Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1872-10-19
NORAH'S DEVOTION,

An, how pretty she ist' he said
Was there ever such a pretty lass, dye
think, Norah?'
Perhaps not,' said Norah and she
took her milking pals and followed
May, going on before with a light stel
and gay song toward the meadow
where the cows browsed. But when
she was quite out of hearing of Ned
Wilton, sitting perched upon the stile
she muttered to herself, "Preity pret
ty pretty! All, they ring the changes
upon that, these men, as the old bell
ringer that knew but his one tune used
to do, down in the church tower. Pret
tyl pretty pretty Its never good !;
its never honest;' it's never true Its
always pretty" Then she stopped
and looked up, and said, with quivel
of passionate grief in her voice: "Oh
I'd give the world just to hear Ned
Wilton call me pretty! What a fool !
amP' and she went on with her pals
toward the cows-Brown Bess and Lily
White and Pretty Polly.
Certainly Norah was not pretty; and
what there was in her face the man on
= the stile would have been the last 10
See. Had she been Il queen, many
would have seen something strangely
fair and regular in her face Had she
been onl y rich gentleman's daughter,
some one might have dreamed of those
deep eyes and that pure brow of hers ;
but red and white, and fat and dimples,
were the recognized beauties of the 10,
cality, as indeed they are all over the
world, to such folks as her lot was cast
among; and Norah was spoken of as
"plain." Two years before, she had
taken it into her foolish head to lik e
Ned Wilton very much and he, the
farmers son, had thought we'll enough
of the dairy maid to say some very
pleasant things to her. She had had a
sweet dream, but May Britton's coming
broke it. Her beauty was very bright
and rare, and Ned forgot the nice girl
he had been SO fond of chatting with,
for the pretty one who smiled and
glanced at him.
She was not so good as Norah she
had not half her earnestness and con-
stancy; but the face was all to Ned. So
May Britton wore little plain gold ring
that he had given her, and had prom.
ised to be his wife in midsummer; and
Norah knew it, and outwardly gave no
sign that she sutiered-only now and
then, as at this moment when Ned bade
her notice May.
They lived upon the coast of Lincoln.
shire, and it was years ago. None of
them knew how to write more than
their names. The farmers deepest lore
was the MAJ ket price of grain. Outside
OF them, the great world rolled on.
without giving them any sign of its ex.
istence. And none of them had ever
read novel or poem, or seen plav.
But they acted out the drama lust as
well, and Ned loved May and cared
nothing for Norah, and Norah loved
Ned and hated May. And Nav knew
the whole, and triumphed over Norab.
and cared little, not much. for Ned
because OF his broad shoulders and
brown curls.
The girls slept together in an upper
room OF the house, and on her wedding
eve May spread out gown and shoes
and cheap white veil, and, dancina
about them, boasted that when the
morrow s sun set she would be mistress
of the house, and Norah her servant
And Norah, thinking of the old grand
mother who had begged her not to los,
so good place, said nothing, but stooc
silent, pale-taced and wan, and felt +,
bitter hate rising in her heart. Net
was away at the town, and would no
be back until next morning, the morn
ing OF his wedding. The old folks wer
asleep below. How easy it would be. i,
the dead of night, to do this beautiful
ooasting creature some deadly harm
to mar her beauty, or even to end he
The thoughts grew SO, and were s.
horrible, that Norah could not be sur
OF herself. May, watching her, sa,
only deadly whiteness creep over he
lips, and with the first touch of n;tv !,
her heart, folded her veil away an,
SAID, unwisely enough, but meaning
kindly: ns
" No doubt the next wedding will b
yours, Norah ~ wan u
Then Norah, without a look. turne
and left the room. She sought tn h
safe from herself, for fiendish thought
possessed her; and, longing for solitad,
she elm bed ladder that led to th
tiled roof and, seeking the shelter {
the great chimney, sat down in !,
shade, and looked up at the sky. IL W,