Year: 1872

"And you must really go away, and re-
main all night in that nasty old box of
yours, and leave your little Rosebud, as
/ you call her, all alone here, to imagine all
sorts of horrid things happening to her
poor little boy ? Couldn't you stay at home
i Just for this one night ?"


Couldn't possibly do it, my love,p said
[, struggling into my greatcoat, and pos
! sessing myself at the same time of nv BIG
driving gloves, which my little wife was
absentiy trying to fit on her own little
hands.


"Not if [ very much wished it, Willie d?
Do you know felt so strange and lonely
last night, when you were away, that
could hardly make up my mind to 60 to bed
at all and tonight | can scarcely bear
| the thought that you should be so long
absent, You know what foolish little
thing [ am"


Her arm quietly stole around me, and
she looked up to my face, with wistful,
anxious look, while a tear stood eIisten1ng
IN the corners of the sweet blue eyes,


Why, you wee goose" said |, kissing
away the bright token of her earnestness.
"what has put such absurd thoughts into
that wise noddle ofyours. Are you afraid
that the fairies will waylay me, and spirit
me away to their elfnland ? If they do,
| shall tell them that l have left fairy at
home, and not even the establishments Of
the queen herself shall tempt me into their
uncaLny country. But seriously, Maggie.
there is nothing to be alarmed about.
shall be home by seven O'Clock at the
latest; but since you are so lonely, will
call at fathers as pass, and send up nv
brother Bob to keep you company and STAY
in the house all night. VIII that content
you, little woman ?"


No, don't do that it would look foolish.
and Bob would only laugh at me when
he came. He does not understand me.
L think no one does understand me-excent
you, dear Willn


"Thank you Mag think do under
stand you. But here comes the gig SO
good by, and don't fret the short time |
am away. l shall be back long before YOU
are done dreaming" Sosaying, mounted
the gig, AID drove rapidly along the frozen
road. But my wife fingered by the porch.
following me with her eyes and, so lone
as the house was Ill sight; could, on look.
ing back, see her white dress shimmering
ghostlike in the light which streamed
through the open DOOR


At the time which | write, I was tele.
graph superintendent on the Wilton and
Longbank line Of railway. One of the
clerks, who was On right duty, had buou
taken suddenly i'll, and being unable to
find substitute, / had taken his work nv
self until such tim e as he should recover. I
had only been married few months, and
was by no means reconciled to the
necessity ofleaVing my wife and home to
pass the night In that nasty old box,n as
Mag called it-and she was perfectly
correct in her description. But | knew
that 1t was necessity, aud knew, likewise,
that no grumbling of mine could mend
the matter.


A drive of about eight miles brought
me to my post. There was nothing verv
extraordinary in the duty to which | had
peen called away, nor was it anv new ex
perlenoe to me; but on that nj ght nv mind
was tllled with undefinable fears, for which
tried IN vain to account. The night was
clear and MINDLESS, and away in The north
western sky the aurora borealis was
iilttlhg 10 and tro In Thousand strange,
fantastic shapes AS watched the shift
ing and ,quyering CLEANS, now shooting
In rapid succession from one luminous
center, and anon spreading and rolling
wave after wave across the starry heavens,
L began to think of the disastrous omens of
war, plague, famine which The older times
men drew from such sights. Somewhat of
the same emotion l felt in my own mind,
ana, reason as | would, felt it impossible
to shake off the growing sense of un-
easlness and gloom which had taken pos
session of me. On entering the telegraph
station, the clerk whom | had come to re-
lleve was ready to depart.


"1ou won't have much to do tonight,
sir, said he. "The instruments are quite
unworkable; no signals have been received
here for the last three hours. Good
night"


When | was left alone, found that it
was as he had said. The electric currents,
which are developed in the atmosphere
DUNG most meteorological changes, had
rendered the wires quit useless and,