The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1897-10-23

saved MIN from Sucn n dow! n kept
saying over and over again to herself,
"but those wretched condolences are
too strong for u.s."
Mo~yliscallan woods in September
How often Teddie Blake had pictured
his homecoming through the green
glades that stretched between the castle
and the rectory. Those sylvan aisles
were the ral!ying place of all his IA
vorite dreams, for did not Nellie cross
them day by day, and would it not be
here that he would bring her to tell her
the secret which he thought she must
have guessed long ago. Rector O'Malley
would let him speak at last, for the long
waiting had borne its fruit in recouping
the Blake Golfers, while Teddie knew
that the Burroo Pass affair, of which
he himself thought and spoke so mod
estly, was not likely to be forgotten
when his name came up at the Horse
guards. A thousand times he had gone
over all this in Imagination, lingering,
meanwhile, the little fiat locket that
hung at his watch chain-and now
and now, he was creeping back to Moy-
liscallan like a thief, having given no
word of warning either to the rector or
to his agent at the castle-creepiny
home just to see Nellie's face again
once more and then to go away any,
where and die. He was still weak and
wan from the fever. Mrs. Diamond had
tried hard to persuade him t O remain a
little time in London for a consultation
with a first-rate doctor, but the deter
mination to see Nellie at Moyliscallan
once more was the only desire that re-
manned to him in life, and till it was
accomplished his Shrewd little friend
saw that there was no good talking of
anything else. So he had hurried over
to Ireland, and had reached Thomas
town the evening before. To-day he
had taken a car over to the village Tin
the old days it was the shortest and
pleasantest four miles ever known),
and leaving the driver asleep in the sun
at the cross roads had turned into the
wood that is a short cut to the two prin-
cipal houses in the parish. He had no
very definite idea of the plan to pursue.
Now that he had reached his journeys
end, it seemed as if all power had left
him. Perhaps somewhere among the
trees, crossing from the castle grounds
to the rectory side, he should see Nellie
passing by, and he would slip down
upon his knees among the fern and look
at her-George Strangways' wife-and
oh, this f%aintness! Merciful God. l.
that Nellie?
"Teddie, is it really you?"
Teddie was on the moss, stretched
fiat, save that Nellie's arm was under
his head, Nellie's little, bare. sun
burned hand unfastened his collar-he
could only look and smile. The green
Moyliscallan leaves were overhead,
dancing against the blue, Nellie's face
was very close, and he thought he must
be in Heaven.
"How could you come like this and
take us by surprise, and you so i'll, Ted
die?" the girl went on reproachfully.
IF 1 hadn't been going across to the
castle this morning early, and come on
you lying here in a heap"
Going across to the CASTLE" Teddie
found tongue to utter, his eyes on Nell
lies left hand. Don't you live at the
castle now al~together?"
And what should 1 go and live at
the castle for, when I've a good home of
my own, i%ntruding on newly married
people, as if l didn't know better? Be-
sides, Aunt Ellen isn't back from her
honeymoon yet, and Uncle George
what, are you able to sit up? Take cara
or you'll"
She could not finish the sentence, for
Capt. Blake was sitting up with a en-
geance, and to steady himself he had
got his arm around her waist.
$50 you never thought of Aunt
Ellen?" said Nellie by and by; well,
you wouldn't have been an Irishman if
you hadn't made a mistake somewhere!
Only if you'd ever seen Uncle George
1 don't think you'd have doubted me,
Teddie, dear. Oh! they have been so
funny counting one another these five
years! and if 1 hadn't been so well
amused 1 think 1 must have died, for
you kept me a long time waiting with.
out a word!"-Boston England Guar