Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1867-03-09

| soften at your name; shrIlled-voiced.
women calm themselves and grow gem
| tier when they hear it. Indifferent
people, whose time is swallowed up in
doing.the worlds work, pause and turn
aside for moment to wonder what fash
nation hangs about it. Think, then,
what it is to me. viii give up every
thing for your sake. My great ambi-
toni throw at your feet. My riches
shall go, as yours do, to feed the starv
ing, and our home shall shelter the
homeless. This is not all; if there is
hope for me -"
Glare put her hand on his shoulder.
and felt that he. shrunk from the touch
as though it hurt him..
Hector" she said, 81 have some
thing to tell you-a brief story. Will
you listen?n fg-.-
81. will hear whatever you have to
say" hereplied.
"There is no such feeling as you
speak of in my heart" she said; ''none
such can ever come into it again. Ten
years ago my promised husband went
abroad. You knew nothing of me hen;
no one but myself can ever know what
he was to me-what he is still. One
TGaCneu me lTOln Alul-Onc OLAJ
the first and the last. Then / heard
that he was
"Deadl' exclaimed Hector. "No,
Merchandising" she replied.
Then she told him the little there was
| to tell, and drew from her bosom a
small morocco case, in which lay that
one letter and a lock of hair Through
all these years that she had waited with
hope growing fainter, no voice had
brought tidings of him. Where,i In all
the wide, dreary world, had he found
a resting place? None could tell her.
No soul knew how it WAS, or where,
that he disappeared. All trace of him
was lost.
The young man covered his face. He
saw 1t all-the terrible agony of the
first suspense, the long hopeless wait
| ing; the CHASTITY uncertainty, and the
courage of the loving woman who bore
| it all so brsvely little, A while he sat
thus, hiding his face; then once more
he bent his knee and took her hand,
putting il TO his lips.
Glare" said he, ''forget my love. I
will go away now. When you see me
again shall be true friend and broth
err
She saw his face pale with strong
emotion; she knew that he meant what
he said, and a CLEAN of comfort stole
across her pity for him. Then she
stopped and kissed his forehead; q
grave, womanly kiss, the seal of the
compact between them.
The evening grew cold and still
Clare sat where Hector had left her,
watching the faces that came and went
between the bars of-the CRATE. And
by-and-by a light sounded on the door,
and a radiant little figure came in, and
sat on the footstool at Clare's feet, look
ing up
/ "They said you had visitor, cousin,
and must not be disturbed"
| Clare's hand wandered carelessly over
the fair hair, and smile stole to her
lips. This was Juhan's cousin, the
her charge ten years ago, and whose
home was with her now.
/ $50 had visitor" she replied;
"but he is gone, Mayfower. You did
not want meY'
"Not more than always do" she
replied.
| A shadow passed over Clare's face
She scarcely knew why, but something
in the words startled her into a sudden
provision Of loneliness in the future. -
This child, VINO had so grown into her
life, and who loved her now, Nigh
change with the changing years. Glare
had vet to consider what her own world
i would be when that light should shine
upon another hearth.
"Glare," said the girl.
"Well, Mayfower?' she replied.
"You are so grave continued the
girl. ''The visitor was tiresome one,
know. What are you thinking about?
Would you rather went away again?''
= mo" said Care, smiling into the
: upturned face. 81 was only thinking
thinking what / should do if had
3 no Mayflower."
The girl started up with an exclama-
ton of dismay.
s'Clarep' she exclaimed, "what. do
; you near? What have 1 done? You
are not gong TO send me away?
couldn't bear it; ! couldn't live without
you."- e
Then, as shemet the sad, tender eyes
fixed upon her, sudden rush of color
spread over Marion's cheeks, and she
"CIare, if you mean that, I shall new
er care for any one. as do for you, she
4 said II shall never leave yon-I'will
tnaver-"
Her hps were covered hastily, and
she felt CIare's arm round her in aclose
EN- brace.
"Hush, my darling, said she, "that
is not for you or etc decide; 1t is all
lin the future. haYe you -now;. we
will be satisfied with that shall weg'
j CHAPTER III.
Clare sat by tne lire, where she liked
Ito sit in the twilight hour, though the
time of year scarcely required fires;
and because she sat. there, another
came and sat there too, ON stool very
| near to her. This was the light of the
house, the treasure she could hardly
bear out of her sight--the Mayfower
THAT had come to cheer life whose
summer blossoms had been few, and,
4 gasEfefelf long ago. set aside. Clare her
1 self would h.fset told yous like precious
memories nevdTfo be parted with, even
in their ashes. But theo, of these the
May flower knew nothing ~.-She held a
Ibook in her hand, and her head was
tbene down over 1T, one cheek resting
on her hand, and it is just possible that
her thoughts were ,rOt with the book
Itself. At any Fate, Glare, looking down
upon her, conceived some idea that
l. L