The weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1869-18??, 1870-10-26
Written expressly for the Standard.l
Bell Cutters Experience,
"Look !! There comes a mermaid /!

'' Ely NJ A. z. .-'
.t3in1;a - 5Ifs Hl1a. r.-L
"Look There comes a mermaid
tsComing to do homage at your shrine"
% "Perhaps to entice us to leave the world
Of mortals and dwell in pearly caves of the
sea with immortals."
p @'"L Let us goAthere we could be together
forever" q. l-ss94l4 q ...a aaE-4E .3.3i5g-
g Forever Is long time longer even than
we've been sitting on these rocks" and as
she spoke the bright eyed girl sprang lightly
to her companions arm. They strolled leis-
urely towards their hotel. 17t.n a.i
% Bell Cutter was q brown-eyed brunette
not long from school-and fancied herself in
love with Will Cranston, who had certainly
told her, every five minutes, that long, sweet
afternoon, she was the only divinity the
world held for him. She thought him
everything that was good, brave and hon
orable and-he- was Very handsome, with
unateratle devotion in his sad, blue eyes,
worshipping this little lady whom he
sought to win. .N'
But Bell looked upon herself as engaged +;
and she did not feel quite happy as she
saw Tom on the steps, waiting for her 1t had
Decu UcT uedu NiSl tHdt oHC
marry Tom-and she always thought "of
course, shall marry-Tom sometime,
but there is no hurry 5is 5l. .la5-Ir -
He was a large, earnest looking fellow,
and seemed troubled. He greeted them
quietly as they came on the piazza, and Bell
called 'sDon't scold, Tom, there's a dear
! know I'm late.n 5'ia.5ontaI 1Hs 9iog
10 ssThere is a storm coming up and feared
it would overtake YOU" What black
Clouds" she exclaimed, noticing them for
the first time. /" We shall have fearful
storm, are you ready for supper? % They
went down to supper and Bell found wait
ing beside her plate little pile of perfumed
letters, and she hurried as soon as possible
to her room to read the schoolgirl gossip,
but before she openea the last one the wind
had grown so fierce-thelightnin so inces-
santIand the thunder SO perfectly deafening
that she was frightened and ran. trembling
to the parlor, where crowd of white, terri
fled faces greeted her. 4 j. aas -ss,aH q
70 Her Aunt called, Bell come out OF that
draft You'll surely be killedln but she
stood Under the fiickering gas with thought
for nothing but what she read, which was
this, y.alsI lgysH elg sea-g B 10 I.,f..se 2
"Do you remember pretty little May who
went to school with .us--we used to call her
spider she was so quick and small-the pet
of the whole school. Her father died and
there was no property left, so May was
Obliged to work for her sick mother. Will
Cranston saw her and made love to the little
innocent thing. She would believe nothing
against him, and he promised to marry her.
suspect our warnings came too late to save
her, for she has been sad for weeks. He
came home two weeks ago to see her, and
she begged and prayed him to marry her,
but be put her of-peaded want of money +;
and she and her babe were buried to-day.
He broke her heart He surely is a MUIR
derer before God, if not before men" 81
She had no power to read further. but
staggered to the window and kneeling on
the floor, laid her head on the window sill.
thinking only "'He was making love to me
while she died. OF thought him so good,
cannot believe it," Presently Tom came
in, and going straight to her, said J" You
must not stay at this open window, your
hands are like ice" But she would not move
she listened in half absent way while he
explained to the scared crowd that the boom
they listened to was a ship in distress, and
said he was going to the beach. Then
turned to Bell and said, "God bless YOU.
good bye nv dear, my darling" The last
was a gasp. almost sob, and he kissed her
forehead and strided Quickly from the room.
She watched him in the flashes of the
lightning fighting his way against the wind,
towards the shore and She heard a voice
outside saw he had zone 10 helm save the
wreck hit il was no use. he would he
killed Then she semed to wake from the
stunor that had possessed her. with a or eat
ondnisb in bnr beart Nnt-Tom She Could
not Iose Tom He Ivas ali she had left ber
and bn was trne oold Int he would
die tbink,n@ she had thrown his nnre love-
| si away for the ashes of a tiead heart. She
could not bear it-she could not sit quietly
there and know her lover was wrestling
with death. and opening the lower half Of
the window. she stole out. The first gust
of wind drove her against the house breath.
less and blinded. but in a moment she saw
some women passing on their way TO ioin
the crowd on the rocks. and she becoed
them to take her so pitifully that thew
wrapped shawl about her and they strug.
gled on together. She never knew how she
reached the shelter of the high rock, where
they placed her half fainting. But she saw