CLOUD. II 



to think of home, and what at that very moment 

 might be taking place there, was vain. The famil- 

 iar words of the geometrical propositions were 

 mechanically repeated, but my mind was elsewhere. 

 I remember now that it was a sunny day, and that 

 often hundreds of acres, covered with brilliant 

 golden-rod and coreopsis, offered a gorgeous ex- 

 panse of richest gold. But for me the skies and 

 fields were leaden. 



The weary day wore on, and just after noon the 

 train reached Howard. As I stepped upon the 

 platform my brother Will met me. He said only, 

 " Father is very sick. I came over early this morn- 

 ing, and brought Jack for you to ride home. Leave 

 your trunk with the stage-driver, to come on in the 

 morning." In five minutes we were on the way. 

 The horses had been fed at Howard, and had rested 

 since eight o'clock that morning. The roads were 

 good. It was only ten miles home. Without un- 

 duly urging our horses, which were daily used on 

 the farm, we could make the distance in an hour 

 and a half. I learned as we went on that father 

 had been somewhat ill for a week. Three days be- 

 fore, he became worse, when the first letter had 

 been sent to me. The morning before, the doctor 

 had expressed doubts of his recovery, and the tele- 

 gram for my return had been dispatched. He was 

 failing rapidly when Will left for Howard that 



