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A Spring Day Ke«orle. (Edwin Ilydo Carroll.) Turchauco It web«d uovrr iiiut. 1 had botAi Bparod thiu uiatl rt%'rel. ThiH cntlleHS lunging to forgot. -Forever <in<l I'oiTier. Idly lunniiiiiif; o'or somo inttoflure Tbut ruvivna boinn pain or |i]oattiiri» Mayhap, liug'riiih' thou^liiH of witlii^rd hiiiid, or ihtrruwu too soou ripuâ€" 'Mid thu paliti^ ra>ii ot dayii^'lit, liiddttn in IhonuHli ot twill^'ht, F&uciuti II iilt4*r 'round iin'.poopjntitliro'tlio cloud â-  pu!lrifrom my pipo. SHIRLEY ROSS : A. Story of Woman's Faithfulness. CHAPTER XIX. IttistlrsM TisioiiH rotiin ubovo iiui Of lilt) duar 0U08 holiio wh<) love lun, Twilling HpraVH of nwoot ami ttiudur utom'riu.s 'ruiiinl iiiy ucliiiii^ lif art ; Of boiuu tiuuu rtt^'rot. ttwift dartint^ 'I'bru' tbu lirtiakiuf; lioart, at parting; Krouj lovo'fl cliuRiiiK tondrils -Ioii« eiuco ornkoii t-rualicd itr tliru.it apart. Kickki liK'Hrry fauitly traced Hall-fiirKOtt<'ii forms and facus ; Aud tlio pruHttuntiir hoiiia prociuiia liaud 1 wciu to f^^•l af^aiii ; Wliilc lliu Hcart-tt roliK-iiibt-r'd bli.s.setl Of attoctioli'H ijoly kihHcn, fitoal liaik, vividlv. to Wni;.' Dw ri'cii'ant boart witb biUorpaiii. Now and tliiMi a vaf^iiu. Hoft uiuruiur J)rl(tini; in-ariT. hw»'oti-r. Itrinur, Itoii^-H .iluiiibrinfj rt'coUocttotiij t>f somo voicu oiict< di'ar to nit) Ab f tbort)'H ouo ruRri't in iintotinK, "fis tilt) parting tbat i;oni>-tt tU'ftiin^ And Htinit) t-bcru)h'tl tiu iii anapptjd adoiidfr for t'ternity. Tbii.s tilt) cliOrdK of nieni'ry viln-atf. W'bilu fantaalic ptirtraua eyratf Kouutl anil rutiiitl ujy furvid fancy, to ouraptiiru or i-ntbrall . Tbt)U, wbdu ntoru Iban balf f'Oaft)BHlUf{ Tbat tilt) I'aHt bruatliDti backBt>nit) bl«*i«ili^, -Ono t<x(|uiHitu iina^t). rising,', briti^s for(;otfulnfdS of all. Faintly trat-od and hlowly aptjodinfj, Now advanciur;, now ri-t-txltiiK ; CouminK roaliiiH of iina(,')Ty, wbilt- Htill nilHtru.st- fiil nK'tn'ry t^luoprt Till facli raro. tinbalieinR foattiro Of lliiH fair, f)ntrauclnK t-roHturt) U illuni'd by lUHtrotirt rayit of tboiif^bt, tbroiiKb wbicb rouiuliibrant:t) puopr). Tbt-n my viaion (pilckly flt-ann^, 'riniiil tlonbl MOW dtDappt'ariutj, I rt)t-all tbo form in all its blunb and blootxi o (;irlitib pridu ; Kotil, onrt* mort), tbo tbrill in nit»t'tinnâ€" Mark btjr cordial, ^raoufiil ^rtttttiiif^ - Viow a^^ain tluiat) puro and ^libt'iiiuij F^cliiii o wortli, nof;uili< could tiidt). Htill, tbf niomi'iit tliat 1 tntit lii)r, ('aluc a vtiarnliiu to forgot bcr J''or 1 know bow \ury wido apart our pallia in lift) llDlHt lit), Iliil lb«) loni;inK, lit;litly t'horiab'd, \VavtT"d, droop'd aiitl early porinlrdâ€" i'or, Ibo' iiK-i^tmii in)v»*r niort), uxaltcil thoui;bls to bur iiiuHt lly. In Yet, wittial, wliilf now ttnraptiir'i: tion, cupltir'il Kuncy't) vigilant Jty tint) t-iiliirit virtion, cupltir'd from by hUdI ita lliiilit arrt^Htiiif; t)yt'H. ('oiiii)ii a foar, 1 Htiivu to bani»b, Tbal from ItoDilai^'uvittw 'twill vuiiislt, LoavuiK only Hiit'clrtu ot Kr^rut l>t)biiid to tlirivt) on Ki^ba. ]*rt*i-iouK iiiotnoiilit tlitiA itikpiru, l>i})rfi;ardin(,' dt)ar l)f)r>ir(), Whilu till) iK'llo ot TlnicH footfall Imntis it x fato ful tbrill of pain. For Dat-li liny, fbollni; nilniiti* lioarit an hm* ot bllHH wrapp'd in it, Hlowly robbini; mt) ol niptini) I hliall iiuW)rLiiow H^ain. TbiiH, carvHaing Kalti conioH bitbor KiaHini: llopu-aiul wi.HbcH witbur; Ho, abia' tliis fair oncbantrusii vit)W liitisC fiitlt) I'DHcatb Ibti blii;lil~ Yat, i<rt) ttarknutiH <|iill«) cont'caU ber, 'I'iiro' tbt) ("low llial now roveatrt lior, Irreaiatibly bowilcb d, I ca/.f in ua^vr, prouil ib)li),'bt At tbla tran<)iiil, tt^iidur fairyâ€" Arlb-nit, dolli-att) aiul airy - "Tbro' wlioHi) oyoH, bt<r Koiil'it puro i>lo<iiiiMit?i' rliahtf) lH)aiitli-)t ilotli impart, W'blli) bi'r Kracfh. fasi'inaliiu,', Aud bi'r cbariiiti, inoHt i-aptlva(inf4, Hooiii to mirror bark a t,'iaiMb'iir aihl nobility o bt)art, Ab I Forever auti fi)ri'vi)r, Altbo' yt)ar« au<t nilloH may acvi-r. I aliall I'oiihtantly roiuunibt'r Ih-r who Ht)um'tl (livitit) to mi). And lbi> l''t)tiiri) will n-niiml iiic Of tliDfond 1*111)1, tar bDliiiid ni)<, WliDIl Iht Hiliipli) i-oiivursation HccniM Ibo Hwt'i'lt-ht mi)lo)ly. TbiiH, 1 Hit anil Lfa/.t) and iioiiiltir â€" Tbiii, iiiifDttt'r'il, fanctoH wandur Until K)-aDoli t'tida my Uovorio and all my tlrruiiiH art) o'or: I'bcn lltoillty ti'orlaktiH mi) Aiiil tbo hylpb llkf form for^akctt niii - l''adinj{ Hofll> HWDol liom vitiw but Moni'ry livo.t f)»rovormoro. Till) Tlirr« ," KtM'kiTrt." • Tliroo rockor)) toi^otbor, it rtM'kln' hIow, On tllti oaat lila/.