the girl remained look.
 ing at her father with more filial feelings
 than she had ever kn own. yet wOnd.l ing
 with 8 constant uudHrcurrent of dreal
 what he would say when he knew all
 What should she do, what could she do, i
 Ned were again banshed?
 In the midst of these agitations t,a ap.
 peared, and the wondering domestic haC
 to hear the news, and retire to spread il
 rapidly from house to house. It reached
 Ned Brinley among the rest, producing il I that young gentleman's mind considerably more than the average excitement.
 "What shall do?" he asked himself "Go up at once? That's the most opeI way, the most manly. But then he nigh consider it intrusive, and it would work against ue. Yet can't leave Maria Jane , to face his dspleasure unsupported They won't tell him the first night" h, = last decided; ''and early tomorrow
 l'll have it out If he keeps his old mnt
 concerning me l must just take the deal | girl off at Onco--if she'll come, and think she will! 1 wish he acouM turn mt out-of-doors but no, that would be bat for hsr. Ican't wish any thing that would : give her pain, the sweetest, dearest
 But he can pursue these musings just a : well alone.
 II Tea over, MT. Raspton began to lool , about as if noting the changes in the room Maria Jane tremb!ed as she watched him but no decrease of graciousness was visi ble.
 | You have made some alterations ob served as we drove up," he presently re
 marked Suppose we go about and se what they are. "
 
 girl, nervously; but there was no nse il ; trying to evade the crisis. Light in hant she led the way, and they all went owe the new building so handsome, and, alas so costly. She saw with alarm deep SC
 riousness overspread her father's count : enance-an alarm that would have deep
 ened had she read his mind. What '
 he inwardly exclaimed. Had they Il, l limits to their folly! could have born . much and borne it patiently, but thi ', passes all! Such extravagance! sucl reckless, willful eXtravagance. The, :, thought l was gone'-with bitterness 4 land never could come back to interfere Perhaps they would have liked it if
 never had.n
 But his eye fell on his wifes happy, az
 itated face, on Maria Jane with her pret
 ty, pleading looks. There was strug gle, sharp but short his brow cleared and he went serenely through the remain der of the exhibition.
 The struggle was renewed in the stil hours of night when good Mrs. Rasptol slept peacefully at his side, and the chil
 dren in rooms above woke every hour O 7 so from uneasy slumber to wonder wha , the morrow would bring forth. Strong / stern diSpleaSure would arise whcnove V he thought of that extravaganza, so con trary to every known wish of his; when , ever he remembered the changed lives and plans of those who had hitherto beel
 utterly subject to his will. What hin
 dered him from taking affairs into hi. own hands again? The house was alter ed to be sure; he could not Conjure i and it's plenishing back to their origina
 state and the money they had cost int
 coffers; but nothing else was irrevOcahl,
 .-.lsI Il-..1 , college, Maria Jane's engagement broker off, James made to give up the girl with , out a penny. Or, at any rate, his vii , could be declared; and if they ran count : CT to it he could banish them from hi ; house and deprive them of his property , And strongly tempted was he, as he la, . . there, to resolve it.
 But a vision came over him of that darl , night a year ago. Of the black waters :. | cold as death; the agony, the remorse | the despair. In warm contrast rose th' i. i. bright room of that evening, the glad fearful faces, the bliss of home regained , Should he cloud it all, bring sullen bit : terness instead, make them wish that tht sea had never given up it's victim. was a hard conflict and a long,
 How it ended we may best judge b, looking in upon a Christmas gathering two years later. Arthur, who had grad uated the past summer with dstinc tion, is an honored guest; so are MT. anC
 Mrs. Brinley, a young pair in the ful pride of health and beauty. Mir. Rasptol ! begins to wear a benevolent old-gentle man aspect, and his wife is the picture O
 comedy matronage.
 Why are Nelly and James so late !? she asks, going to the window, and look ing out with some anxiety. "Oh, her they are-baby and all !"
 A rush is made for the door, and bab,
 is seized upon and unmuflled; there ar ; kisses and hand-shakes and all manner o happy Christmas greetings. And whe
 dinner is over. and all are comfortnhl,