Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1866-06-01

! indeed, but 1t gave her some hope. Still
( keeping hold of kitty's wrist, she raise
herself on her knees, and worked hersel
slowly and carefully along that treacher
/ Gus bank, she reached the root, and fxet
her knees firmly against it. Then takinJ
! of her shawl she lowered it to Kitty
hand Kitty clutched it with so strOnj
and despairing a hold that Nina shool
and tOttered. She recovered herself, anC
! closing her eyes for an instant to summon
all her courage and to commend her sou
to God, she eXerted all her strength, anC
swinging Kitty round, landed her In safet,
on the little rocky ledge. And now
some Of klttys seuse returning to her
she managed, with the help of Nina an,
the shawl, TO scramble upon the hill
where the two girls had brief struggl,
yet to keep from sliding off, until, will
blanched cheeks and blOodshot eyes. the
stood upon firm ground, and looked a
each other
At this point Nina should have tainted
but, instead of that, she gave Kitty gooC
shaking
You silly baby" she exclaimed, ''yor
came near putting an end to both of us
Why didn't you do as l told you p
And then she sat down on the ground
and cried. And Kitty cried too, and be.
tween her sobs she said: "Oh, Nina
you We saved my life-and you are so good
and /. We been-sO uaughty-and I've
tried-I've tried-to steal your beauxl'
4 know it, said Nina shortly, choking
back the tears And that isn't the
worst Of it, Kitty
There can't be any worse, said Kitty
es there can, said Nina. And then
they both tell to crying again, and Kitty
put her arms round her neck, and kept
Ill Il
WhIc question she got no answer
And thus the amazed Tom found them
and Kitty told the story, and Tom trem.
bled to think how near death Kitty haC
been, and he knew he ought to have
thought first of Nina, and hat he ought
to say something; but be only stood tWirl
ing the end of his silk handkerchief, and
wishing he was a girl so be could cry too
But Nina dried her eyes, using for that
purpose pink kid glove instead of hel
handkerchief, for she was IN sore trouble
Tom, she said, in thick and husky
tones, you love Kitty, and she will love
you sometime if she don't now And ]
will not stand in your way. And so it's
all over between us, and you mustn't feel
sorry for me. l know you wouldn't have
broken with me, and that you meant to
stand to your promise; but it wouldn't be
right, you know, to marry me with love In
your heart for another woman And now
| will 60 home by myself. [ would
rather; and you had better wait till Kitty
feels better"
Here Tom should have delivered a
speech clothed In that tender and simple
language and with that beautiful pathos
and refinement Of feeling for which, we
all know, poor young working men are
remarkable. But he was an exception to
his class, and SO he only twirled his
handkerchief the harder, and looked
foolish, and was dreadfully afraid be
would cry, and only managed to say,
Don't, Nina, don't break with me this
way. We will talk it over"
No, Tom. said Nina, there's no use
in talking it over-I know 1t all Don t
feel sorry for me. You couldn't help it,
and l couldn't help doing what l have to-
day, and what 1 am doing now, and Kitty
couldn't help being pretty. And now
don't you be feeling sorry for me-
And so she left them, and the two stood
watching her in silence and shame and
pity, while she went her way across the
field, until she seemed to them to melt
into the crimson and golden glories Of the
West.
And now it would seem as if Nina had
established a sort Of claim to be cOnsid-
cred a heroine; but then, you see, she did
nothing in the orthodox way.
And, moreover, after these events she
did not pine away into a beautiful and
luminous shadow" and die placidly and
sereuely at sunset or sunrise, (never, by
any possible chance, In the middle of the
day shadowy heroines, and especially
luminous ones, being governed by diff
ferent laws from other shadows,) after
giving Tom her blessing and Kitty her
Sunday clothes. No, indeed. am sor-
ry to say she still persists In keeping alive
and well. And worse than this, (iP any
thing can be worse she bought a COW
with the money she had put aside for her
wedding fnery; and now, having plenty Of
butter milk TO drink, is getting rather
stout
And now I am sure the public will take
pity on me and solve the puzzle cannot,
and which has robbed me of rest and
pleasure, and answer the question: Is
She a heroine?