^or, all in or row , Wbtiro art) lliii folkn, yor want tor know'.' No anawir coiihh, but Ibo wilnl hI^jIih low. ' "I'liD old boiiHi) IH itrav W'itb woatlior an' tiiiit-, Tbo wdII curb iH iiioHHV an' Krotin wilb Hliiiii), WlndorH lattli) an oiuilfHM rliymo ; Nobody 'h buri), but tbo cbnorM rock hIow. " It ain't vory loni; kch ill in or rt^w Tbri))) Klotcra Rat rocklii" bi-ro to ami fro, Knittin', oiintin' from bool to toi), Watt'bin' till) bay wbt)ri) Hail» come and Ko. " Tlloy walcbi')! an' tbi)> wiiiloil ilay aftor day. Not aMiiiKlt) hIi1|i hailDil iiilcr tlii) bay ; *tftM)'H loiiK a coiiiin', tliDii llioy Hay, * WbaloH iiiiiHt be ' ' â-  ' ftlow. kkccrcu,' and tlioy all rocket " lUit wblli Htirank And Morcv into ntranijc Anil Marlby, alio lookai * Wiion will .loo come'.' ' hIow. Iboy wall 111 >l Mandy nbitsnod ant] Hilonctip) Kan|(, old and lank , and Llioy rockc •' Tlion tlior coiiio Dnlay wlion an oiiiply cbuor MovotI Hofi in till) wiiiii by tbo Hiitlor pair ; A year morn pnHHod, ami Mercy llioro Hat watobin' two idlo rockerH blow. " Tbreo rockerH loijelhor. a rockin' hIow, Not a Houl In Iber place to make Dni ((o ; Ktilka are dead. If yer want lor know. An' tbu loneHomt) Hea in rockin' .loe! '* - ir. //. li'iii«(oic, in i'ouf/rn (.'oiiiifaiuon. WnltliiK. (lly Arcbiii Mack I YVailiim, yen, |>aliently waitiuK, Waitliiij, no iiiiirni ur or liioaii, Hileiitly, bopefully waililif;, liiviliu ber life tinit) alone, ratieiitly bearint; life'H burden, Walllnu the Hwutit by and by, Jially fiiinilinit ber iiilHxIon, Ktillini,' tlie lon^ troubled Mii{b. tiadly till) weekH follow swiftly, Hatl, oil, more Hiul (jrow tliey Htill, liy nionttiH and yoara tliey are nnuibcroil Vet iiDver till) proniiHo fiillU t ^toriii and HuiiHbino vinit tlie earlb. Tin) HoaHDiiH e.xpenlant roll, And brillK poare and plenty to all, All Bavo till) poor waitiiiii houI. YtianiHatblen tbe fair, patient face, Weary tliei;i)nlle bine eyen <lrow witb llielr watcbint; and wailiii};, Pt»r one wbo never arrlven. At leiiKtb r)oiiieH tbt) wt)loonie iiiomaRo, Hbo iiititikly bowH 'neatli the rod, Deatli clainiH ber ono of bin victiinti, Her wailiiiK houI ia witb liml. Ah a lottor of ooiidolonco, tho following; hfta lieoii ofTurctl for a inoilul : " I liavu lioard of your ){rent uriet aint I send you a •Implo prosaiiro of the liftnd." " When this letter ia (^iven to you, my child, you will bo about to outer upon a new, untried life ; and that you may not forHot your mother thou I have written thoMO liuL'E â€" written them with such loving thoufjht of you, my daughter, and with such earnest prayor for your happinoBS aud welfare, that, even if they sadtien you a little, you must not mind now. " What I am KO'i^K to write here for your jieruaal is the story ot my life â€" a story which more than once lately, dear, as I feel my health failiiifj, I have been tempted to tell you. Not that I want to sadden you by tellin({ you that my life is drawinij to a closeâ€" my jioor children. If I could save you that paiu I would (jladly live, even thoiiHh life is such a dreary thint; nowâ€" but I think you ou^ht to know my story, Shirley. When I am jjono to meet your fathei once moreâ€" Iluuvon ia so merciful that I dare look forward to that â€" you will live in Bcotland, tho country I onco loved so ttearly, but which 1 shall never see a^ain, for it has been very cruel to me, ray child. I'erhaps, after all, it will be well that you should not know this story of mine until you are on tho