Daffodil's Husband

The fu n had dropprd beliind flic lol 1 towors ot'St. üeorjic's twiu-stcoplcd c1hhv.1i, tlio so''t June twllitfht waseettling, liko aa Impalpable veil oXliquid anicihyst. overall iho little aiartncii 6, and D.affoilil Grey stood nt the wiiidow. carelessly toying witli iho gennium leavese, that gave out a swcét, jimifiont í'raui'íiiioe to the touch of her fillgurs, and thillkiujj - thinkiug! lt was just six nionths, tliis dar, tliat slie was marrad - six months fcince slic hnd let't the okl farm in Cliester oonnty, and come to the gieat city to live. "You'll be dc=pcrately homcslck!" Aiiiu Jocasta had said, with a loleum Bhako of the heftd. "Not with John!" shc liad responded, rodiantly. "Just. ianey," grofined Atnit Jocnstn, "cxcliaiminir n!l tueso iields and hills for a city flat I" 'Evoi-y one lima in flats nowadnys," Daü'odil l;ad roi'ortetl; "and John tays I bhall fiad Uliugí very convcnient." "Iluinnh !" gaid Ainit , Tooi sta; "T IKver was in lovo myself,but l've been told thnt peoplo wlioare, would beIio e anylhiiijr. I suppo-e John is !;iw and roíijjel to yon now!" "Qf course," said D iffodií, langliln?. So she had raarried t lio rouug hero of liopes and dreams, aitd gone to tho rrpat, erowdod city to livo. Aml tlie il al had been Arcadia to her - that is. jast at flrst, whcu the hony-inoon ■was in ita lirstglow, audall ihe wor.d was transflgiuvd wllh tlie Hghl tint 6hinos thiotigb tho halo ot' a ecl' liiifif ring; But, of laic, Mrs. DafTodil had not boon qnile 80 happy. fcilie had been erving, oue nigln, whon Joliu emne lioino unexpccicdly, and there was no time to dasli away tho tears. "My 'darliiig," lie hadcriod ngliast, "what, is the trouble?" "Nothing, Jolin- nothingl" she had answere I. "Only - only it is so long since l pi icod my fcet on a sod of gfreon grasa. And I was thinking that tlie old orchard would be in blossom, jnst at lilis timo ; and the meado w 1111der tlie ïs-alras tree wou ld be uil blue with early violets." "Daifodil, are you honiesick?" ' So, John - indeed, no !" she cricd. 'Get on yonr thiugs," said Grey. ""We' 11 go and walk iu the park, and listen to the robín at llie biid fancicr'í, and try to imagino our=elves back in the vural districis aplill." But DaftbiiH tryiug to smilo as slio ticd lier pink bonnc -strinys, dld not teil hiin of tlie long visit she hadtVom old Mis. Mudge, who dcclared that 'she had al'ys lovcd Jolm Grey as if he had been her own son," and had proceeded to edil'y his bride witli a circumstanlial nccount of all the mis chiel'lie liad gotton into, all the lovctanglcs in wliich lic had been in vol ved ail the half-engagemeiiLs into whictl hc had been drawn, uutil poor Datl'odil lelt as if her John Grey and tliis gay Lothario must bo two quite diflierent beings. "And we are all supposcd, my dear," eaid Mrs. Mmluc, comioriably taking snuif, "that he was to imirry Olive Dodworth, the actress, whou he up and brought you home. Dear, dear 1 what fliru men are I Ain't tUey now, my dear?" ''1 - fuppoM 80," said poor Daifodil, inlent upon the stitches of her strip oi embroidery. "I hope you'll come and 6ee me often," said Mis. Mudge, setting down lier tea-cup and takiug up her big red shawl. "1 shall be vory happy," said Daffodil. "And we'll have ever so niany moe confidential chate," said Mrs. Mudye. "Yes," said Dail'odil, faintly. And af ter Mrs. Mudge had gone away, poor Daifodil sat and wondered what made her so wretcliod. tíhe cotild licar sonie one nioving about overhead. Sonie oue had told her that a young ari.ist liad jiist rciued tlie to fioorofihü Fonlaiuu fe hits. Slie wondered vaguoly wba ho was Hke, and r hoi hor lie, loo, wasaliunian butterfly ligbtiug ou every flower and cousnuit 10 none. i Slic askoii herself wliether fat Mr. Sninb, wlio went outiruui the au i to of apaninen ts below every day wiih a silk umbrella undet' his arm, dyed nmstai-lics and a smoothly-glmVen chin, liad his ttnaiuble tveakiiOMM likewiso. "1 nhnost wish," s:iid Daffodil to herself, "lliat 1 luid remained liuiuarvicd. Ño 1 ilon'teitherl 1- l doii't knuw wuut 1 do wish ! Bo, woiuun-like, Daifodil had begun to cry. But the pleasint twilight walk in tlio park, anti llic nielodious whistlu ot' the robin at tho bird faucRT's, liad checred her up ngftiu, for tiie linio being. lint shc could not be blind to the fuet that Juhu was not witli her so Hinchas duiing the live weeks after llieir marriaye. Now and .aya.ii of au evening he would be absent without a sufli.iunt excuse, and, wilh a smoihered pang at hor heart, Dnffodil had iiK.HL'ht of Olive Dodvvorth, the brilliant yonng actress, eren then playing at one of the minor city theaters. "Does he care for her yet?" Daffodil tiskod herself; and there cnrac no satisfactory answer to the qnery. And so it happened that to-night,as sho stood ainong lier geraniums, lookinir out at the suiiset, she was notquile happy. "In oíd time=," said this bride of six months to herself, "John was always homo to take nio for a walk in the twilight. Ho never tliinks of it now. "Wcre Aunt Jocasta and Mrs. Madge right, after all? Was man a dehision, and üfo a dreary series of disappointïnents? As these d8pirit)ng reflectiona passed through her mimi, she wa% startled by the nnexpectcd sound of a footstep on the floor- a footstep too light and elastic to be that of her husband. She turncd, and was amazed to sce, in the indistinct light, the lal] figure of a beau ti ful young lady. richly dresied, and wiaring sucli a Parisian bonnet as poor DaÜ'odil had never seen before. "Pardon me for intruding," said the lady, with a royal air, "but are these Mr. Grcy's rooms?" 