The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1868-02-13

-
faculties scem lost in the absorbing
terror. But moment since and sh'
could have laid down her head on til,
soft snow and wooed the Destroyer
And now-but it is SO horrible: to ii
murdered, to Vrestle ogonizingly. fo
Fife, to clutch the knife, to feel its sha'
edge cut through the fingers as all Re
lcntlessly it is wrested' from them to d,
its deadly work. To have life tori
away bit by bit, each struggle beco1n
Ting, fainter than the last. And still
she cannot move she tries to utter :
cry, but no articulatc sound comes fortl
A low, choking sob lattles in he,
throat.
The noise grows louder and louder
tho bushes crackle, tile snow is scatter
ed around her; lut it is no human foot.
steps she hears, only SOME animal
breaking the dead twigs; her heart
gives a bound of relief, and then a
rough shaggy head is laid in he,r': hp;.
s'Snap, Snap good doggy :" and
Adriana's tears fell upon Snaps rough
Coat. a.. ,.','-'
But Snap did not stay loag to com.
tort her; with quick, short bark he
retraced his way through the bushes,
and his bark sounded fainter aud faint
er and soon was lost in the distance.
However, she did not feel SO hopeless,
for she had strong faith in Snaps "a.
gacity, and he might bring help to her.
An hour passed by :; the snow was fall
ing thickly; she strained her ears to
listen, but the stilluess was unbroken.
From time to time she shook off the
fakes that coated her. Surely the
storm was nearly over. The clouds
somewhat cleared and the moon tried
to shine out through the mist; Adri-
ana looked on every side, but. could
not determine in what direction to move
So she decided to remain where she
was until the moon should throw a
clearer light upon the dreary white
waste by which she was surrounded.
At length came faint bark, nearer
and nearer. Could it be Snap return
ing? Once more she was caressing the
dog. There was help near; the figure
of'a man was gradually becoming visi-
bic, though indistinctly seen through
the fog. Her heart beat quickly. it
Was Charles Cunningham's walk. She
should meet him once more alone, away
from the surroundings Of Etheredge
Court. Was she glad? was she sorry ?
abe scarcely knew which; she was so
near what had been her desire for years
TO speak to him once more !; and yet
now that the opportunity seemed with
in her grasp, she shrank from it and
wished herself away.
:. But it was not Mr.. Braddick :; the
brotherly resemblance had cnce more
deceived her, and there was shade of
disappointment in her tone as she ex-
claimed
"Mr. Etheredge ~
s'You don't seem very glad to see me,
Miss Linden. I should not have sup
posed You found your quarters so very
delig ghtfal as to wish to remain in
them."
II am very much obliged to- you, Mr..
Etheredge."
- "fo Snap rather than to me, Miss
Linden; for I should not have known
where to find you"
They walked on for some minutes in
silence, then Adriana broke the pause.
'-"l think l should have found nv
way home when the moon came out, I
know the country SO WE'LL"
"So it seems" said Mr.. Etheredge,
dryly.
''1n the light, I mcan," said Adri-
ana. ''It was quite dark when lost
my way"
"People are generally in the dark
when they lose their way,"' said NJ.
Ethcredge, "bodily and mentally
Light is the only corrective, either as
it affects the outer senses or the mind"
"Not always; people miss their way
in the daytime" .
"Truc."
"And do wrong with their eyes
opcn."
"What is conscience ?''
"a sort Of sun illumining the inner
life; but people can manage it as they
please"
"I deny that, Miss Linden. The
sun may be hidden by clouds, but it is
still shining; and conscience may lie
stiaed, but not extinguished."
lis right right to every one ?"
"Rather an obscure way of putting
the question. What do you mean by
right?"
"some things may appear right to
one person and wrong to another.
"Therefore arc they right to each :?
Ask yourself: Given truth, can any
opinion alter it, or does it still remain