The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1871-04-27

.np-Aadrew Hudson, ten years old.
er than when I had lastsesn him, but

rHas not quite sureI could live through
that honr. The suppressed agitation
see1ned 70 bekilliDg me, yet the very
'ight TO q :li hin nv We joy.. He sat .be,..
pe y in thsside aisle; Ind could not o.,
ne g vithorut nth turning ii, bead. :. ....... s
Even then, NTH my, mourning veil
dox'D;b 10 might not know me, and 1
could hasdly. b tbs:eaaessat thirty L
vas, at eighteen. .s'*lsS=5ez7sss g iii =. :. .
~ looked md looked, great tears
8 s'xelled Into my eyes;sI was not cor
seious Of anything going % about me.
only knew I saw Andrew. . =
Suddenly there was 1 sound of
cr,sha 7. rumbliDg shaking Of the church
aud screams from female voices. TIE
shole congregation started to their feet
at once and pushed doorwa1d, the old
CLERK trying bis best to stop them.
+ IF there's any danger at ALL" he
made ma them hear at last, dts jast by
the door. The floor has given away
I've said it would these twenty year,"
At that the crowd buadled back and
tqpod themselves al; standstill.
Just then hand touched my should
er. a. voice said :5s ao s5:~3 ..s1.':
"Do not BE alarmed. The church
xvil not tumble about our ears set. TIE
only danger is to rush over the vcak
spot Of the floor" -"
!. It was Andrews voice, and did not
dare to look at him. T-:9-7 -. -
=. I stood quite still. Some Of the boi3-
rer souls had leaped the chasm; Others
had clambered through the windows
The ladies' we're being handed over By
means of an ex,emporaueous bridge,
and the place was almost empty:
The new clergyman had come down
from the pulpit, aud stood, with his
wife on his arm, very near US. The
clerk and Deacon Blauvelt peered int,
the aperture: ':9 -.
'The. beams have been dr7-rottlDg
long while," eaid the latter!
He Interrupted himself by kneelins
down aud thrusting his arm into the
chasn:' There, on the ledge formed BY }
the cellar wall, rested 8 letter dirty,
cob.web. covered, but with the seal un-
broken. =, ,:s>:1E5:'-l -. - 2r':<,
- "M'ss-sopby he said,
slowly: "Wby, sophy, that's yourslf.''
+ I saw Andrew Hudson start violent.
" and turn his eyes upon me, with
i new look in them, and I stretched on.
! ny hand. How it trembled.
San old letter. I said, "I lost one
before I 1ead it ten years ago. It
must have slipped through that crack
In the floor we all know Of" Aod I
spoke calmly, though my heart was
beating 50 I c,uld hear it,"
f. I crossed the bridge With laugh the
next minute, chatted with the clergy
mans wife, and betook myself home
Hallway 1 heard step following me
Ia step I knew 50 we'll 1 tried to go
On aud could not. I: paused. He
gained on rue. :: The soft brown hand,
With It's rounded finger tips, caught
mine. s:e, Il tn@ ,z@''~ase7
"Miss Norravay-sophy," he almost
gasped.4: ''Stop-listeo to mel be-
seech you-sit down-here, under.
these naples, aud read that note-read
and answer it; net as it asks ycu,
but With a word-a smile-a look
Life seems within my grasp once more !"
He sank upon the grass under the
naples. and drew me down beside him.
| In sort Of dream I broke the seal
aud glanced over the the words of the
page e:before me. :. It bore the date Of
eleven years before. and read thus
"DEARzSoPHY-" k1+e7 "a c,.,
I tried to read on, but the letters
daneea.before my eyes. + glanced at
the signature and saw his name. The
letter huttcred iato my lap. e< -
"sophy," he pleaded, "real.aII, and
answer M" "n-~,xges.s, oes s>s:-'t z.
Bot there was no need: The truth
had flashed uponsme. The lost letter
had been from him, asking me to be
bis wife, and he had taken silence for
rejection Of bis suit. On, the tea long
years:of hidden so1ow-years that had
cbangedame from girl to a woman,
that sprinkled silver in his sbon locks!
What bitter payment for one caEeless act:
1He drew closer TO me-. G.:s -,:..yyzz.=T-r 7 =,
/ = Ny. eyes met his, my hand: was
stretched toward him. "0h, ,.Andiev'r'
II cried. Il Ya1 s3 - = r.x..5 IT. -
@''tYou never could have been So dear
TO- me had you not loved mal Ill the
While"
F. Aud the.next moment I was ol,sp,d
ftoihis' breast, and our bps met in their
jfirst fns. .sis n:a5s .sssssess,is<s - ..;2 =.
r. Rave I told. you enough RI viii
not sadden the story nov by going back
into those we,ry ye.rs Of sep,ratlon21
will not weary you With tho ohain 81
events which brought him o. that d.y
to. New Rochelle and Is the church
porch. But Iwill tell you how, on
one sunny morn, Queen Anne, bon, ia
ahat old church steerle rang wedding
chime, and 50 ends my story with the
hour that made me Andrews wife.
Our little four-yea:-od remarked
to her. mamma on going to bed, II am