The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1870-02-25
contemptous look upon him and NOV.

Z
/ threw himself in her path, crying:
aDear lady, 20 not forth to meet
them! The feet of them who bear
him hither are already at the door
Dear. dear mistress, be strong, be
steadfast; arm thy soul with courage
such as it hath already shown among
us. Oh, beloved mistress, he is sorely,
sorely i'll %
demanded Katherine, hOarsely-but
I still she tOttered toward the door.
! mot dead, but smitten very sOrely.
They are here. Where shall he
be laid? Rest upon this hair, dear
mistress; for verify thy need is at
/ the greatest"
Lay him upon his own bed, his
marriage-bed, the bed where ], his
widow, will lay me down to die"
whispered Katherine, shuddering from
head to foot, and suffering herself to
be put gently back into the deep chair
as the shadow of those who bore her
husband home fell across the sunny
room. Then came the solemn, heavy
| footballs, the passage of that mOurnful
group; and they laid him down, a dy-
ing man, upon the bed his death
should widow. Then Katherine, push
/ ing aside the trembling hands that
would have detained her, arose and
/ followed, saying, in a voice no long
er likesher own:
"It is my right. Let me be; 1 am
his wife"
And she and Elizabeth ministcred to
him as best they might, the maid
weeping and shiYcring, but she, the
wife, with a rigid calm of face and
manner awful TO those who looked up
on her.
HE will never speak again-he will
scarce outIive the day." muTmured
Standish, who was reputed to have
more knowledge of leech.craft than
the rest. And John HOwIand, listen
ing, shook his head, and looked with
eyes of anguish at the wife, who, pale
and cold as marble, stood holding one
of the icy hands, her stony gaZed fix
ed upon the deathly face. The brave
and gentle soldier caught the glance
and followed it, then moved toward
Dame Katherine's side, and took her
other hand.
1Sister," said he, ''you spoke words
of marvellous comfort to me when
Rose Standish died three months ago.
Think upon them now, for / can speak
none half so sweet or wise"
But Katherine never moved her
eyes from their set gaze, or changed
her frozen calm, although she mutter-
ed:
'Let be; am his wife"
GAS Rose was mine but God took,
and you bade me bow before his judg-
ment. You told me she was safe and
happy now"
az prithee peace, friendl Vex not
mine ears with words whose meaning
l can not guess. Oh, leave me, all of
you-leave me with my husband-my
husband ~
And with a wild sob she flung her.
self upon her knees, and buried her
face one moment; but as faint moan
broke from the lips of the dying man
she rose, and STOPPING toward him,
seemed too still even for her own
breathing, lest by emotion she should |
shake ever so lightly those last few
grains not yet ruU out of Deaths hour
glass.
But it was not until three more days |
had passed that the noble and heroic |
Carver drew his last painful breath,
and passed from beneath the cross to |
receive the crown he had so well earn |
ed.
''Our brother sleepeth in the Lord"
announced the reverend Ell
der Brewster, who watched beside the
bedside of the dying man; and then
he turned to Katherine and laid a
hand upon her arm, saying:
"COme away daughter; thy work is
ended here. Come and pray for COM
fort to Him who alone can give it."
But breaking from his hold the be-
rcaved and stricken woman, with one
wild cry of such agony as few are call
ed to endure, fell PROSTATE upon the
bed, her head upon that heart which
had pillOwed it so tenderly and so
through the bright brief
years of her wifehOod, and never, nev-
er had met with cOldness or with si-
Ience until now.
"My husband (; Oh, my own my
treasure I; my darling; my life! My
my husband !" And cling
ing there she swOoned so utterly, and
so long, that they thought she, too,
had died. But after weary hours of
and of unceasing effort, those
who watched beside her saw her ey es
open slowly, at first with only a heavy
sadness in their depths,
across which presently shot gleam of
sharp anguish, and then the dull apthy
IF helpless suffering. Itwas John How
and who first ventured to address her
and he said:
"God be praised, dear mistress, that
you have come back to us, else we had
been like lost children, indeed, lacking
both a fathers guidance and moth
IS love"
But Katherine only mOaned, and
,urned her face upon tbepillow, where
t lay for hours, cold and white and
still, as that of the husband sleeping
his last sleep upon his marriage-bed in
he room beyond.