eve of marria{>u. I think, Bhirley, and I hope with all sincerity aud fervor, that you will never marry a man you do not love. Kurely I have ({ivou you such notions of truth and honor aa will preserve you from the sin and the Hhaino of a loveless marriage ! If yon do not love tho man you are noiufj to marry, my daughter, it will not bu too late to retract oven at the lust moment ; it will bt) batter to suffer any blamo than tO);o a stepfurther on the road which must inevitably lead to Burriiw aud misery, and perhaps to sin ami dishonor. " Hut, if, aa I hope, my child, you love the man to whom you are betrothed, it will help you to be ^^entle and lenient and merciful to the |X)ort>rriiu; mother wli9 has loved you with a love which oui{ht, with all her faults, to intltice you to tliink of lier kindly. 1 should have liked to tell yuu tho story, to have seen thopityinfi lovo on your face , but, if that pity autl that lovo diil not show theinsolvfs there, how could I have borne it '.' Ho perhap:< it is bettor aa it ix. " Vou know tho earlier part of my his- tory, Shirley; you know that I was an only and iKittctl daUi;htor ami a S|>oiletl ami in- dul);od sister. 1 lost my father and mother while I was still a child, but your undo, who was somo years my senior, filled the plact' of those iloar parents with such a teii- dornoBs that I .nissod them but little. He intlul^etl mo in every whim, he (;avu ine my own way in every thiiij;, and I i;rew up proud, willful, antl heedless of evcythint; hut my own pleasure. •' 1 was Imautiful you too, my child, possess that fatal dowry of beauty; but I trust it will briiii; you only happiiioas. It is a ^roat antl £>rcciuiis (;ift if iisetl arif;ht, ami ^ives thu possessor a Kroat power ami iiilluence fur ^jootl or evil. 1 used my iK)wor for evil, Shirley; I cmpluyed my beauty ai a snare to win hearts ami toy with them as loni; as it pleased my fancy ; then 1 cast them aside, carolosH whether thovioumisl ititlioti'ti were sorioiix or not. l''lirtatiuii ia nut lookotl upon aa a sin in tho tune in wliioh wc live, Shirley ; hut 1 I>ray lleaM'ii, my child, that yuu will be kept from such iinwoinanly shame, " Amuii); my iidmirerH was a ^outlemaii some ten ur tifteen jcars my senior, whoso suit my brother (avoreil strongly, .Sir Ilonry I'dh tor wan a man of lar^jeproiierty and tlistiiii;ui»hi'il family ; lie was, inoro- over, vt)ry liaiulHotiie uinl agreeable; antl he lovetl me yes, ho love I me. Itutthnre are Bi> many tliirereiit kimls of love, my darling', that it ia iltllnnilt to know which ia tho true kind. This was true, so far as it went ; hut he preferred his happiness to uiine, ami true lovo does not do that. " I was proutlof my coU)|uost, one win. Ii others had attemptoii in vain ; hut I tliil not love Sir Ilonry Proctor, whiiiii I hatl known three months when your father, Shirley, came to DumtUe, ami (iilbort invitoa him tti l''airholmo. lie was very ({entlo to me, but very colil ; he tlisappi ovotl of my conduct, ami reprovotl me more than once; hut 1 lovisl hiiu with all my heart and soul antl iitreiii^th. I lovetl him ; antl tlioro WAS nil wunian on earth so happy aa 1 when, one ilay, a danger to which I was e.\po8etl, ami fiom which he restiued mt', forcoil him to bttray the lovo for me whioli ho had hitherto kept coiicealetl, because ho was not wealthy enough to aspire to Miss I''airhohne. Ah, how liappy I waa! " My brother tliil not receive the news of our altachmenl very t^ortlially. Mr. Koss wan not rich, iiml his professioii was seriously against him, in (iilhort'a opinion. Still, when he saw that my happiiiosa was involviHl, he cousenleil to an cn^AKemoiit botwoon us ; but we wore not to he inar- rietl until I was twenty-one a condition to which wn both aureetl willingly. Shortly afterward KolamI wont to Kume to con- tinue tilt) stiiily of the art hn loveil. " I misaetl him t;reatly, for I loved him with my whole heart ; but iny love iliil not prevent mt' fiiun eoiitinuinn my tliitatioii with Sir Henry I'nictur. My eu«af;omont, the newa of which he had