Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1899-03-09

How often reddie Blake had pictured
his Homecoming through the green
glades that stretched between the cas-
tie ana the rectory. Those sylvan
aisles were the rallying place of all
his favorite 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. Rec
tor OMalley would let bin speak at
last, for the long waiting had borne
its fruit in recoupling the Blake cof
fers, while Teddie knew that the Bur
roo Pass affair, of which he himself
thought and spoke so modestly 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, mean
while, the little fiat locket that hung
at his watch chain-and now-and
now, he was creeping back to Moylis-
callan like thief having given no
word OF warning either to the rector
or to his agent at the castle-creeping
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 frcn the fever. Mrs. Dia-
mond had tried hard to persuade him
to remain little time in London for
aconsultation with a first-class doc
tor, but the determination to see Nell
lie at Moyliscallan once more was the
only desire that remained 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 Thomastown the evening
before. Today he had taken a car
over the village lin 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 principal
houses in the parish. He had no very
definite idea of the plan to pursue.
Now that he had reached his jour-
ney's 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
would slip down upon his knees among
the fern and look at her-George
Strangeways' wife-and-oh, this
faintness! Merciful God! is that Nell
lie?
''Teddie, is it really you?"
Teddy was on the moss, stretched
Hat, 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 over
head, dancing against the blue. Nell
lies face was very close, and he
thought he was in heaven.
How could you come like this and
take us by surprise, and you so ill,
feddie," the girl went on reproach-
fully, IF | hadn't been going across
to the castle this morning early, and
come on you lying here in heap
Going across to the CASTLE" Teddie
found tongue to utter, his eyes on
Nellie's left hand. Don't you live at
the castle altogether"
And what should | go and live at
the castle for, when I've good home
of my own, intruding on newly mar
ried people, as if l didn't know bet
ter? Besides, Aunt Ellen isn't hack
from her honeymoon yet, and Uncle
George-what, are you able to sit up?
Take care or you'll
She could not finish the sentence,
for Capt. Blake was sitting up with
vengeance, and to steady himself he
had got his arm around her waist.
SO you never thought of Aunt
Ellen?' said Nellie by and by: well.
you wouldn't have been an Irishman
II you hadn't made a mistake some
where! Only if you'd ever seen Uncle
George don't think you'd have
doubted me, Teddie dear. Oh! they
have been so funny counting one an
other these five years! and if |
hadn't been so amused | think must
have died, for you kept me a long time
waiting without a word!"-Boston
| (England) Guardian.