The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1872-03-28

IT is rarely indeed that others gric(s
keep ono awake. Our. letters arrive
mostly at hal!-pas seven: it is some
slime before that hour, and in my cur.
tained aud sheltered room absolute
darkness still reigus, when drowsily
hear a footstep passing along tho cor
ridor outside my door. From some
half conscious, half dreamful lse,
l jump up and run to the door,
open it, aod looked out into the black
chillness outside.
"Lenore, is that you?"
eyes"
"Where are you going?" (my teeth
chatteriug so as to make me almost
entirely uniute'ligible).
"What is that to. you ?" Tired ol
her incivilities, sleepy aud shiveriug,,
prepare to shut the door in huff. 81
am going to see whether the postman
is dead, that he is so long in coming -
she says, in a quick, excited voice.
| "lt is not nearly time for him lit
is the middle of the night ~
ut must be time for him." she says,
petulantIy; "it must be three gears
since he was here last ~
"You will be frozen," I say, laying
my hand, in tho dark, on the thin
shawl that covers her shoulders shave
my seal.skin /" She does not heed
me. ("
"Jcmima" Il cannot see her face,
but hear the quick sobbing breaths
with which she speaks)-"if it does
not come to-day, my reason will tell me
that it because he is not at home, and
that it has had to be forwarded to him;
but all the same-reason, or no reason
IF it does not come, I shall go mad u
Before I can reply, she is gone.
shiver back into bed ; I find it as deep.
ly, downily warm as I left it: but the
delicious languor, the semi-unconscious.
ness, fast melting into total uucon.
sciousness, that such warmth and soft
ness WOO, declines to come again. !
fiod myself, with my head raised every
minute from the pillow, listening 70,
that back-coming football. 1t seems
long time coming; perhaps it is onl,
half an hour really; at last I hear it
I spring to the door.
"Wen?'
A gray figure runs past me, with it
head bent, but answers nothing.
snatch up dressing gown, and run
ventre te,re, after it, half afraid {
finding the door locked, when l reacl
my sisters room. 1t is mott is aiar
l enter. The sick dwarf light creep
in by the latticcd window pancs; tb
dead fires ashes lie whitley gray upol
the hearth the table is gray, the chair
are gray, and on one Of them gra
F figure lies still and stiff, with gra
hancs covering its face.
"What is it ?-what is it 2" I CRY
horribly excited, running up t. he,
She drops her hands into her lap; i
the din light I see her great shinin
eyes, brimmiug over with anger an
despair, flame into mine.
I ut is all your fault |" she say
, hoarsely ; "you did it! I have lai
down in the gutter, and he has wake
over me, and it is your doinsv
"What -
"If you had left me alone, if 20
, had not meddled-you were always
] meddler, always-I might have 60,
through my life, hating myself, know
, ing that had been my own dealt
!. finding no taste in anything; but
=, least 1 should not have had to get II
whenever I thought Of myself
least I should not have made overtur
:, that have been declined. I should n
n have asked man to marry me, al
:, been politely, but firmly rejected.
- Good God'!" Cbreaking off suddenl
!; and clinching her hands above h
! head)-''it cannot be me that this b
- happened tot must be somebody eli
:, that always held my head so high
~ :. "What are you talking about ?"
stammer ; che cannot-he has not
- elias not he 2" she answers, bitterl
. ''There read Can you see :" oval
= ing over to the curtain and pulling
back "-'My dear Miss Herrick
When I got that far I knew it was
over with me! His 'dear Miss III
- y, rick ! my dear Miss Herrick Pr
~ dear Mr.. lie Mesurier Oh, 1
" God p
She throws herself on the floor, a
- buries her face in the carpet, while b
- hands dig themselves into it, like the
!, of man in the death agony. After a
why should the souls death be accol
panied with throes less bitter than Il
;. " body's?
~ "Ilow can I read it?" I cry, imr
u tiently, "you are holding it ~ aud,
deed, as she lies PROSTATE on the aot
- it is crumpIsd up in one Of her cline
ed hards. She raises herself a1
straightens out the creased paper.
ot t "Look !" she says, striking it wi
u her fore6nger. "See how straight Il
cf lines run-how firmly the letters q
- formed-it might te thesis instead
h "a death warrant! Do you see any biz
here ?-do you think he cried ov
70 this?'
3. "Giye it me !" say, eagerly stretc