roctiivod vory calmly, did not seem to trouble liiin at all ; ho was just as tlevotetl as ever, hut he ditl not put his tlevolion into words, ami so I was off my â-ºjuartl. I thought he was willing to look upon me as a friend. He often mot mo in my rides aud walks, and ho was a most agreeable t^ompanion. "Ouo ilay nil, how clearly 1 remom- beritl all its lietaila afterwaiii, although they made so little impression upon mo at the time wo were liiliiit" at some lUstatii^e from l''airholnie, I was unattcmled, for 1 rarely rude with a (>room, hut Sir Henry's Horvrfht was with him. A smlilon and vio- lent storm came on, which frightened the horses and compelled us to seek shoUor. Wo fouml it ill a wayside inu whore they wore able to accommoilate the horses, and Sir Henry ami myself wore ulail to ilry our (ilothia by the kitchen lire. We were laii^li iti(! ami chattini- merrily over the mishap, when the iiinkoeper's wife came in to ask if wo would take any refreshinont. Sir Ilonry answeretl at once, 'Ves; my wife would like somo tea, if you please.' 'And what will you take, bit'!" 'Home toddy,' ho answered lau^jhint,'; then, when she hail left us, ho turned to me, merrily asking how I liked the position I had aa8ume<I â€" or rather which he had (jiven to meâ€" aa his wife. " We were very merry over it ; and, when the woman came back. Sir Henry spoke fretjaently of his wife, and I lauHhed and (XKiuetted and called him my husband, and told the landlady that we had not been married lonf,', and said many other foolish things, I dare say. Sir Henry said laD^hin<{ly that I had been onga(;ed to some one else, but that 1 perferred him ; so I had thrown tho other fellow over and had married him. And the landlady laut;hed too, and said sho did not wonder, for Sir Henry waa hand- somo enouoh to make any girl false. And all this time Sir Henry's groom waa stand- ing in the kitchon, at a distarce from us, but where every word reached him dis- tinctly. •' \V'eIl, the storm ceased, and wo rode away, and I thought no more of our adven- ture. Sir Henry came daily to Fairholme â€" mdho waa too agreeable and pleasant not to bo missed if ho did not comeâ€" and the months passeti on until I waa approaching my twentylirat birthday ; and 1 bofjaii to look forward to Roland's return. " Bat one dayâ€" oh, Shirley, shall I over forget the day ?" Shirley hail been reading attentively and without a pause for some time when sho roached this part of hor mother's narrative, and during the last few minutes sho had grown terribly pale, and an cxpresaion of intense horror was creeping slowly into her wide dilated eyes. Now she stopped, push- ing tho sheets of paper from her with a (juick paaaionate movement; and, as she rose from her chair, the letter fell llutter- ing down at her feet. She did not heed tho falling sheets aa sho moved away from tbe fire, pushing back her hair from her (ace with a wild troubled gesture almost of de- spair. She tlid not know what horror had come upon hor ; she was tromblinjj from head to foot in an undetiiied agony of fear, hor breath was coming in ijuick gasps of terror, and tho throbbing of ber heart might almost have been heard in tbe still- ness of tho ro))m. l*"or a few momenta this terror held her, then it passed away, and she forced her stiff livid lips to smile at the palo horror stricken face she saw in the looking-glass as sho paased on hor nay back to tho lire. She stooped, lifted, with little remorse- ful tender tingorg, the fallen sheets and smoothed tlit-in out, pressing them, with a passionate revulsion of fooling, to her lips ; then, still trembling a little and very pale, sho sat down and recommencod to road. " Hut one day â€"on, Shirley, shall I ever foryot the day '/â€" yoar uncle came into the room where 1 was writing to Uoland, and, with a atorniifss he had never ahown to mo before, handed inc a letter from Kir Henry I'roi'tor, claiming me aa hia wife. I re- member how I laughed, and said gayly that Sir Henry must have taken leave of his senses; but Gilbert's gravity never