The Republican journal., 1871-04-06
The Third Bowl.

have thought he was watching the oppor-
tunity | was after myself. Now he rode
a few PAGES forw ard, and as | was catch
ing my breath to say "Sarah," he would
rein up and fall back to his place, and
would make some flat remark that made
me seem like Il fool TO myself, if not to
her.
'What is the matter with you, Jerry ?"
said she at length.
'Jerry's in love- said Tom.
l could have thrashed him on the spot.
"In love! Jerry in love!' and she
turned her large brown eyes toward me.
In vain | thought to fathom, and arrive
at some conclusion whether or no the sub
iect interested her with special force.
The eyes remained fixed, till blunder-
ed out the old saw, '.Tom Judges others
by HIMSELF
Then the eyes turned to Tom, and ne
pleaded guilty by his awkward looks,
and half bushes, and averted eyes, and
loud laugh.
by Heavens! !" thought |, 'what would
| not give for Toms awkwardness now
The scoundrel is winning his way by it,"
''Jerry, is Tom in love?'
The naivete of the question, the correct
iiN''7 " ~, my WI y oiliPiAoi.y VI eio ehiiiS
was irresistible, and could not repress
smile that grew into q broad laugh. Tom
joined in it, and we made the woods ring
with our merriment.
Il say, Tom, isn't that your whip lying
back yonder in the road ?"
''Contound it, yes; the cord has broken
from my wrist :" and he rode back for it.
Jerry whom does Tom love?" said
clio TI1icl, l1- Il
YOU" said |, bluntly.
"Nhv, of course; but who is he in love
with, l mean?'
1t wasa curious way to get at it. Could
| be justified 1t was not asking what
had not intended, but it was getting at it
in another way, and just as well, perhaps.
1t was, at all events. asking Toms ques-
ton for him, and it saved me the embar-
rassment of putting it as my own. l de-
termined this in an instant.
"Sarah, could you love Tom well
enough to marry him ?"
81 Jerry, what do you mean?"
'Suppose Tom wants YOU to be his
wife, will you marry him ?''
81 don't know-I can't tell never
thought Of such q thing. You don't think
he has any such idea, do you ?"
That was my answer. 1t was enough
as far as it went, but | was no better off
than before.-she did not love Tom, or
she would never have answered thus.
But did she love mc9 Would she marry
me? Wouldn't she receive the idea in
just the same way?
l looked back. Tom was on the ground,
had picked up his whip, and had one foot
in the stirrup, ready to mount again.
gulped down my heart that was in my
throat, and spoke out:
''Sarah, will you marry me-"
Philip, she turned her eyes again toward
me, those large, brown eyes, those holy
eyes-and blessed me with their unutter-
ably glorious gaze. To my dying hour
| shall not forget that gaze; to all eter-
nifty it will remain in my soul. She look
ed at ME one look; and whether it was
pity, sorrow, surprise or love, cannot
tell you, that filled them and overfiowed
toward me from out their immeasurable
depths; but, Philip, it was the last light
of those eyes l ever saw-the last, the
last.
Is there anything left in that bowl?
Thank you. Just /; glassful. You will
not any? Then, by your leave, | will
finish it. My story is nearly ended, and
L will not keep you up much longer.
We had not noticed, so absorbed had
we been in our pleasant talk, that black
cloud had risen in the west and obscured
the sun, and covered the entire sky; and
even the sultry air had not called our at
tention to the coming thunder storm.
AS she looked at me, even as she fixed
her eyes on mine, flash, binding and
fierce, fell on the top of a pine tree by the
roadside, not fifty yards from us, and the
crashing of thunder shook the foundations
of the hills.
For moment all was dazzling, burn
ing, blazing light; then sight was gone,
| and a momentary darkness settled in our
eyes. The horses crouched to the ground
in terror, and Sarah bowed her head as if
in the presence of God.
| All this was the work of an instant, and
the next TOMS horse sprang by us on a
furious gallop, dragging Tom by the
stirrup. He had been in the act of mount
| ing when the flash came. and his horse
| swerved and jumped so that his foot
caught, and he was dragged with his
head on the ground.
| There was a point in the road about fifty
yards ahead, where it divided into two.
The one was the carriage track, which
wound down the mountain by easy
descents: the other was footpath, which
was short, precipitous cut to the car
riage road nearly a quarter of mile be-
low.
Calling to Sarah to keep back, and wait,
drove the spurs into my horse and went
down the steep path. Looking back, l
saw her following, her horse making tre-
mendous speed. She kept the carriage
road, following on after Tom, and pass
ed on, thinking to intercept his horse be-
low.
My pace was terrible. | could hear
them laundering down the track below.
| looked up and caught sight of them