Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-10-18

lunch, and to gossip. Minnie stole away
to an uninviting spot where the old tomb
stones were half sunk in the earth, and
the graves oyergrown with-Weeds. Here
she thought that She would not be follow
el, for she now wanted to think Of Tom
when she saWihini coming slowly towards
her, with, eyes benton the ground. ..,. ...
e lie, is sorry, poor f-llown' she thought;i
"I.knOw he is sorry" ....l5 W
Tom started on seeing her. !" How you
startle a fellow, MipnieH he said. "And
you look like ghost. What is the matter!
Does anything trouble you, Minnie?" he
added in a more kindly tone. ...r- r,',l.
Minnie did not lean her pale face against
the tombstone and say: "God knows!' or
look at him reproachfqly Ikea dumb ami
NAL being led to slaughter. oranyt ytbing else
she ought to have done. She looked at him
with contempt, and eYclaiming: Tom
lIartle, you are a fooln' walked away as
fast as she could, for fear she would cry,
which was weakness OF, hers. .. ..,.....
She did not go far. The thought that
Toms unlucky question had dssipated,
came back tohdr; turning suddenly round,
she went back to the place where she had
left him. He was leaning against thefence,
looking at the hills in the distance with a
sad and troubled face. nn.v ..r gsa.a
"TOm," said Minnie, kindly, laying her
hand on his shoulder, /" know what you
are thinking about. DON'T grieve over it.
Itcan't be helped, and you're not Il bit to
blame for it, and guess it will all come out
right in the end, somehow -.v ......
And she was gone before Tom quite COM
pretended her words. UuIg -.r rIH9..I
Tom did not intend to walk home with
Kitty Smith, but when they went out OF
church, and she looked at him with her
great brown eyes, he was drawn to her side
as by Il magnet, and they walked away to-
gether. Minnie saw it, and il made her
angry. Angry, tllst he had so little consid-
Grafton for her after what she had said to
him inrth graveyard, and more angry be-
cause he dld1itin the sight Of all the con-
gregation, who knew and wondered at it,
aud pitied her. 'i lll31,r' ..I .IrJI-
Her road was the same as theirs, but she
went round longer way to the quarry, so
| as to avoid walking behind them. The
quarry Washalt way home, and when she
got there She sat down to- rest in a thick
growth of young pines upon the summit
of breezy hill. But she was destined to
find no mental repose that day, for she had
been there but few minutes when Tom and
Kitty came in sight. They should have
been home by this time. They had loiter-
| ed along the road. Minnie watched them
| as they seated themselves on the grass near
| her place of concealment, and she noted
! kitty's coquettiSh ways, and Toms in
creasing admiration. .t.
81 wish she would slip into the quarry
and break her neck y thought Minnie. =,
| At last, on Kitty,s expressing wish for
some wild gopseberries, Tom went Off in
| search Ior some. He was gone long time,
| and Kitty began to yawn, and Minnie wish
cd most heartily he would come back, 50
they colld 20 home aud she could get
away. kitty spied a turf of columbines
InoddiDg on the very edge of the hill, and
true to natural instinct of gratifying q
lipresent pleasure without qthought beyond,
she ran to them and plicked them up. The
ground here was sloping, the grass dry
and slippery. She felt herself swiftly
gliding down the hill, and, clutching Wild
|, ,ly at the air, she canght hold of a birch
IlsaplinS rs she swung oil, which had been
quarried away until its rocky sides were
IlalmOst smooth tor descent of some forty
feet. And there she bung-her only sup
IIport the sapling which she grasped with
her left hand, and which bent so low With
its weight that its plumed top touched her
head. She knew it must break soon, aud
she looked at the jagged rocks far below
her. and cried and shrieked lor help, i. . ..,
|! If she had any presence of mind She
would have seen that she had one chance
for life. Minnie saw it in flash, and cali
ed out to her: -... -,,i.,. a-,. -. r.,t
Swing yourself a little to the right, Kit
Ity, and put your feet upon that little point
of rock. I, Don't you see it?" .'... ,......r
II see it," shrieked Kitty, "but cant
do it. Help mel 0 help me !" ....
Minnie ran to the spot. There was no
friendly rock or bush to hold to-nOthing
but the shivering bank and slippery grass,
and the one sapling which was the frail
support OF poor Kitty Sle threw herself
upon the ground, as far from the edge as
she could, and seized hold OF Kitty'S wrist.
"Now, Kitty, don,tlet 90 tlesapIihg, and
Swing yourself upon that -rock-you can
easily do it." en 'l.. .'.-. aaI' '.rL
II can't do It! I shall fall ifI movG!
Pull me up, Miinie, pull me up!" .. ..'l
"I can'tn said Minnie. "The grass is
slippery, and there's notiidS to hold by,
and L haven't the strength. Get on tie
Eock;i q Tom will soon be here" ''''i.'
But the terror-strclen Kitty began to
struggle, and Minnie felt herself mDving
towards the edge of that awful precibice
"You are pulling me off, Kitty. can't
hold you, if you struggle The rock is
gour only chance" 80 '5'l -."
But Kitty would only screani and strug-
gle, and now Minnie was drawn so near
the edge that she could see far down into
that fearful depth. " 81 G,"N'' rs e'l'
a will let her 60" She thought, "she
win kill me it I don't'h But her next
Thought was, '9Yhat shall tell Tom when
he comes back? No. /. willsave hJr,i or we
will die together" ~" tli'.Fu 9i'I .!.'l' q
She saw root of the sapling was above
the ground. This is, a little thing, indeed,
but gave, her some hope, Still keepibg
hold of, Kitty's wrist she raised herself on
her knees, and working herself Slowly and
carefully along that tfeacherous bank. she
fixed her knees firmly against it, Then
taking off her shawl she lowered it to Kit |
ty's hand. Kitty clutched with so strong
and despairing hold that Minnie shook |
and tottered, she recoyered, herself aud |
closing her eyes for an instant to siinmon |
all her courage and commend herself to
God, she eXerted all her strength, and /
swinging Kitty round, landed her Safely on |
the little rocky ledge And now, some of |
Kitty's sense returning to her she man |
aged, with the help of Minnie and the |
shawl, to scramble up on the hill, where the |
two girls had a brief struggle vet to Keep |
from sliding off, until with Bhnched cheeks |
and bloodshot eyes thay stood firm upon |
the ground anu lookedat each other.M T'iial
AT this point Minnie shoiild have faint |
ed, but instead of chat, she gave Kitty a |
good shaking. .9Hi u" hahl 3iFh' G-iailF lif
"You silly baby!' she exclaimed. ''You
came nearvputtipg an end to both. of ns.-- |
Why 5idn't you do as told you ?"
And then sat down on the ground and |
cried. Kitty cried, too, and between her !
sobs she, ,eaidslEG .blsirg,}--ssa,1an1 7oV |
"oh, Minnie! you've saved my life-and |
h,,,,