changetl. H) sat down and desired me to tell him all that had happened at the inn. I niatlo light of it ; but ho interrupted me. ' Marian,' he said sternly, ' this ia no jest- ing matter. In thia country there are mar- riagea trailed irregular marriagea which are us binding in law as any others. Tersons with no intent ion of marriage may becomo marrietl, even when they do not know that they are legally held to bo so. If the facts are aa Sir Henry Proctor has utatetl them in bis Utter, there may bo the greatest dilVlculty in proving that you are not his wife.' 1 looked at him in surprise, with a feeling of intense horror creeping over me. ' May I set> tho letter " I said steadily ; aud, when he gave it to me, I waa able to roatl it calmly, ami to acknowledge that Sir Henry had merely related what had ocxurred at the inn where we had .sheltered tluring the storm. Hut I could not believe, oven when (lilbert assured me of it, that that could |iosRibly t^onstituto a marriage. Of course legal assistance waa sought im mediately, and the eniineiit lawyers whom my brother consultutl gave conflicting opinions. Ono said that I waa Sir Henry's wife, another that it was no marriage ; but I saw tho ilangor to which I had e.tposed inyaelf. lloaveu only knows how I sufTerod during that terrible time I Of course Uiijand had to bo toltl , autl, as soon as ho came to I'airholme, Sir Henry pressed hia claims up^>n me, and all myentreatiea wore in vain. At tlrat (lilbert, anxioua to avoitl soamlal, entiroly refuaed to have tho case rtife: red to the law courts; but my passion ate pleading I threw myself at his feet, Shirley, until he consented at last suc- (leoilod. Shall 1 tell you tho rosnlt, my itaughter'.' A few wortls spoken in jest at a wayside inn in the presenoe of witnosaes made mo tho wife of a man whom I never loveil, but whom now I abhorretl. I waa Sir Henry I'rootor'a wife. It waa no mat- ter that I had not given my consent, that 1 waa ignorant ol the ahominablo murriage- law in force in the country I loved so dearly ; I was hia wedded wife. I think they believod that I hud been a consenting parly, and that I was willing then toaccept a rii her suitor than UoUnd Uoaa, antl that I had ciinaonted to this irregular marriage to avoitl tho blaiue which a jilt justly incurs. Hat, be that as it may, I was hia wife. .\ long period of darkneaa followed, Shirley. 1 waa very ill -siok unto death ami 1 waa no better when I went homo to Sir Henry's inagnittoont e)itate a wife who hated her husband, who despisetl him fur tho treachery that had oausotl her misery, who loved another man with alt her heart. "Shirley, how can I toll you tho rest '.' How can a mother confess to hor child what will perhaps make her despise hor anil hate her for the shame sliehas brought upon hor namo'i' How can 1 tell you how my endurance failed titiiler the misery and wretchodiiOHS which were my constant cunipanionB'^ My health gave way ; a ter- ror of death without ever seeing Itolaml nn»u\ inmo over tno. I striigglod against it in vain. I could not feel that I was marrioil in the sight of heaven ; and one day I loft Sir Henry's house and travelleil day antl night to Homo, where t know Kolamt was. I remember seeing his agi- tattnl, startled, rapturous face; thou con- sciuusnosa loft me. When my sensos finme back, I waa lying in a ^trango room, with a strange nurao bonding over mo. I had boon ill many days, she told me, hut she would not answer any ipiostiona only soothe me to sleep ; and I was too weak to ho vory ouri- ous, or 1,1 fool anything deeply. Hut, as lays went on, my strength came back, and with it my recollection ; and I suffered an agony of distreaa when I thought of tho shame I had brought npon a name hitherto honored mad unstained, and that I myaolf had sank to the lowest level and waa worthy only of contempt. I waa almost quite strong again when I saw Roland ; and the sight of hia pitying compassionate face, so altered and sorrowful, almost broke my heart, and I longed to die. But I waa well enough to hear the newa which