Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1895-02-07


new state Of things was to begin with
the coming year, and home would be
home no longer with the strangers in!
it and the big boys away. v .fNi23
She had some female friends coming
to her for the holidays good women
with missions and notions, and | did
not feel at home with them somehow.
She was taking to that sort Of thing,
though she was not half strong-minded
enough for it; and l had very little in
common with the people it brought
me in contact with. There always
seemed so much of self and so little OF
Christian charity in their proceedings
that l had no sympathy with them;
they could do very well without me.
And so it came about that ] was at
home, very sad and heavy-hearted;
but we were to have a wonderful New
Year, after all. It was a winter Of
surprises. On Christmas morning
there came the news, through my
fathers lawyers, that the risky specu-
'lation had not been a risk after all,
but tremendous success. A check
for large sum was inclosed,, and a
request that at his leisure the Rever-
end Archibald Lowell would go to
town and confer with them about the
remainder
My father accepted it unsuspecting-
! ". / had my doubts as to where the
money came from, but l could not
utter them. expected | should see
Lionel before long, and did. 1 met
him in the lane leading to the vicar
age, and he bent down from his sad
die, and said something about the sill
yer lining turning up. could not
betray him. The revulsion of feeling
after so much relief would have brok-
en- my fathers heart. paaaE
So / was very happy when the last
day OF the old year dawned bright and
clear, as it had dawned on that day
that seemed in the far past now,
though 1t was only three years ago.
The day could never be otherwise than
a sad one for me, I thoughts. it will
never be sad one any more now,
My father had been to London and
learned that, instead of being ruined
imam, as he believed, he was richer
than he had been before; and Ihad
won him over to say that perhaps, in
the future, if things went well with
him, he would withdraw the decisive
mo" that had been. his answer to
Lord Latimer. l knew what that
meant; we only had to ask now, and
the permission would be given, Lionel
was coming TO the vicarage in the
evening, and then-ah then! / could
hardly persuaed myself that it was all
real, and that should mot wake from
a blissful dream, and find the two
boarders invading our happy home,
and the dear boys gone.
1t was growing dark and l was sit
ting up in the old nursery, so full of
childish memories of mischief and fun,
when Mile, tall slip of a girl now,
and q person OF Importance in her own
eyes, as the daughter of the house and
mother's right hand, came up with a
mysterious look ON her face.
There's some one asking for you,
Audrey, dear" she said
"For me! Who is itPp | said with a
sudden chill at my heart, for fancied
something must have happened to
Lionel. a''i4H
II don't know" she said ut is
you he wants; I told him father and
mother would not be long before they
came in, but he does not want them. {"
"Where is hep"
''In the hall"
Mile evidently did not think much
of my mysterious visitor. fastened
down, and there, under the lamp,
stood tall, white-haired man, rather
shabbily dressed, who turned sharply
as he heard my footsteps, and spoke
in a voice filed with tears, it seemed
to me.
''Miss Lowell, -" he said, ''Ihave come
to you for news before / go any further
Il have come straight from the ship.
How is sheP Where is shep l know
that he is dead or should not be here.
For heavens sake, tell me that she is
alive and well-and free, or ! shall go
madpl
Who was speaking to meP What
familiar voice was sounding in my earsP
Why did the face of this stranger
with the snowy hair take the shape of
that dead mans features, and his
eyes look at me with the eyes of the
man whose anger I brayed on that
bitter winters nightP Istared at him,
feeling as il / we're turning into stone.
Colonel Northr' gasped out, 'is
it you, or ana I going madPn
He answered something; saw his
lips move, but the floor Of the hall
seemed to be rising up to meet
me, and the walls and the dancing
freight 10 be joining in a wild whirl.
l heard voice say something about
having frightened me, and then the
tall figure vanished in sort Of mist,
and everything was black around me.
It was in Lionel's arms that came
back to life; my head was on his
shoulder, and my mother was standing
by my side.
eyes, It 70 true, dear" she said,
answering the question my eyes asked.