'ïhey are," said Daffodil, summoninr all the diguity at lier control, aud secretly wonJerïng it' this might not be the bete noire of her thoughts and fancies - Miss Dodworth. "But 1 did not hear yon knook." "I did hot knock," said the anonyïnons fair oue, with hauteur. D iffodil colored. "I am Mrs. Grey," said she quickly. "Pardon me," said the lady, ■'! am Mrs. Grey. I suspected someihing of this new order of things," with a conlempiuous curl of her lip, ''and I have oame on froiu Uilioago lo counteract it." "Madame," paid D iffodill, standing very eiect, alihough she could foei herself iré i bling all over, "vou itiusi, be iusnnu ! I was married to Mr. Grey on the first day of last January." ïhe lady lttUghed - a hard, niirthlcss laugli' "Indeed!" said she. And I was married to him ou the 6 1 li of Ootober, two years ago. Poor child!'' as the pallor óverspread Dnff.idil' countenance, "I don't suppose you are to blame. bilt in tli is hard worhl we have to sutier for one another's crimes. Where is he?" "1 - don't know," faiutly admitted the bride. 'llumph!'' said the lady, compressing her lips. "He is at his old tricks, I see. AVell 1 can wait, You don't ask me to bo seatèd, but I shall take thatlibcrty withoutyour perniission." And she' sat down, flinging back the folds of hor neb India shawl, while DaÜ'odil watchcd her with silent dismay. Vas this true? liad John Grny really deieived her? He wnom she had lovd so eutircly, trusted so infinitely ? Jf Lliis was really so, there was no truth in all the worldl The shadows gradually deepened ; thclock on the luantul ticked as btisily as jf il wero running a race against limo - and st.il! the two sat there, silent, speechloss, each drendiug, yet longing, to hear Joan Grey's footsleps on the stairs. At last i'e caine. Si tl ing in ihe dark, pc!?" he crïed, mernty, as he crossed to ihe mantel uid li .:lilcd (lie gas-jet. "1 must sce your dear üulc face, for I have soniething to teil you which - " llè clicckeu li imself abruptl y, for at that moment ho caught sight of the palo, beau l i tul stranger in the Parisian hat and glisiening lmüa shawl. lic turned to Dallbdil. "Who is this lady," heaskcd. "1 do not know her," she answered. ♦'Do not you'i" Xevor saw her beforo in all my lile!" said Grey, in unt'eigncd amazeïuent. The lady rose a little nervoiisly. "is - this gentleman your husband?" she said, the color varyiug ou her chcek. "Ho is," Daffodil niechanically replied. "Thorc is Romo mistalc(." said the Blrur_!Pr, with visible embarrassment. "This is not the Mr. Giey I mean. My Mr. Grey is short and dark, with a heavy board - Richard Kichardsou Grey - and - " The youii"' husband struck his hand on the tablo, as f an idea had suddenly occurred to him. "With a slight castin one eyc?" said ho. "An artist, is he not?" "Exactly!" cried the lndia-shawled beauty. "Ho occupies tho suite of rooms direct ly above us," said he. "He moved in last inonth." "Then, said the lady, "I have mistaken the flat. Pray,pray" - to Daffodil - "forgivo me!" But Daffodil could only laugh hysterically, and hido her head on her husband's shoulder. And not until the door had been closed behind the stranger, did Johu Grey exelaiin : "Poor fullow! I have heard some'thing of this. She torments the Ufe out of him, with pfttty exaotions and unfounded joalousies. Shc folio ws him around tho world like a Nemesia, l'ni glad yoi are not like her, my pretty Daffodil!" And then hc went on to teil his wifo how he had been working busily all this time to earn enough, by extra labor at his profesalon to buy a little one-storied cottage, in the suburbs of the city, with a tiny garden attached, whcre there was au apple tree, a thicket of moss-roses all in bud, and a little sumnier house all braided over with glossy woodbine. "I signed the papers to-day, Daffodil" eaid he. "We can more in next weck, just in time tot the votes and ] strnwboriioe. Penr one, 1 kuoW you have been honiesick for gr.cn gniss and birJ soiis all tliis time, and have louged a score of times to U;ll you of all tliat was inmy ïniiid; but.it would have spoilcd this glad surprise." And all timt DaffodJl cuiild say was : "Oli, Joliu - dear Johu - L am so happyl"