Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1895-01-31
CHAPTER vI-Continuod.

IO lblI-lO lOl obll UNI hN5A' N'NN'
ceremony or custom-the sanction
OF his mothers appreciation would
te d help and consolation, lie should
be able to tell the orphan at 1T was
not his arms alone that were open to
receive her, but those of new mother,
ready to replace, If any could replace,
in some small degree, her who was
zone. Very unlike they were, and he
had secret fear that 1t was u dlIler-
emit sort of daughter-in-law that Mrs
Jardine would have preferred one
much grander, richer, hand 5omer.
Silence had tho 10 eliness Of lOvable-
ness: but even in his Widest passion,
her lover knew she was not handsome.
Still, in spite OF all, there were two
things he never doubted to find in his
mother her strong sense and her
warm heart.
TO these he trusted, and felt that he
might safely tru the girl he loved -
the girl who would make MIN all he
lacked, all that his mother wished him
to be. He pleaded this in letter,
touchingly earnest and tender, which,
on second thoughts, he dete mined on
writing home. His heart was full
full to overlooking; and, almost for the
first time in his life, he poured 1T out,
where, under such circumstances,
every good son Is right to pour his
heart out-into his mothers bosom.
Going to tho post, letter in hand
for he had learned Silence's habit OF
doing things at once, and doing them
herself, if pOssible-he met Sophie
Reynier, in mourning dress, fastening
to com ort and sustain her friend dur
ing the funeral day.
'l' so you think you could take me in
to the house with you?" he pleaded.
"Nobody would know or DO harmed
thereby. In my own country we even
think t q tribute of respect to the
dead to be allowed to look at them
once more. And Mademoiselle Jar
dine --"
Sophie Reynier suddenly turned to
him with flash OF womanly emotion
in her kind blue eyes-renetrating as
kind.
"Monsieur, you are an honest man
what in England you cal u gentle
man You could never act otherwise
than kindly to such defenseless
creature as Mademoiselle Jardine?"
God for i'd, no."
"Then will take you"
But she did not admit him at once,
and finding that Nine Reynier had
gone out she told him to come back in
an hour, at eleven o'clock.
by then / shall have persuaded
Silence to repose herself for q little,
She has not slept all night, and is very
restless. She may hear you. Go away
now.
He obeyod at once, and went
to search through the little
town for a few more winter flowers,
to shut them inside the sweet,
cold hand" like Erowning's Evelyn
Hope, saying to himself the lines
So mat is our secret Go to sleep:
You will wake and remember and UNDER
stand,
AS he stood in the salon Of his hotel
arranging the little bouquet and tying
it up with q bit of white ribbon which
he had gone into shop and b ught
his look was tender, rather than sad,
and with his reverence for the dead,
he could not forbear thinking whether
she his living love would notice the
flowers or ask who put them there.
Monsieur, telegram for monsieur!"
1t startled him for moment. Not
being a man OF business, Rcderick was
unaccustomed to kilograms; besides,
his mother had strong old-fashioned
aversion to them. Yet this one came
from her. At least, the address and
name were hers, though the wording
was in the third person,
your mother is not well. Come
home Immediately.
This was all; but it came with such
blow to Rtderick, who inherited his
fathers nervous TEN perament, that he
felt himse f turning dizzy and obeyed
the frien ly garcon's suggestion that
monsieur had better sit down
His mother ILL., She, the healthiest
person imaginable and she had writ
ten to him only few days before, say
ing nothing Of herse except of her
endless duties and engagements. 1t
must be something sudden, something
serious. He was wanted immediate
ly." She could not have got his letter,
there was barely time, or surely she
would have answered it, Perhaps she
was too i'll even to read it? His poor
m6ther--ihis dear, good mother All
the son in him woke up; perhaps all
the more tor thinking OF that other
mother, VIII lse dead face he was just
going to see.
He might go there-there was time;
no Paris train started till afternoon,
and rereading the telegram 1t seemed
q little less serious. Though mot well"
might be only tender way of break
ing to him far sadder truth.
"Oh, mother, mother" he almost
sob! ed out, as he walked hastily along
the lakeside, "if anything should hap
pen to- you II should lose you, too,
before / have learned to love you half
enough.
And all the assionate rem rise of q
sensitive nature, d do IDLY sensitive
conscience, rose up in the poor fellows
thehrt. He accused himself of hun
,dred imaginary short comings, and
suffered as those are prone to suffer
who Judge others by the standard o.
themselves. 1t was only by great
effort that he controlled himself so as
to present the quiet outside necessary
on reaching Nine. Jardine's door
from which she would soon go forever
nay, from which she had already gone
He knew whom to ask for. HI
stood ilent and tewildered; but {
little bonnie seemed to understand, an(
admitted him without word.
Beyond the salon was small bed