Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1872-05-10

only"
81 know, DEAR" very tenderly. "It'
only that to-day, of all days, you and
were TO belong entirely to each other
and to God. And we do, darling.
wouldn't go back if | could to that ole
time when Sylvie made me so miserable
and you, my Mary, a thousand time
dearer than ever she was. But soDle
men can't ever forget the past, or lay il
aside, or bury it away out of sight, ano
l am one of them. My love for Sylvis
Dare died long ago. l wouldn't dig il
up again if | could by saying the word
But when saw her face to-day, SO un
happy, dear, SO changed, l forgot al
that has come between, all her wrong
and my anger, and saw only the little
Sylvia who used to be my sweetheart al
school and play with me beside Bay
berry Brook. Don't be angry with me-
darling, but help me to think what we
can do for poor Sylvie."
"Angry, Phil"-kissing him" why
how could 1? | love you all the more
for being so tender-hearted-just like a
woman, dear-for all you're so big and
strong. But what can we do?'
81 am trying to think. darling. II
you were my wife it would be easy.
We would go together to Sylvie, and
comfort her together. But it won't do
for me to go now; and if you made
friends with her, people would talk SO.
Even your"
"But Phil" cried true-hearted Mary,
"why need we mind peoples talking if
what we do is right? Tell me that you
wish me to go and I'll go tomorrow. Or
you needn't tell me; I'll go any way,
because l want to 60. And, DEAR" the
sweet face grew tender, "you know we
said that we would try to look out for
something good to do-something we
could help or give to in memory of this
day when we professed church mem.
bership together. Perhaps this is the
very work. Perhaps He has sent this
poor thing specially to US; who knows,
Phil?"
While thus tender souls took counsel
over her fate, Sylvia stood alone beside
Bayberry Brook. A long afternoon of
fever had bred within her such restless
disquiet and impatience Of the confined
air Of her room that, haunted with the
longing to escape, she had risen from
her bed about o'clock in the evening,
and, wrapped in shawl, had crept un-
perceived from the house.
The night was wild and gusty. 1t had
rained heavily over the mountains all
day, and masses of heavy cloud, driven
by the wind, were now scudding across
the sky, catching up in their folds and
then releasing the moon, which here
and there cleaned out with ftful splen-
dor. A boding moan came on the
breeze, significant of coming storm. 1t
fell like some awful, tortured human
voice upon the ears of the half-delirious
girl, as with rapid steps she passed along
the meadow-path, now silent and de-
serted. Gaining at last the bank where
in the morning she had stood, she paused
and bent over, with clasped hands,
weeping and talking to herself.
"Oh, what dreadful, dreadful world
it is p she sobbed Il didn't know how
dreadful till came back here. That
girls face! Did my face ever look like
that $50 happy and quiet! / had for
gotten girls could look so How Phil
changed when he saw mel He turned
white, and his eyes stared as if 1 was
something awful. And ami am a
ghost THE ghost of little Sylvia Dare,
who used to play beside Bay yberry Brook.
Oh, if I could only go back and be her
go back to the time when [ went to
school across this. meadow, and Aunt
Orphan used to call me good child 2
Good All, mol Nobody will ever say
that to me againl
" IF there was only some way of going
back-going backl Any way to get rid
of the burden of ones selfl What did
that hymn say
"'He will save you just now?'
Not mel That couldn't mean mel /
wish it did. l wish the Elder would
take hold of my hand and lead me in
and dip me under, as he did this morn
ing, and say those words, and all these
wretched years could slip off and float
away, and could rise UP again washed
clean, with face like that girls, and
walk out and begin over! Oh dear !
That would be good I"
She filed her hands with the water
and poured it over her burning head.
"That is NICE" she said" nice and
cool. Perhaps, if l went in and stood
just there where Phil stood this morn
ing, should be cool all through, and
this pain would go away. I'll leave my
shawl here, though, to keep dry t.l l
come out" ta'
She threw the shawl upon the ground
and waded in. The stream had risen
since morning, fed by the mountain
rains, but she never needed the added
depth. Intent upon reaching the mid
die of the pool, where the mornings
baptism had taken place, she hurried
forward. Now the water was at her
waist-now above her breast A hasty
slip-her footing gave way-the water
was over her head. Instinctively she
struggled, for one moment grasped the
air-then a sudden gladness possessed
her "Just now,n she murmured, with
wild smile on her white face-then
gave herself to the stream and sank.
The moon plunged into sudden eclipse
of cloud; the wind sounded with dreari-
er moan-then, ere the ripples of Syl-
Fla - passage Adu CcstSou III GHo uIoOh,
the silvery radiance again streamed
forth and lit the eddying circles. The
breeze died into stiffness, and hush and
night possessed the place. H
They found her in the morning. The
stream had fioated her down little way
to where a tiny cape of yellow grasses
arrested its fow-and there, half In,
half out of the water, she lay pillowed
on the slope. The brown waves played
lightly with her garments and Tapped
and caressed her form as a mother
caresses her child. A smile of perfect
peace rested on her lips. She was fan
and young and innocent: the deep bap
tism of Death had washed away all stair
of life's anguish, and she seemed as one
fo11o,, acIaar