he broagbt me ; and he told me in hia grave tender voice that I was free nowâ€" that Death had freed nie. Sir Henry Proctor, on his way to Rome in pursuit of me, had been ono of the victims of a terrible railway accident in the south of France. "Yon know the rest. Your father loved me enough to ahare my shame and misery, and wo were married. With what intense love, what heartfelt humility, I became his wife you cannot guess, my child ; how earnestly I prayed for hia happiness ia known only to the Hearer of Prayer and my own heart. That he was happy I believe, and I think I helped to make him so. But of his good- ness, hia patience, hia unfailing love for the erring woman he had made bis wife I can- not apeak, even to you. You were not too young when you lost him to appreciate hia nobility, and, my child, that you will alwaya revere hia memory ia my trueat wish. "And now, my darling, I must cease. I am very weary, and I have told you all. Forgive your mother, Shirley, and think kindly ot her, if you can. She has sinned much, but she has auSered ; for all the love and peace of so many years of her life have not blotted out her regret for the irrevoc- able past. May such love bo yours, my daughter, but not such regret ! Heaven for- ever bless you, Shirlov !" That waa the end ; the piteous confes- sion was tinished, the last words were read ; and Shirley's hazel eyes were raised alowly from the pages over which she bent. For a moment abe stared straight in front of her with wide unseeing eyes, then tho white lids sunk, a ghastly pallor overspread the lovely face, and all grew dark aa she fell back in a merciful unconaciousnesa, CHAPTER XX. "My dear Shirley," said Kuby Caixjl's gay voicu, as ber bright brunette face ap- {leared at tbo door of Shirley's room the next morning, " thia ia not at all en re/f,'. You ought not to have ventured to get up until you had bad some tea ; ami of course you are not thinking of venturing down stairs'.'" Shirley, who bad been standing at the window in her long crimaon dreasing-gown, with her pretty chestnut hair falling around her, turned round, smiling, to answer her friend's gay greeting. " Of course I am not going to venture down stairs," abe saitl lightly. " I have aoine slight regara Us comfiiancct , Ruby, and â€" " " The very idea ot a bride making her appearance before ahe ia drcaaed in all her bndal tinery is enough to make Mrs. Cirundy e.ipiro 1" cried Ruby gayly. " Then, if it would havo audi a vory de- sirable effect, Ruby, I had better go down at once." " Sho would expire only for hve min- utes," said Ruby resignedly. "Sho regular headed monster, and there la no killing her. It must have been a terrible shock to her to think that Major Stuart slept in tho huuae last night. That is )|aite contrary to etiijuette. Really I am so III! hill that you might very well imagine that I hatl bctu married myself. While she chattotl gayly ahe h>d placed on the table the little tray alio had carried into tho room ; then she want to Shirley's sitle aiiti stood ou tiptoe to kiss hor, for Shirley was much taller than tho little " pocket Venus" with whom Captain I'air- holme wus ao smitten. "('onieand have some breakfast. Shirley, my bonny bride," sho said fondly. " Vou look awfully palo, niy dear, to-day. Have you had a bad night '!" " 1 did not sleep much," Shirley answered, smiling. " Hut 1 am verv well; aud I am sure it is thocorrei;i iii.nt; for brides to bo pale, Kuby." " \'os, but you have such dark shadowa under your eyes, dear. Never mind â€" you look most lovely," sho added softly ; aud Shirley returned her kiss with passionate fondness aa sho went over to the table to (Kiur out tho tea. "Alice is not stirring yet," Knby aai merrily. ".She does not intend to put in an apiiearante until she cornea to assist you with your toilet. Hho says getting up early ia a mistake on an occasion ot thia kind. The men are wandering about aa if they wore lost, ur had strayed," sho wont on, laughing. " I have just sent Os â€" Captain Fairholme to take them into tho billiard- room, or