The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1863-11-28
HILDRETH DoANE,s LOVES.
BY ESTHER sERLE kenneth.
"Oh. love. love, love,
Maketh the brave heart ache 2"

. sky pressed their sullen faces together, ar
!, seaweed shifted in ragged heaps over Il
. : beach. The waves roared continually, an
/. broke in sheets Of seething foam upon Il
gray sand-gray that day, but in the sun
rner days, golden as the sunshine tn,
melted IN the air.
Over the sands, far and farther ava
I from her home. Hildreth Doaue Wake
. swiftly, pressing against the blasts of hiy
wlnd-never swerving-her head erect u,
Ger the gray hood of her cloak-her lic
8 shut hrmiy-a steady glitter in her dar
!, eyes. She had wrapped her cloak closel
over her breast, and held it there with he
folded arms. The wind Auttered her skirt
/. . and the waves leapt up hungrily at her a
she passed-breaking them il wild confu
SION. and crawling hu@bly to her feet, spen
|; and lost. Ths sea affected her horribl
that day. ia roar was terrible and tn
hiss OF the surf had . cruel malice in it.
The beach grew more pebbIy, and a
last rough with myriads Of stones, tha
crunched under her tread as she walked
She pressed on With the same eager hast,
over the rough wav Her speed did no
seem to slacken. When the blast was tn.
strongest she bowed her head, but thai
was all; she never even paused or hest.
tatrd
One mile-two miies-nearly three, and
she came to Gun Rock She commenced
climbing the clefts of rock that on one
SIDE arose from the shore, and on the other
descended into the sea From point TO
! point she sprang. still wrapped neatly il,
her grey "loak-soing rapidly higher and
higher. unit; she stood. small, straight and
slender, at the edge Of the narrow chasm
where the sea creep< in slowly and uncon-
scionsly, and then goes mad to find itself
penned thus IN prison. She stood still
and looked down the chasm with a strange
intentness. The tide was rising. and the
advancing wave foateG in calmy-ri-inc
higher and hisher-fiiinc through the
narrow opening and filling the small BAY
around the turn-till, crowded and pressed
ov advancing waves, 1t turned to retreat
Missing the outlet, it grew panic-stricken
and wild-leaping high against the walls
that held it-rushine here and there
snow'white with terror. Hildreth watch
ed curiously to see what it would do II
paused in kind of dumb despair at last,
when the ebb tide took it and carried i,
safely around the turn INTO tho free. wide
sea. And the chasm gloomed deep and
sti!l-oniy little foam frstting along the
rocks at the bottom.
Gazing downward in n trance of fasciua.
hon. Hiidreth Doane dropped her secret
into the dark gap
love himI sIe whispered
lhe swell rode in, deep and strong and
ere 1t rose to its crisis, H,ldreth ,urneI and
sprang down the rocks, crying under her
breath
have buried il, 1t will never trouble
me?
The wind lulled, and tho sun broke
through the clouds. Swiftly at Erst-,hen
more slowly-Hildreth walked towards
her home The @ sky !i.eI Itself y! fEem .,ihf
med out OF hai Dor across the blue waters
Going out of hsrbor across the smooth
sands of Nania>ket. Hiidreth observed
the baihers running down to the surf
heard ih-ir gay shouts-.aw their gambols
and wild antics in the water. They look
ed like blossoms blown into the sea, in !
their bright costumes of crimson and scar.
let. The sand was golden then, and the
dark blue tide that rolled upon it had
snowy edge Of foam. People sauntcred to
and fro chatting merriy. Carriages gilt
tered by. Over all, the clear, azure SKY
ben, from the distant edge Of the sea TO
the treakw-ter, high up on the shore.
Over the breakwater were the houses and
>
there yet, and SO she sat down on a heap
Of rus,iing seaweed under the lee of rock
She was wearied BY her long, swift walk
ai.nless at fist, it had been, but as she rat
quiet and alone in the sunshine, she felt
AS if she had been on long errand, and il
was done, and well done, and she was sat
isfied.
Suddenly she saw gay group OF bathers
coming down from the Pacific House
The seaside hotel was jut above the break
water. Where she sat she could hear the
racket Of balls in its bowling alley.
Foremost in the group that hurried down
to tho water, was the figure Of a young
man in a crimson tunic, kelted at the waist
-aprstty boy in red, and white, and blue
Zouave suit, hiding gaily along on his shoul-
der. Very quiet in her sheltered iseat,
Hildreth watched those figures with
strange in:entness. The young man walk
ed into the surf, and throwing himself in
to the ebb tide Of retreating breaker
fought against the next. and then-the
child on his back screaming in excitement
swan gallantiy out from the shore Hill
dreth did not stay to see him return. She
rose from her seat and went fast up the
shore. past the breakwater to her home.
1t was q low, brown house on sandy
fO1u-S1lG marshes ~ % seen from ehS
window Of her chamber at the back. The
room was small and rather ba-e. A table
stood in one corner, spread with writing
materials; a large pile Cf foo!scap was al
ready covered 10y the fine characters of an
, exquisite penipan.hip. The sunshine only
warmed the chamber, but it fell on the
char before the table, and here Hi!dreth
sat down. Aud the romance she wrote
| that afternoon was written as wildly as il
she had dipped the pen in her hearts
blood.
There was a deep crimson on her cheek,
and j rich light in her brown eyes, when
the sun went down. The story was finish-
ed, her weeks work was done, AID drop
ing her face upon her folded arms she sa,
motienless while the shadows gathered
/ The heat Of excitement in her blood cool
! ed slowly, and the terrible drsOlatiOn born
of twilight and sad heart, which comes
to some lives, gathered overher. Only God
beside knew what weary dearth lille
seemed to her that night.
S;,e had not needed the tinkling supper
belt when it rurg. The room grew dark
and the moon rose high in the cold sky
She was chilly, but she did not mind j,
Ehe was thinking SO intently and so sad
ly.
| Suddenly there was KNOCK Ut TIT
door. She raised her head and listened
The ne 1t moment her little brothers voice
rang up the stairs:
uildreth! Iiildrethr
She kter who had come. She arose
her heart beating heavily. She waited :
moment TO calm herself, and then wen
r down into the hall The front door wa
open and man figure stood in the moon
1;.bt o,,ta,do 20 hold
Good evening, Donald
Il came to say good bye. Hildreth.
| am going home to morrow.
He searched her face for . look b.
thought be had econ there once.
will Won come in 2 she said quietly