The times., 1901-03-31

I veneer Of concern overIying a thick sub
/ stratum OF compassionate superiority in
! bis face, ami ask. NO news yet Mr.
/ Long, and the little man would shake
: MS n'Su and say, NO news vet, Mr.
! Brown. but wcll find him al right and
would look rs II he really believed IT, At
/ which the Stati0umaster would shake his
/ head dpubtfully anu stand gazing after
! the little man with nothing but compass
! sion in his face as he pressed sturdily
along tie wy To the village
/ Beyond ths village he would turn In at
! a. PAIR OF great iron gates, and a little.
! b'l2Al-Iasru woman. who was always
/ waiting i'm the doorway OF the trim stone
/ l"Hg-. would greet him with a cheerful:
/ VOL Bob, my man, here yon are, and
] GItG an q" see you. m always think
/ ius OF yoD being run over in them Lon
/ don streets No news yetF'
I NO news get Lisbeth.' the little man
/ would say You all TIght2
/ Right as trNet. my man. Only anx-
! ious aLout yuu-aud him. Do you really
/ Bob
I'm rot going 10 give it up vet. Lis
/ bDth. Ioudons "a mighty big place. you
/ Know Let have some tea. / haven [
/ tasted anything as good as your tea and
/ cTumpcis since ] saw You Last There $
/ no oHc in London can do en- equal TO you,
/ Old girl"
! And tea was always 3ust ready and the
crIInpots done 10 turn. and over them
| Bob told his wife all the disappointing
! wonders Of the time since his last visit
D =
! and mouth 80 very wide open that Bob
always got the lions share OF the crum-
I pets, which was just exactly what the
astutc Old lady intended.
And after tea Bob would stroll up the
/ darlcuiHE avenue among the frs and
/ rlOued, ,ldreu- tin n opened out in great
( sw.ep before mighty grey stone house
which lay with closed eyes waiting for
/ one 10 come and awaken it, and he for
whom ii lay waiting was lost ia the ~ids
OF LONDON or elsewhere And Bob Long
fr4 |sa AL
I began TO have a fear deep down IN his
! little h,art-of gold that he was lost for
ever.
So. now and again. when no one was
about, lac would heaye a mOuTuful sigh as
: Do Ealcd at the beautiful old house. and
then hr would 20 round 10 the stables and
ratIl, the boys up, just 10 keep his hand
u and to- feed his own grip. For there
u.Eet was ID fault he could find, since the
boys were AN of his own up-briuging. and
. every syul about cicSerest loved n horse
next T." himself unless someone else hap
p'noi L. stray il between
aua whenever he went 20 the stables
there came tripping out from the big
house as sDpu as she heard he was there.
dark robes and Il wistfm face.
and at sight OF her old Bob's
hat came Off and his heart was sore as he
stood hare-hcaded before her. and to her
anxious No ucws Bobalong%' he always
replied. cHceTiiE. Not yet Miss Mary.
but It's a mighty big place, London and
il takes "A lot o working through. Moth
inE iioTG The lawyers. i suppose. miss?'
''NUthiug. BobalunE. They we been ad-
t"Etlsiug for six months, and it's all done
Do" good. IA beginning to be afraid he's
dead. Bobaloug-"
Not q bit of IL, missy. Master Charles
amt the kind "a 20 and die Ike that just
W hen We want him 81 bad. %
lie frlt himself that Il was rather weak
aS au argument. and Mary Cleserest only
shook her head as though IL did not car
~ absolute conviction to either heart or
mind.
You're going back BobaIoug?" She
would aSll, wistfully.
" HE. of course. missy. n going 10
go ou looking till / find him, the old
man would say. so stJrdIly that Mary
always feu a trihe Comf0rted in spite of
herself. She said TO herself That she was
81 was dead but iu any case she wasn't
going Ia Dc beaten ia hopefulncss by old
Eobalong.
a. was three wears since her brother
Charles fell iu love with Margaret San
nos, her gpNcTDess and very dear friend
And when Sir GeOnrey in due course
caught them 81 ia. and expressed his feel
ing to the verge Of apuPleEy, Charles re-
piled in the EieEereSt spirit and WAS
and sweetheart. and without a moments
hesitation chose the latter. And so at
much Sh, ftcr notice than she could Ie-
galis have claimed, Charles and Margaret
appeared from Cleserest aud not one
single word had she heard OF them since
For the furious old gentleman. forgetting
his gcntlemanliness IN his fury. tore up
every letter that appeared ia the mail
baS ia either Charles OF Margarets writ