The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-11-13

which had been laid upnn hi,u; and at
last, IL y lumber under those w'tc grave
stones &,'l.I J@ ;h~ more welcome, ana
the cAlpf Which h0unH ii, lvllt mere
easily '>on. And then. =, IL s.ogaIlt
OF her :.r t,an-v, lie l:ian .'..~s inWn
the M ~. >"hhiuu lnre \ SO BIT thought
she royce. lH-: g. my G I'D ithou1ht she
loved b'-," he fang himself upon the
floor, ~. lay thee Until the graYestones
werD Elo-,'' nia rcd -gnrisc, and tie
blys~e' ~ - - Ii,i.tuas .ANHai once
more upe. H. world. -"
JaspeA - in tie city AMI re3ee:ninn
his proW' 20 the letter, aAd William had
suc,eedc, IN bucying love and grief in III
own hre Il together. When Jasper wrote
70 him: he always found a tiny note, With
out direcion Of any kind, and he always
handed It wish Il few brief words TO Caro-
line. BIT lie went 30 logger along that
road ;lt eyentide, and sat no more beside
her / .tir interviews We're few and brief,
and her manner to him had altered 80 far
that he half feared she guessed his secret
1t was hard to keep aloof from her, bEt he
dared not trust Himself so soon.
And 50 year passed, and Christmas
came again, and Jasper WAS coming home
on visit No one called him wild now,
and he was fast attaining place in his
profession; and as h. wrote to William,
the secret would he q secret no longer
There was another of those little white
notes l. the letter which brought these
tidings. and William walked over with it
to the irahams' homestead. AS he en-
tered the old parlor, he found Caroline
sitting beside the fire, and saw that her
eyes were wet with tears.
"JaSper will be here tomorrow" he
said, as he seated himself opposite her;
and he wondered that the words brought
no Joyous sparkle to her soft black eyes,
and she answered in listless manner, and
sat still looking into the fire. Then, as he
looked at her, and saw how thin she had
grown, end marked the pallor OF her fair
young cheek, and read in her whole mein
something that told of sorrow crushed
down by q strong will, but struggling yet
for mastery.
care you ill?" he asked almost invol-
unfairly. "You look so. did not no.
tee at first, but you have altered very
rluc,..' H
She grew crimson. Her cheeks, her
neck and her brow, were sutfuSed in a
moment, and she looked at him with a
strange expression of mingled grief and
anger. 81 am well, very WE'LL" she said,
proudly. cit is strange that you should
think he altered"
The young minister arose. "Forgive
nc, he said. Il presumed upon q friends
privilege, for We were friends year ago,
Miss Graham, and shall be better friends
tom gilt than we have ever been"
ga year ayo!" she murmured, as though
she had spoke against her will. ga year
ago. Yes, it is Christmas time again. |
had almost forgotten it " Her cheek was
winter now than the snow without the
door; and startled by her wild glance and
hollow voice, William Betsworth sprang
forward just in time to save her from fall
ing to Il e flo r. Senseless and white she
lay, an he placed her in a great arm chair
and knelt besi,'e her. Such agony as at
thai moment wrung his heart had never
tortured it betOre-tOr in that one cry, in
a sobbing utterancc of his name, in an IN
conscious clasping of the arms about his
him-she, the betrothed wife of his absent
bru tier even as he loved her. Let me
die now, he murNured-'' let me die be-
fore am tempted beyond my feeble
strength His heart must not be broken
aisO:' and as the color came to her white
face again, he laid her softly down, with
one long parting Kiss upon her toriiead,
and 50 left her.
Or that Christmas morning, when the
bells We're ringing Tor church, 4 stranger
occupied the little pulpit, and there were
hushed voices and so!tened footsteps in
the parsonage, where the young minister
lay near the gates of dealt! and weeks
passed by before the shadow OF his former
self stood at the little window looking out
upon the gravestones in the churchyard,
and wondering if life would always be 50
dreary. As he gazed, he saw woman's
form among the graves, walking to and
fro, and looking up from time to time to.
wards the window. 1t was gray twilight,
but the outline of her form told him it was
Caroline, and the sight confirmed reso.
luton formed during those days of con-
| valescence. He would leave the country,
and 60 far away to some heather land as
a missionary. He would be wanderer
upon the earth, homeless, lonely man,
seeking only the good of others, weaving
for himself no tender ties. He would die
there, and he buried by savage hands, or
lie uncared for on some desert spot, until
the wind had bleached his bones and the
beasts of the forest had made dainty
meal upon his flesh, not for all the
world would he remain where he could
daily meet the woman whom, in few
brief days, it would be guilty to love.
As he turned from the window with this
thought at his heart, he saw Jasper stand
ing close beside him. His face was glow
ing with joy, and he clasped his brother
about the waist in his own boyish fashion.