The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1871-08-27

|, q. ISL
"she may live till spring-time, but can do
little for her. will look in occasionally and I
the more You can do to cheer her mind and {
prevent her from dwelling on her sorrows the
And that was all. |,
Mrs. Percival kept away from Marion all
the day, sending message to excuse herself
when twilight came. she went down to the
room where her niece sat by the freight,
trusting that abe had sufficiently controlled
Marion, directly. 81 know you are unhappy-I
dp5nh @p than better p
lost it's brightness. dont wish to live on
away from my husband and Eva."
He might relent-he might give way even
now-and then you would five and be happy
for years to come, Marion. I must write and
But Marion laid her hand upon her aunt's,
and her voice was very low as she said: You
do not know James. Only God could subdue
deep love for me. Death would be easier to
him than to go sfrom his word and he ro,ced
that he never would speak to me again unless
must leave him and Eva and myself in Gods !
hands, and all will be well. Something tells
me..tells me truly, l am sure-after many
| those love will be in the true Church. All
| united then for though gone from this world,
1 shall be in the Church still. Perhaps it is
swsSred." ''A ''A' 10y p''' 90 ~ " -
There was silence in the room for q while,
except the whistling wind outside, and the
| rain that came pattering against the windows,
and inside the ticking Of the clock on he man
telpiece, the falling of a coal from the glowing
FIRE. the subdued sobbing of the elder Lady
| And then at last Marion spoke quite cheer
Let us ring for tea, aunt, and have lights.
We must be happy while we are together"
| And all that evening her face was SO calm,
| there was q radiance on it W hch had not been
there for SO long, that Mrs. Percival, watching
her, trick to think her fears ungrounded, the
doctors opinion mistaken. She might yet get
| over her delicacy, and live for years to come.
| Winter came, and there seemed 80 little
change-Marion's fading was 50 gradna dual
l who visited her constantly realized the fact
| that she was passing away. She still occupied
herself in the manner she had been accustomed
| to. She was calm, even 30 cheerful, that
only those whose eyes were skilled in discerning
disease would be likely to note its progress.
But when spring opened, when the cuckoo's
song told of the bright coming summer, when
trees burst into leaf, anu flowers were
blooming everywhere. Marion seemed struck
down as with o sudden blow. Then they wrote
to her husband, but not in time; for as the
light strean,ed in at the windows in the early
|, morning of The day on which he was expected
in Woot.Sridge-as the birds twittered and
, shook themselves in III, glow OF sunrise, and
, the faint lowing of eattie came from the dis
tant hslds-she passed away, so gently, so
silently, that even the watchers did not know
! exactly when it was that the weary spirit was
| set free.
1t was evening, and there was q service to
be held in the little church across the fields so
! the bell was ringing, and groups OF twos and
threes passed along the road which James
t Gray was traversing hastily. He was q stran.
3 ger and perhaps for that reason he fancied
that they looked curiously at him and whis-
3 pered as he passed. Once he thought he
. caught the murmur, "Too late," and the per
t spiration stood upon his brow. and his heart
q throbbed violently for an instant; then he put
? tho momentary fear asde-those words did not
y refer to him; it was impossible.
' Onward, still onward, til he stood at the
= gate of Mrs. Percivals little house, waiting
e impatiently for admittance under the trees
q which looked SO shadowy and solemn against
Q the darkening gray sky. One glance from tue
.. she whispered, "All is over-this morning :
:; and the proud stern man shrank into a chair
l. shivering and timid asa frightened child:
n Over; no, it could not be. Marion dead
"a Why, it almost seemed to him that he could
r. hear her voice-the voice that had sounded
le perpetually in his dreams by night and day
re dead; he had pictured the light coming int
pa her soft eyes as she saw him, the low whispe
n of forgiveness for all his harshness; he ha'
e, g. Eva to her motberN6ow she would kiss he
or and cry over her and clap her tightly t.
@. her heart; he had even dared to picture her re
r. stored to health under the influence of he
a
piness; but never dead Only God knows tn
Ja bitterness of that moment in the heart q
he James Gray.
Id And then Mrs. Percival came to him: Sh
Id had meant to be hard and stern and angry
o. but his broken-h hearted grief, the speeches
OF agony with which his eyes were lifted to her
melted it all away. She only led him up til
,Ie stairs-which seemed hushed and still froI
he the presence of death IN the house and, open
re ing door, motioned him to enter. There 10
he Marion, no trace pain on lip or brow, the CHI
ry eled features SO calm in their repose the Ion
d. lashes hanging on her marble cheek. The crt
to cifx on her breast told of Him in whose deaf
st. lay all her hope of eternal life-of Him w6
k had comforted her she went down to tn
dark valley and James Gray fell on his knee
ira by the bedside. His tears are falling fast nov
nd '"Thank God !" said Mrs. Percival and clo
Ills ing the door behind her. she left him alon
nd with the dead.
'ld Twelve years have passed by since Mario
70 Gray died.. and Eva-the little baby Eva
AZ al four years old-is young lovely girl wit
'e, eyes like her mothers, with voice like her
,eI which, echoing in her fathers ears, makes HI
49, MAS trov a UyQ