they will got doaiiorato. Men are such lielploaa mortals ou an occasion like tho present." " Ourtaiiily, woitiun take nioro naturally to it," aaid Shirley languidly, drinking her tea feverishly, but not tasting any of the itainly breakfast which Ruby had brought her. " Who ia it. Ruby, who says^that all women seem to be in their natural element at a wedding, and all the men to bo out of it'.'" " .Some one who hai studied human nature," answered Ruby, laughing. "Come, Shirley dear, do oat something. We shall have you fainting by and by antl frighten- ing |>oor tluy out of hia souses." " Vou need not bo at all afraid," Shirley said laughingly. " 1 am not given to faint- ing, and no audi cataatropho will happen. liven if it did, Uuy would not be frighteneti out of hia senses." " You think not '.' Well, I think the reverse. And swooning bridea may be very intoroHting in a novel, but they are very tiresome in real life," said Ruby gayly. " 1 havebroughtnp your diamonds, Shirley. How superb you will bo I" " I wiah that Sir Jasper had not alesired that 1 shouUl bo married in hia beautiful gift," Shirley remarked languidly. " I lorlor a bride, especially a dowerless briilo iko mo, to wear no jewels. What are you gazing at so steailfastly, Ruby !" At a mouutiHi meaaongor riding in hot haste up tho avenue," aaid Ruby careloaaly. A telegram, I auppose," She did not turn away from tho window, or she would have seen tho awful look of terror which eroasotl Shirley's face anil tho deathly pallor which atolo into hor lips. Hut Miaa Uoati conquered hor emotion by an olTort, and there was a short silence, during which Kuby admired tho diamonds glittor- no unasual conunotion waste be beard. "After all," Shirley thought, aa aha leant her head upon tho cushions and forced a smile to her lips, " my fears are groundleaa. Sir Hugh never meant thatâ€" he could not be so treacherous and ao base. It would be too cruel to waittiU now. Even if be knows the law, he does not care. I am so absurdly nervous. A breath of freak air will do me good." She went to the window, opened it, and leaned out. It waa a tine sunshiny morn- ing, although a gixid deal of snow had fallen during the night â€" bitterly txild, bat seasonable â€" a fair day for a wedding-day, Shirley thought, if tho proverb held good that " happy ia the bride the aun shines on." The view from the window waa very beautiful ; all the skeleton trees in the park were clothed with a fair spotless mantle, which glittered in the sun. Two of the maid-servants were hurrying along the ter- race under the window, laughingly compar- ing the valentines which the post had brought them. They looked bright and busy and smiling in their pretty new gray dresses and smart white-ribboned caps, and their gay pleasant voices reached Shirley's ears as she leaned at the window above, letting the cold fresh air blof^ on her hot brow and bring a faint color into her fair face. She felt weary and languid, and the chill reviving bree/.e waa pleasant to her ; she had not slept all night, and the heavy shadows under the lovely hazel eyes testi- fied to the long vigil. Her faint had been but short ; she had returned to life and consciousness to find the tire dying out and her mother's letter still open upon her lap ; and for the first few momenta her agony ot mind had been unendurable and indeacrib- able, but then her calmer reason had re- asserted itself, and she told herself that Sir Hugh had not meant anything when he called her his wife. Had he done so, be would not have delayed until now, ho would not have gone away without a word or sign. Vet all through the night hours the thought had haunted her with a persistency which she could not dismiss, and the gray winter dawn had found her lying wakeful and wide-eyed upon the pillow. (To be eoutiuuetl.) Kaiu and Kiiilroatl>. " But clearing off tho land prevents rain- fall." A New York .Uiii7 tir,<J Kxpress aslentist waa discuaaing thia problem with a touriat who has recently returned from a scientific jaunt into South America. " That may