The Lincoln County herald., 1871-01-26

dilly, she caught from the winoow
glimpse of Charley Carleton promensding
with Fanny Flutter, carrying her parasol,
and "looking in her eyes, love-" said
Rosetta, quoting from her little red book,
"as you never looked in mine." Before
this, Rosetta had made up her mind to
die slowly Of consumption now she
resolved upon rapid decline.
To further this-though to do her
justice, not premeditately-she went to
the cemetery with her little red book and
pencil, on the damp spring afternoon
following her arrival aud sitting under
the willow, in white dress and no shawl,
began 10 compose the first verse of o
poem which had haunted her throug
the journey.
I shall cross DER the river before you,
Deaths dusky river, my dearj
| Will you pause by its margin q moment
And drop, as you stand there, q tear
will you say, "There arc many the world will
Miss more, when they pass from her roll
But her lies a woman who gave me
All mortal could give Of her soul!"
Here she paused. What the Rev.
Robin Ray, who had so often questioned
her from the catechism, aud pronounced
her perfect, would have thought had he
taken theological view Of tho last line,
Rosetta did not ask herself. 1t sounded
very we'll to her. She read it over. She
could see Charles Carleton standing under
that willow, dropping tears upon q new
made mound, under it herself, with her
hands crossed upon her bosom.
She sighed deeply ut the thought.
Something else beloved. Rosetta turned
sharply. Opposite her, staring with all
his might and main, stood mad bull.
Cattle, mad or not. are no respecters Of
persons or places. He had walked into
the graveyard, and there he was and
there she was. Rosetta wanted to die of
quick consumption, but to be gored by a
mad bull, did not present itself in at
tractive light. She looked for some
means of escape /; behind her were the
willow and the church wall. The bull
lowered his horns Rosetta shrieked, and
in moment tall figure leaped the fence
beyond the bull, and few to the rescue.
What was done was done in moment.
Perhaps the bull was of sounder mind
than one might suppose. At all events,
he succumbcd to the remonstrance Of a
stout stick, and rushed through the gate,
head down, as though he meant to bur.
row in the bowels Of the earth, and made
, for his native meadow.
Then, and not till then, did Rosetta
recognize the form and figure of Maurice
3 Darrow.
t "Providcnce certainly sent you," she
, said.
), "Providonce sends me every summer,
d said Maurice. II have been sketchine
Q those poplars yonder, and the little house
b and the fence, and pretty girl looking
J over it. Come and see my picture, and
J then, it you'll let me. III walk homo with
. you."
! Rosetta aoquiesced, but looked abou
= for the book-tho book full of heart
u broken rhyme and melancholy jingle-o
hearts and darts and tombstOnes, Of fals'
y loves and broken vows, and early death
u and all the rest Of it; but it was not t.
!. be found, and explanations would hav,
:. :. been awkward. Suppose Maurice hae
" opened it and saw the little "Hearts
u Tombs!' suppose she was compelled t
admit herself the poetess she decided t
y, return whxn she was quite alone and lool
;. for it, and went off with Maurice. Sh
~ looked at his picture-she talked and b
~ talked. The sunlight fell over his gold
10 - brown hair, aud his bright cheeks an
:" " sunny eyes, and made very handsom
- man Of him.
~ At last no saw her home, and went il
y to tea with her, aud was SO entertaining
s' that, not until after he had gone, and sh
had actually retired for the night, di
10 Rosetta remember that her heart wa
~ broken. She found she could not or
~ about it, and decided that it must hav
at beon despair that dried her tears by
=. a she slept very comfortably notwithstane
d. ing.
6. The next day she went after the lit
- red book, and could not find it. 81
10 searched the grass through with ht
o hands. She looked behind tombstone
.r She asked little boy, who stood stariu
M at her, If he had not "seen q small re
. book" The boy had not, Of cours
-. She could not write any more poet
nd until it was found aud, not finding
"a gave up scribbling altogether. Then, to
ve at an uuex pected moment, Maurice Q
- pearcd always gay, bright and cheerf
vs always proposing some new expeditio
nd 1t was astonishing that since all her j.
no in life was over, she could enjoy Il
~ weather so much. Of course, it was &
,th weather, aud the sky, aud the trees, a'
,la the flowers. Nature was the brok'
ma hearts consolation. She never thoug
,er that Maurice had anything to do with
20. She did not on the morning when
'ns called in to bid ner goodby, before da,
Did fishing excursion with certain fnasculi
~ friends but she knew he was very XII
m and brotherly friend, and felt very than
ful to him. &s
". He looked handsomer than ever, X
=" as he marched away with his fshiu
Dor tackle over his shoulder. But what m