The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1898-12-01

~ ness, ne srid n,t as the so oIa
sent, it was certainly acceptable under
the circumstances.
After taking care to pocket the
draft, he tossed up the boy and kissed
him, and told Marjorie he looked as
If she coddled him too much. Then he
prepared to leave.
Shall you be back soon, Leon?"
asked Marjorie, timidly. Whenever
she addressed him now she was al
ways fearful of the reception of her
words.
Il shall not return at ALL" answered
Caussidiere; "or rather, shall be late,
as | dine with little party of friends.
Do not sit up for me-"
And with another kiss blown airily
to his offspring he was off,
Marjorie did not cry or show any
sign that this conduct distressed her.
She was too used to 1t for that She
turned in tender despair to her only
comfort-the child. They sat alone to-
gether, the little one perched on his
mothers knee, listening opened mouth
ed as she talked to him of her old
home. She told him of Miss Hether-
ington, about the manse, and Mr.. Lor-
raine, who lay quietly asleep in the
little kirkyard. How strange 1t would
be, she thought, to take the little one
there. How Miss Hetherington would
love him; how old Solomon would
stare and call it 'uncanny" to hear
him prattling so prettily in French,
All! but would the day ever come
when she could take him there in
deed?
Long after the child had gone to
bed, Marjorie sat by the fire thinking
of those happy days; she wrote TO
Miss Hetherington, concealing as well
as she could the dark spots in her life
speaking cheerfully and happily of her
little boy, and still dwelling upon the
hope of one day bringing him to her
old home
Then she sat down to wait for her
husband.
Caussidiere was late, and when he
appeared Marjorie saw at a glance that
all his good humor had left him. He
was angry at finding her up; accused
her of wishing to time his going and
coming, and peremptorily ordered her
to bed. Without word Marjorie
obeyed; she saw vthat he was rather
the worse for liquor, and that any
thing she might say would provoke
him.
The next morning she rose early, ac-
cording to her usual custom. To her
amazement, just as she was about to
give the child his breakfast, Caussi-
diere came down.
He had dressed with unusual care:
he took his breakfast silently, and
when it was over he went up stairs
again to add few more touches TO
his already carefully made toilet; then
he reappeared, nodded to the boy and
to Mariorie-he was too we'll dressed
to touch either-and left the house
Though he had said nothing, Mar
jorie was certain from his dress and
mysterious manner that it was no or
binary work that had called him
away that morning, and as she
thought Of the strange, cold way he
had left her, her eyes filed with
tears.
Suddenly there was a knock at the
door. Hastily brushing away her
tears, Marjorie cried "Entrez," and the
door opened, admitting a woman, none
other than Adele of the Mouche dor.
OF all the women of Caussidere's
acquaintance, this was the one whom
Marjorie most wished to avoid. She
was half afraid of Adele, since she had
on one occasion heard her singing one
of her songs in a cafe crowded with
men. Marjorie's strict Scotch train
ing made her shrink from commun-
ion with such a woman. When she
saw Adele's face, therefore, she felt
troubled, and demanded rather coldly
what she sought.
II seek Caussidiere," returned
Adele. "Is he at homer"
mo" returned Marjorie. quietly,
''he has gone out"
She thought this answer was con-
elusive and expected to see Adele dis
appear, but she was disappointed. She
came in, closing the door behind her.
walked over to little Leon, and patted
him on the head.