be so," returned tho latter, " but it ia a meteorological fact that the laying of railroad tracka in certain cotin- tries produces rain. Take Mexico, for instance. Recent serious damage dona by washouts on the noriheni section of tho Mexican Central Road waa due to waterspouts bursting on the track, aud it ia a curious fact that watersixiuts seem to be attracted by the iron track and tele- graph wires. " Not only that," continued the tourist. " But the engineers on the line ot tbe (iuadalajara branch of the Mexican Cen- tral Railway have noted that aa fast as the construction advances rain follows, and they hold that this is due to the large )|Uantity of steel rails on flat cars, whioh are carried forward aa faat aa the work of construction permits. Tbe most noticeable tact ia that the country ia dry in advance ot the constraction trains, and also behind them, for a number ot miles. Rains beat down, as tlescribod, in buckettula, just where the steel rails are, but only incirclee a tow miles in diameter." "How true this theory is," added tbe traveller in conclusion, " I dou't pretend to say, but the tact remains, and up to date it has not been explained," UuinuDt of the Jury. " I remember," says Lord P'.Uion. "Mr. Justice Cioold trying a case at York, and when he had proceedeid for about two hoora hf observed, • Here are only eleven jury- iiifii ill the box; where ia the twelfth?" ' I'lease )oii, my lord,' said one of the eleven, 'he has oone away about some busi- nesa ; but ho has left his verdict with me.' " This ia almost on a par with a case tried in one ot the I.ancaahire courts, when Ser- geant C'roaa waa a resident barrister in that county, Tho jury having consulted and agreed upon their verdict, were addri«ssod by tho clerk ot tho peace: "How aay yoa, gentlemen of the jury, do you find for the plaintiff or the defendant '?" "What sayn yo? 1 dunnot undcratand," said the fore- man. " Why, as you have decided, all I want to know is, whether your verdict is for tho plaintiff or the defendant?" The foreman was still greatly embarrassed; but he replietl, " Whoy, I raly dunnot know, but we're for him aa Mester Cross ia tor !" -Chamber$' Journal. The ArtlatTellH Her His .Secret. l.adyâ€" " I like your pictures so much, and 1 would dearly lovo to be an artist. Won't you tell mo the secret how to do it?" Artist- " Moat williiiglv, madam. You have only to select the rig\it colors and put them on tho right place." " Oh, thanks, awfully. 1 shall go home now and commence right away." A l"t>oi' Utile That YVou't Work Iloth Way:* Motherâ€" Johnny, did you aak your employer if you niight get off to-day'.' Sonâ€" No, the boas never speaks to be about it when ho goea, from Jmiiif. In an interview between Henry M. Stan- ley and a nowapaper corrt^apondent, the distiuguishetl explorer aaid : " I have been in Africa aoventeen years, ami I have never met a man who woiild kill me if I folded my handa." - Rev. Pr. Smith, ex-Moderator of Trea- byterian t'hurch in Canada, now in Cali- ft>rnia, has decitled to accept a call from St. John's (Uiurch, Han Kranciaco. Ho ia expecti'tl to preach hia farewell sermon in Cialt about tho second Sunday in April. Mr. Daniel CoUiua, a well-known roai- dent of Loiulon Woat, tell down a atairway at tho Hoswell Houae, King atret>t, on Thuraday evening, auataining aevoro iiiju- riea. Aloxamier Arnold, othorwiae known aa " Old Aleck," who haa just boon released from tho penitentiary at Joliet, 111., ia d a horae-thief aa l)uring the thirty career he is known to ing on their aatin bed, and Shirley aat atill j probably aa aooompliahei and calm outwardly, but full of a terrible i there ia in the conntrv. atixioty. Then Ruby tlitterod away to don years of hia criminal car. her pretty bndeamaid dress, and Shiiley | invo stolen more than .H(X) horaoa, inolud BBt waiting for tho bridoamaid to come and i,,^ jome valuable Kentucky thoroughbreds. drosa hor, the color comiag back alowly a,„i i,e haa servtHl hia time in half a douen into her cheeks aa tho time alippetl by and jxjnitoutiaries