Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1869-04-08

4 placed It on the high oid-rashi1ned man
tie piece above nv haai, where tn,
friendly shade could no longer screen mo
and he took my face between his hands
and looked dowa upon it silently and
scarchingly.
:. You are pale and worn, Ruth" he
SAID : 2proachfullv "sel ani privn.ion
merely did not leave tn ,se traces. You
have been sad AMI suffering
was pale no longer. TAe hot bia,d
mounted - my cheeks for very sham.
that they should have BETRAYED me
N'sh the membrsnce of his parfiy. nv
heart gave one great indignant thr5b ani
sent hsry hushes = my temples. throat
and arms. | could not speak, for emo
ton always qlenchea my voice, but |
tried to Withdraw from those strong, cru,
el hands.
he only dropped them from nv fac, to
my fingers.
1t IS strange AMI perhaps, disgracefu1.
but even in that moment Of aDonr and
confusion | looked at my brown hands
and suspioiously broad palms and roAsc-
ted that hers m ust be fair and dmpled.
Again he spoke to me "Ruth. | have
been away SO long haven't YOU one lit
tie word for me Al least look at me-
with those sweet eyes that have haunted
me night and day
There is fascination IN misarv l;t-
ter sweet quality y, which every unI,nnv
sooA must have discovered Itmust have
@ peen that which made ME reply II wish
'HaC u, | may never look on YOU again"
/ Inc history otthe DAYS that folIowed Is
very brle for it chronicled onlv fading
cheeks and silver hairs for me.
Yet the creeping months grew into
years, years in which even suff.ring
became monotonous, and I almost f,r7
! got that pain was not the true name for
life.
Bat | never said, as in the old inpa-
Hcnt time OF my youth, that l was tired
tired Of 1t. here was rest in my very
/ hoPclessIess. | wished FIR nothing tina,
'ne "oFi1 could W, except place ia it
80 lung as Frank lived.
Sometimes, a dream of what might have
been. came over mo, and the duiI nor
petuai pam would quicken into keencr
anguish, and what had seemed but torpid
endurance "ou u resolve itself into living
agony. .
Th3so called my happy days, happy
IN all but this-l lclt that they were
numbered
One such day stands out in nv memory
from all the rest.
Inc warm summer had fingered low
ins.y about the earth. up to its last ap
pointed hour the happy, dancing sun
shine hal beam Ell all day into every heart
and home but mine.
could not boar it's honest face and
shut it out
But when tho glory of the skies had
pa.ed and the voices Of the merry birds
lad sunk to sleepy twittcr, l crept out
upon my l'ttls vine, covered porch and
there listened to soft evening sounds. and
looked upon tender tinted clouIs The
honeyed breath flowers hung about nv
head with gentle endearmont, and the lit
tie bree8as sung in the ivy leaves.
The want of human companionship had
early driven me to seek that of Nature,
who never did betray the heart that low
ed her ) and | think that in N devotion
she kindly told me some of her secrets.
and taught me her vocabulary.
So, that evening on the porch, when
| closed my eyes to catch the uute mes
sage she had sent. l felt quite sure that
heard it Alright
Dying, dying dying = all her mes
sases chauted IN sad harmony.
1t could not DO the day Of whom thev
sung, for she was only sleeping, and
would awaken smiling tomorrow morn
ing, Nor could it be the requiem ofsum
mer, for she had oaly gone away for
time and would return again.
Was i =? Surely that little word 50
often repeated, was not for me NJ hfe
was not 70 be vanquIshed at last after
olinsinG to NE SO desperately for all these
years.
No, l could no: be dying. for l heard
the p9stman ring at the gate, and his
srutf, bat caeery greeting
| could not rise TO take the letter he
brought | was SO very tired 50 he
brought it in and laid it in nv hand,
scrutinizing my face il his ro1 -h kind
way
generally had welcome for the hon
est old man, for i; was ne who brought the
papers with Franks name aud trlum phs
IN them
But that day, believe l gave him no
word or smile.
When lie went away, heard him nut
ter something abou; dying aloue. " aud
| noticed how softly he closed the rattlinr
gate remeu. Der too, how Tie letter
cropped from uly hand upon the floor. aa1
that never ev-a wondered who could
have written TO M.
Al, why did not the kind breezas whis-
per TO me Of life as they had of death -
Did they not know as they heedlessly tos-
sed about that white envelope, tina, ii con-
taineI tie pow4r to draw M back from
the very shore Dt the dark river
b.. tley let me wander almost boyoDd
the reach IF human help.
Long afterr ards, learned that the
nlsrc.tal old possman had SAINT his docto.
and his dau sLter. to care for the po3,
woman who Was lying alone.
They found n.e exhausted and iuseusi-
Die, rom which state | passed into ono Of
fever AMI dslirium
NJ faithful nurse bs. since tod me
shaI in the garrulousuess oi fever gave
theu ;bc clue to NJ p1s-i5.s recovery