True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1855-06-13

time p
His hand clasped mine in a convulsive
pressure. A sudden blast swept, like
tempest, the boughs of all the trees, till
they gave forth a prolonged wall. There
was sudden flash of hghtning-a deaf
ening thunder-crash, and mid the glare
my eyes sought my fathers face. He was
dead
I do not know how long the storm con-
tinued. needed it no longer. The SER
wants seldom came to me unless they were
summoned, and now terrified by the unu-
sual violence Of the storm, they were hud-
died together in distant apartment. l
had no thought Of striving to awake him,
| wished no witnesses. | knew he was
dead. In that hour it was my only thought
the one black cloud, shutting out all
else Of life. l held him there for hours.
Beside that one thought all was emptiness.
l sat there until the voices of the storm
were hush2d, and the broad, full beams Of
the July moon poured in at the window,
flooded the great room, and bathed the
dead mans brow. Then looked up, and
Reginald entered.
"What is this, I,a?" he said, as he ad-
vanced to my side.
My answer was but the utterance Of one
thought--"He is deadv'
Reginald Percy bent over me, and laid
his hand upon my fathers forehead. "Good
heavens, lisa, what is this? He has beer
dead for hours. He is cold and stark
We must have a physician instantly. We
must know how he died. And you hav,
been alone here all this time? There,
will bring pillow. Just rest his heat
down here, and get up yourself"
"Thank you," l said quietly, but reso
lutely-"I am not at all tired. Twill hole
him until the physician shall have come.
"But, Isa !"
"Reginald, l shall hold my father
He saw that was resolved, and left thu
room. Without alarming the servants, hi
went out, and returned in few moment!
with light and a physician. Then | wa
forced to submit to have him taken from
me and laid upon a couch. DR.. Hamilton
had, it seemed, known both my father anc
my grandfather. He called my father
disease by some learned medical name
which to this day l cannot remember H
said he must have been secretly struggling
with it for years, and that it was onl
strange that it had not brought death O
madness long before-that the very inten
sity of his struggles against it was VIII
death came so suddenly at last.
ats cause must have been some sever
grief or mental trouble" he concluded
"it could have originated in no other way.
listened to his words with faint shut
der, and then turning, as he left the room
| buried my face in Reginald's bosom.
"You are all now," 1 whispered, tren
, blngly.
II know it, Isa," was his low reply
II feel it, and I am worthy as love ca
= make me. But you are wet, poor child
7 how is this~
q "My father came in wet in half hOl
after the storm commenced, and since the
. l have been holding him in my arms"
4 "Kou will die, too! lisa, you must n
throw your life away, my beautiful darlin
4 l shall call Barbara. For my sake tai
care for yourself little"
o He left the room, and in moment n
4 old nurse entered, and commenced reno
,, ing my wet garments. was half stur
fed with my great grief, and heard h
! expressions Of sympathy and wonder wit
n out comprehending them. There was
is one light in my darkness, and that was t
s. CLEAN which entered my soul, with the
70 three words, "for my sake" Yes,
his sake must bear it bravely; for
ie sake must live!
TO Oh, those weary, bitter days, when l
1t father lay in state for his burial, and aft
ID that, when his coffin had been borne 9
u of the house, when the mourners had f
- lowed it, and I was left alone. I saw ma
people in those days, friends of my fat
as er's, who came and went They look
L. pityingly at my sorrowful face, and sol
n Of them spoke to me, but I scarcely roV
ed myself from my abstraction enough
listen, and after while it all ceased, o.
they left me to myself. Reginald b
th been with me through all, making hims
,r. more and more dear and necessary to
by his silent sympathy, and the fond Ct
which strove to tighten my burdens, wi
'a' out thought for his own.
ve TO BE CONTINUED.