The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1872-05-23
1eh.ll &c. ny looks back, shaIl + not p
He is busy, apparently, 10 trying to
make out the Romansch inscription on
the small broken Dillar beside him. at

o"oon Win your compliments and line
speeches; if you cannot say .Yes;', At
least have the honesty to say NO"
"My DEAR" he says, With a sort of
tremor in bis voice, "what should I say
either yes or NO t.? In my eyes.
you have never lost your looko; how
can you get back what you have not
lost ?''
She looks at him with a scared dis
content 10 her pale face.
"You hare get ont Of it.. very lame
ly," she says, with brusque laugh.
IL never heard any thing clumsier in
my life. There-never mind: I sup
pose you could not help it."
Her eyes stray thoughtfully away to
the hills; a luminous mist, a dimness,
yet a glory-seems spread over the
high mountain amphitheatre that looks
down on Pontresiua; great, glorious
batt'ements, lifting high heads against
the higher heaven-citadels that God
must be dwelling in; that dim efful-
gencc is the skirt of his trailed robes.
Below, the meadows fash in yellow,
and the river twists in silver. q heav-
enly Zion 0 fair City beyond tho
clouds ! can thy jasper walls and pearly
gates be yet fairer?
"And you find that it is quite as i'm
possible as you did six months ago ?"
Scrope asks, with tremble in his low
voice, after they have sat silent some
time.
'Vuite," she answers, briefly.
"And it is always he that is in tho
way ?" be says, with an accent of Bit
terness.
eyes," she answers, softly; "alwsys
be-al"ays he." (Then, with
dreamy smile), "You see that there are
other people who can be stupidly, dog
gishly faithful, as we'll as you you, at
least, cannot blame me-"
off he did but know it ~ the Young
man cries, shifting his hands together,
and looking passiouately upward to the
faint skies above him: eff some one
would but tell him-;f he did but see
you now-hc could not keep his sense
less resentment any longer. It is
against my own interest to say so, but
he could not-he could not ~
"He has no resentment against me
now," she answers, quickly, ''none he
is no longer angry with me-"
"How do you know ?" With a basty
suspicion In his voice shas he written
i to you 2"
"No."
"How, thenW
II have seen him." she says, briefly.
For moment, ,astonished disappoint-
ment, keeps his silent; then the two
words "When, where ?"cone low but
hurricdly from his mouth.
eve had long talk" she says,
with the same unmirthful, tender
smile, "quite long taIk-on a bridge
in the moonlight, at Bergun ; the
accessories sound romantic, do not
they? Moonlight always makes one
feel sentimental I am not quite sure
that we were not little so."
A pause. Through the larches in
the ~ood above them, long-long
| sigh passes then falIs-dies-then re-
wives again ; sound as of infinite
! earning.
"When he is coming here, give
me warning before hand" says Scrope,
in voice that is next to a whisper.
II suppose he will be coming here
soon ?'
"Perhaps," she answers, with a lit
tie laugh that Is almost malicious.
"Wbo knows? Perhaps he may take
it in bis wedding-:our."
"His weddiug.tour!~
eyes," she answers, looking away
from his bewildered face again, on the
perfect content, the evening placid
ness, Of the landscape; "it is contrarii-
art, is it not? but be is going to be
married"
"Who told you SO :" (very rapidly.
"IIe told me SO himself"
| "And you? how did you take it,;
what did you say ?"
II said, 'Oh, are your I believe I
laughcd-I am not sure.".
"And then 2" 3
"And then-no, not quite then"
(drawing in her breath sl'wly)-"a
little alterward-he went"
"And you?"
"And I-oh, I lay down on tho
the grass-nice, crisp, dry grass, by
the river, with my head in q
clump of trefoil-what noisy river it
was" (speaking with q sort of PEN
sive complaint )-"sometimes l, hear it
now, at night, running through my
head.'
"And sou stayed there all night
you-in the damp?" with a tone of
reprcachful solicitude).
"No, not all night; about half the
night, I think-I forget about the
time talking is very tiring work, and
1 was tired"
eyes 20
l II