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


which had been laid upon him :sand u,
last, t:a slNaIer under those white grave
stones AunIl be the more weicone, anu
the cl!,ma which bOunA lis heart more
easily oxen. And taen. as Ae thought
OF her n :i"r beaury, the nan east down
the n'at y. scbhirc tor5s -" But tbought
she iovcs! ne. O, my God thought she
loved ha-," he flung himself npon the
floor, asg. lay thee until the graYestones
were kiss y tie red sunrise, and the
blessed " - Cisistnas .'awnei once
more ups tl,- world < ~
JaspeA yas in the city anl releeminG
his prosP;i.s to the letter, and William had
succeeie, IN burying love and grief in his
own bree>t together. When Jasper wrote
to him, be always found tiny note, With
out direc,ion Of any kind, and he always
handed it with few brief words to Caro-
line. Bat he went no longer along that
road At eventide, and sat no more beside
her. T.eir 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, but he
dared not trust himself So soon.
And so a year passed, and Christmas
came again, and Jasper was coming home
on visit No one called him wild now,
and he was fast attaining a place in his
profession and as he wrote to William,
the secret would be 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 .drahams' 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 joycns sparkle to her soft black eyes,
and she answered in a lstless 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 a strong will, but struggling yet
for mastery
care you ill?" he asked almost invol-
unfairly. "You look so. l did not no.
tice ats,tirst, but yon have altered very
rlucA ca
She grew crimson Her cheeks, her
neck and her brow, were suffused in
moment, and she looked at him with a
strange expression of mingled grief and
anger. Il am well, very well," she said,
proudly. "It is strange that you should
think ME altered"
The young minister arose. "FOrglve
me, he said. Il presumed upon friends
privilege, for We were friends a year ago,
Miss Graham, and shall be better friends
tonight than we have ever been"
ga year ago!" 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 tie for. Senseless and white she
lay, an! he placed her in 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 utterance of his name, in an un-
conscious claspiDg of the arms about his
neck, he had read the truth. She loved
him-she, the betrOthed wife of his absent
brother even as he loved her. 8. Let me
die now, he murnured-'l let me die be-
fore l am tempted beyond my feeble
strength. His heart must not be broken
Also" and as the color came to her white
face again, he laid her softly down, witt,
one long parting kiss upon her forhead,
and SO left her.
Or that Christmas morning, when the
bells were ringing for church, 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 death and weeks
passed by before the shadow OF his former
self stood at the little window looking out
upon the graves.Ones in the churcbyard,
and wondering if life would always be SO
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
missionary. He would be a wanderer
upon the earth, homeless, lonely man,
seeking only the good of others, weaving
for himself no tender ties. He would die
there, and be 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, but not for all the
world would he remain where he could
daily meet the woman whom, in a 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.