The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1894-11-30

800 '4SNHoulSdlly bdJ uOWn uJ JOe
tat.!e, but after a moment his face
grew stem again His hurt at Mary's
hand was too deep. il had bled in.
wardly too long. TO be lightly healed,
but it suddenly stuek Tom as ex-
traor iinary how little stress his
father laid on his ruin, and his sub.
sequent privations. 80 entirely was
he engrossed with Mary and her con-
duct
"Da1," blurted out Tom, ''hOw
have you lived all these mouths?"
John passed his hand across his
brow, ass one who by an effort recalls
distasteful things.
There's no excuse for me. Tom,
he said. II had no business specu-
lating, but | got entSngIed-ntan-
gled. / don't know how it was, but
some wonderful big thiag in which
Lady Blanche and her husband ex-
p 'cted to make TO tune, and in
which | took shares, weut wrong.
and found myself liable for sum
that only the realization OF all my
pro ~erty, and even assignment of
nv half-pay for some years, would
meet. DOR wOman-she meant we'll
no doubt, and she was kind and sym
pathetic at first. but afterwards.
when | went over TO Scotland. she
entirely changed, and was very rude
to me, so | came away
Beast" said Tom, savagely; "but
you haven't told me, father, how you
kept body and soul together"
do you remember Cousin Tab.
itha, Tom, the poor little old gov
erness who got past work, and TO
whom / made an allowance for many
years? Well, she came into small
fortune last spring, and wrote and
told me. | wrote to her boldly. and
asked her to send me E25 year for
a distressed relation. She never
guessed il was me, and sends it reg
uarly II che had failed, or died"
he paused.
A slight sound at the door made
them both glance at it. Tom appre-
hensively. Wider and wider it
opened, and something sank down
nOiselessly across the threshold.
Tom did not stir. only looked at
his father, who looked back with
terrible. wild question in his eyes,
then John Anderson strobe across
the room and STOPPING to that UNI
conscious figure, bore it swiftly
back In his long arms.
How light it was, what n mere
feather weight, as he sat down in
hA oh lNAlr0I
face lying on his breast. deathly
pale. with the dews of exhaustion
pearllng her brow
She could not say one word for
herself, and true woman. however
wron led, never has word TO say
for herself. but John read the story
that her face told. and his soul
yearned over her, and all the past
burned up like q scroll. and he felt
the richest, happiest man in the
whole world tonight.
He smoothed the brown hair back
from her face, uncut now, just as IL
used TO be-tho fringe, where was
it?-and pressed his lips 10 her
cheek. her tender mouth. her throat,
calling her his little one, his Mary,
never even seeing how Tom had
slipped away, and they two were
alone together
Out Of the darkness, and pain, and
misery. she opened her blue eyes on
his face. and reaching out a timid
arm, stole it round his meek. She
was home now, safe. too happy yet
TO dare look her Joy full in the face,
but it was there. ., yes, ii was
there, and God surely would not be
so crael "a to- suatoh, it from her
again
John" she said. whom they had
kissed again with tears, ''why id
you lock ther dresSing-room door
that night when i was coming TO ask
you to make it4up?"
'.Were you Oeming?" said John, in
startled tone.
Ives, i almost had nary hand on
the door when yoHsuddsnly turned
the key"
II thought you had been asleep
for hours" said john. and that
yon had shut the door as a
sign to me t.sat no,appeA woNld alter
your determination TO, leave me.
Aad was angry. Mary, us we'll as
deeply huri.l and L thsngt yon were
angry too"
Mary htng hsr head but happi-
ness dimrIed tina oorners of her lips,
and laughed inaher eyes,
''You rsed 10 say l was getting
fat, Johrs-it used 10 be the only
fault yen ever found in me, but
Am not 400 fas nowP"
John laughed. and made a real
lovers speech. and when Mary he'd
twisted his lnoustachios and kissed
tho tee OF his head just where tho
hair Grew thin they looked as happy
pais as you could wish to see.
Then Mary, waking TO the fact
that the world WAS not contained. in
q sharp white face, lit by two kind
eyes, looks around the room shad-
derAng.
'~My poor boy" she sad. and, then
shnddcred again, took in eveHy de-
tail OF the famine haunted plaSo, and
Lnrst oNb crying
And have lain warm ana soft,
she sobbed, "in my little bright
nest"