The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-07-30

~ NS&o
spend many hours of the following
week vainly trying to determine wheth-
er she admired him most in a sailor
suit or in the breeches and CATERS Of
which he was SO proud. One never to
be forgotten day the rain came down
in torrents just as her sultan and his
grand vizier reached the Blue House.
They took shelter with Dorcas, and the
sultan was graciously pleased to be
lifted up that he might reach a certain
mug from the top shelf of the dresser
mug which had belonged to i'm as
We're gone" Dorcas made gingerbread
cats and ducks, and her artistic efforts
went so far as to attempt a king with
a crown upon is cad" After RECALLING
himself with these delicacies her Sui
tan would hold up rosy face, orna-
mented by sundry sticky streaks to be
kissed in farewell; and when she had
watched him round the bend of the
canal her eyes would grow dim, and
she would go back to the Book of Rev
citation, murmuring to herself, THE
Lard gave and the Lard ave took
away. Blessed be the name of the
| Lard"
OF course the many charms of the
little gentleman" We're duly reported
to Elijah, and the residence of Ethni
Hartman took on a reflected glory from
the fact that it was but a stones throw
from that of her Sultan.
1t was a wet summer, and there came
TOUR wet Sundays, one after the other.
| Valnly did Dorcas try to fix her mind
on the streets of jasper, while ali the
time she was straining her ears for
the sound of the little voice that never
chimed into the stiffness. She grew
to hate the patter of the rain on the
path outside: even the fact that the
canal, for once. was full. and three
barges passed in one week, did not con-
sole her. The gingerbread animals
grew stale and crumbly between two
plates. and the gorgeous mug, "a Pres
ent from Fairford," was put back on
the top shelf of the dresser again.
The weather changed, and there came
a lovely Sunday. Elijah set off to the
Cat and Compasses'' as usual; Dor
cas- hustled about with pleasant sense
OF expectation and went and stood on
the towing path, her eyes fixed on the
distant bridge. Some boys went by to
battle beyond the second bend, with
laughter and shouting. Then the only
sound was the hum of bees settled on
| the purple scabious growing atop the
crumbling Cotteswold wall.
On Monday Dorcas could bear it no
longer Il be that tewey and narvous,
I don't know what l be about she re-
marked, as she locked the door of the
Blue House and hid the key under the
mat. Should a barge come-well, ii
| must manage somehow! Barges were
never in a hurry. She had come to a
momentous decision. She was going to
inquire after her little gentleman. y
Whether he was i'll or gone for holi-
day, or was merely forgetful, she
would find out and end this dreadful
suspense. She was a very simple
minded woman. but in her heart oil
hearts she felt a little sore with the
grand vizier, for she had a notion that
he was by no means ignorant of what
these Sunday visits meant to her.
Il believe ed ave come afore this il
ed "a been let A be that meek
'earted "a wouldn't 'urt a vloi, let alone
a oman" she said to herself with a hal!
sob. She was convinced that her Sui
tan could not forget SO utterly the
humblest of his slaves So she put on
|
boots, with lots of. little white buttons
adjoining the fronts.
At the Blue House, Dorcas was never
either self conscious or shy; but when
she reached her Sultans palace, hav-
ing timidly pushed open the drive gate
she became aware that the new boots
creaked horribly, and that perspiration
was dropping from her eyebrows into
her eyes. Having mopped her face, and
generally pulled herself together, she
managed to reach the front door,
though her knees trembled and her
heart f1uttered like Gagged bird.
Never was such a noisy belll II
changed and echoed in most alarming
fashion; she wished that the stone
steps would open and swallow
her up. What would they think of her
for daring to make such a clatter? Be
sides-and at the dreadful thought she
nearly cried out-of course she ought
| to have gone to the back door.
| For full five minutes she stood on
the steps, listening for any sound in
side the house, but all was perfectly
quiet. She turned and went into the
| drive, meaning to go round to the back
door, when it occurred to her to look
back at the house; she had been far
too nervous to do so as she came in
The lower windows were shattered, and
all the blinds were down.
They had gone. them and it was
empty. "And they never didn't bring
i'm for to say goodby to me-
| Life's little tragedies generally hap,
pen to the lonely. What in full and
happy life ranks but as an episode be-
comes an epoch in sad colored days OF
lean monotony. Dorcas wiped her eyes
more than once on her way home, and
wept heavily for many days Elijah
saw that she was fretting and tried to
distract her by news from town and
| occasional suggestions that she go over
| and see her sister law in an adjacent
village, but beyond her necessary Jour
neys to the. town to buy such stores
as she could afford, Dorcas never left,
nome. She scrubbed the kitchen table
TIL she Srudged to sully it's Wilderness
by SO much as yellow bowl, and she
made herself warm new winter dress.
but for all her industry, the time hing
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