The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1872-06-28

4 | vi thO pun dDONCs LII diObhC
} moment they would be together hi
foot was on the plank bridge.
, "At that moment the girl started u]
/ from the bench, and her heart ceased Il
beat; she stood rigid, her eyes peerin,
through the night. The miller, in hi
, room, was sitting with a necklace o
shells in his hands; ho was on the poin
of raising it TO his lips. lie dropped /
and fell to tho floor, and tried to stol
his oars in vain.
"For terrible cry broke upon tht
darkness, making itself heard above thu
din OF the wheel and the dash of The
water fall. Ere tho cry was half uttered
however, it stopped suddenly, and never
again was taken up but something
surely, was coming down the falls
queer, shapeless object, rolling over and
over, catching now and then against a
rock or snag, slipping away again, and
hurrying onward and downward in mad
haste-s dark, heavy object, with loos.
ened limbs and white, cleaning face
only that in the temple was jagged
bleeding hole, where it had struck q
rock. Down it came, faster and faster
the girl saw 1t coming, and stood below
waiting for it. Now, with a rush, it
came upon the wheel, and the wheel
caught it, and whirled ii round, and
ground it down, and broke it, scream
ing all the while with dovilish glee.
"The old man had cropt out, and saw
the broken body beneath the wheel,
and the foam in the tail race red with
blood. Then, for the first time it SEEM
ed as though the wheel spoke to him,
reiterating over and over again, with
the malice Of fend, you have your
wish! you have your wish! you have
your wish!' Yes, his wish.
"The girl, meanwhile, stood motion
less and.silent. She did not scream; there
were no tears in her eyes but at length
she laughed softly to herself.
'"I told him I'd 60 back when he
came for me over the fall,' said she.
Now he has come, and must keep my
promise. Then, without looking at the
old man, who stood stricken with
double horror, she glided swiftly away,
and up the steep pathway, and 80 dis
appeared forever; no one saw her again.
Something, indeed, that had belonged
to her, was found afterward lying at the
bottom of the clear pool, with upturned
face; but the bright young girl never
returned to claimit
"Little else was ever found. What
other mysteries the brook knew, 1t bab.
bled only to the river, which in turn,
confided them to the ocean, and that
was the end. Only, the next morning,
little boy playing on the river.bank
below, found fine large piece of plank
lying in the drift, one end of which had
been freshly sawed almost off, and then
broken. 1t was prize! He dragged it
to the neighboring frog pond, and fitted
it up as raft, on which he ferried him.
self across. How should he know that
human being had crossed all the way
over from time to eternity on that plank
only the night before? So the old man
was quite alone-except for the mill
wheel.
Everybody pitied him-such terri
BILE misfortune and his mind seemed
affected. He seldom spoke TO any one,
and withdrew himself generally from
sight. But it was whispered that he had
been seen sitting on the bench near the
mill-wheel, which he always kept
going, talking to it in wild random
way, and moaning and cursing. Ever
and anon the wheel would seem to
answer him with quivering scream,
but whether ofrage, terror, or laughter,
none could tell. That, of course, was be-
cause the axle was rusty, and creaked.
And though the old man spent great
deal of his time in oilIug and cleaning
the machinery, somehow he never
seemed able to get at that particular
part wherefrom the screaming came.
Indeed, to judge from the way he went
to work, he was not very sanguine of
his success; but he seemed resolved
never to give it up. No wonder; for
more unearthly sound could not well
be imagined. The farmers going home
at night across the dark fields, If they
CHANGED to hear confused sound as of
screaming, groaning, and laughter,
would hurry onward as fast as they
could, and tell wide eyed circle at
home how the mad wheel and the mad
man were cursing each other.
"At last an evening came-it was
Just a year from the time the tragedy
happened-and the old man sat, as usual,
on the bench outside the house, staring
at the wheel and muttering. He was
much altered his cheeks were plowed
with deep burrows, his eyes dim and
sunken, yet with a crazy wi!dness in
them; his body bent and shrunken.
But changed or not the wheel had not
forgotten him; at intervals it broke
forth into peals of derisive laughter.
"The man put his hand in his bosom
and pulled out necklace of shells. He
drew it gently and caressingly through
his hands. Several times he made as il
to raise it to his lips, but always paused
and shuddered.
'"She's lost forever, he muttered.
'But l loved her.
'"Ha! hap yelled the wheel. Lost
lost lost y
"The man rose from the bench and
bent his steps toward the ridge. lie be-
gan to toll painfully up the steep path
toward the spot where the plank bridge
has been. Tho wheel below was COM
parativoly quiet now. In tho darkness
it had the appearance of an uncouth,
gigantic figure, cutting fantastic capers,
and 1ourishing tho foam about with
huge hands. III seemed to bo impatient'
ly waiting for some long expected
promise TO bo fulfilled. Its delight knew
no bounds.
"The old man had now reached the
summit of the ridge. lie was standing
on the brink of the doep rocky gully