St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1863-12-24

one IOOAeu Dack INTO the OurkenlDE
room, and started as a halfburned 10y
fell with A. crush apaps s.tAa -hsarth &
longing came over, her to hear again
her husbands blithe. voice, 70 see his
fond glancsy to have him. there beside
hers! aud then gradually her thoughts
vnpdersd vp'e away frqn} tbs 4'ti sondbre gid
mansion to another, far away at Ken
sington, alive with gay gay +, young voices,
smiling faces; and where her Xpice and
her SceIhad only eight months since
been the gayest and thegbrightest; fos
she had been q cherished daughter Of
that house untl1 Sir Richard Courthoope
wooed and won her, ana brought hsr
here to beT mistress nof his ,Cheshirs
home. Tenderly shezrecalIed the young
bgetheIs: and sisters, the loving parents
Of her happy maiden y days, and wonder
ed # thew yet missed her, and might
perhaps be speaking Of her even then
till all at once her fancy took another
turn, aud.shs felt as though her fond
remcmbrances were treason to. the alb
sent husband, who was far desrer to
her than any Of that merry party: ::
She would shake off this strange sad
ness which had crept upon, her. With
a sudden i.upulse she sprang up, stirred
the glowing cmbers into a blaze, and
sitting down Beside her harpsichord,
began low, soft air; then her mood
changed, and the full notes Of some
martial air rang out into the room ~
Once she paused when Nlarston entered
bearing the tall, silver candlesticks,
and as the music died away, she heard
the beating Of the rein against the
easement, and the bowling Of the wind
among the trees. A: minute she lis
tened, and then her fingers touched
the keys again. "The storm has come,
my lady" 1t was Marston who spoke.
She had Thought him gone. but he was
standing close beside her. chair. "Sir
Richard can never pass Craven Ford
tonight" he went on
."What will he do 2" and she looked
round with startled eyes.
- ale may make for home, but fear,
my lady; and had | your: leave, I
would ride out to meet him with Ian
tern. The night is as dark as pitch,
and one false step by the roadside would
he death" He xnnke loY ard r+thA-9 Il z
was a atrlnge eaycrneSs in his tone and
in his face. .'s !, = t..ssc,.g.. j, -t>.,
, 1<"Go, pray gol" she exclaimed, her
voice trembling with anxiety; sand
yet might you not send Stephen in
your stead ~ She knew not why she
asked that question, she only knew that
some vague feeling prompted it. il =.
{ Marston's brow iarkcned. ale is a
stranger to the country, while l have
livcd'here from my childhood. lie does
not even know the, road, while l have
ridden along it hundreds of times by
night and day. But be it as you will
"Go: yoiairseif," she once more repeat
cd : ''lose, not moment! Heaven
send you may be there Before Sir Rich:
ard" , ..,..
The man turned silently to obey her
orders, but as he reached tie door he
looked round, and for an instant bis
eye MET hers-only for an instant; but
there was something in that one glance
so peculiar, 50 sinister, that she almost
shuddered: Ere she could recover Her
first shock, ere She could speak Fior
think, he was gone What did II
mean? She had long known that he
bore her no goodwill, that he regarded
her as an intruder in her husbands
house, and that he bitterly resented
the stern rebukes. and even threats,
with wh,cl, his master had visited his
occasional disrespect to her.. She had
known this long, bu: never had his
dislike been written so plainly in his
face as now. Could he be plotting
harm? Ia Should she follow him and
countermandT his going e. For thirty
years Msrstont had, served Sir Richard
faithfully-surely he would not now b
false to him. That clitf-path Nigh,
indeed be feared, but not the old oand
trusted servant. So She waited, til
in less than ,llalf, an hour she heard iii.
horses hoofs. crashing on the garder
walk She. did not hear, something
else ;,she did not hear his mutteree
words, as he glanced up at the lighted
windows Of the drawing room "Sh,
would have stopped me. had she dared
but she cannot stop me now: Their,
will be a heavy, reckoning this nigh
for the scorn she has made Sir Richar,
heap upon me" and his teeth wer,
ground with somethinglike ascurse.
FTaLady' Courthope sitting@thoughtfull,
beside tho fire her eyes fixed upon Ith,
leaping flames, her bands lying idle i,
her lap, was left undisturbcd till near
two hours 'latcf, Stephen come t.
ttell,hersupper waited: :dr'She, asked hin
- shelrose if the storm still araged. = :
l.'1t,h has Pas.ed, ;my LADY, and, the .,sk!
II clear. She went. to the window AIT
drew aside the' VnurtaaiiffiI. Tie Hdarl
clouds 1wsra gone;7 and in'theit ssteai
the dnaoon 'si6neo bright on Woodland
hill. Marston'sjoarney would be need
lesS !: Sir Rich hard would be- safe now
She heavedsao deep sigh Of relief, .ap{
tRith,aohght stepsNeltrl her, :RaY' to tfi1
lsoegGss:lc9~ ,gdey.u2E .n,Ir..I
o,sIl!n sIna atFg evening ni weTp W away; The grea