The weekly Shasta courier. [volume] (Shasta, Calif.) 1872-190?, 1873-08-23
One Month.

MISS 1JenL SUOOu 10 receive ner death SEN
tence. She could not sit still and watch
DIR. Mercury rub his glasses and deliberate.
His musty books occupied one whole side
of the study; the morning sun threw a
broadside in at the other. He stood with
his back to the north, she with her back to
the south, while he pronounced his opinion.
Miss Dent accepted his opinion as the ora
Gle. She knew the flaw that was in her
race. He had eased all her family gently
out of the world. Her turn must come
Yet, TO man, all men are mortal except
himself"
My dear young lady" droned DR.. Mer-
curry, tapping his glasses on his thumb
nail, 1T would be better for you not
to know it; but since you so determn-
eddy insist, | will say candidly, | do not
think your lease of life extends beyond a
month. You may die any moment. Ac-
cordlng to natural laws, you cannot survive
beyond the time L named"
tie looked apprehensively at her. His
sentence developed no alarming symptom
The Doctor followed her to the door eau
tioning and soothing put her into her wait
ing carriage blinked up into her still sml-
ing face, all solictude for her sighed, sneez-
ed, and could not put the matter out of his
mind until the next patient appeared.
Christine drove to the Park. She wanted
to breathe. Its undulating greenness struck
her like pang. "This is the EARTH" she
said, and | must leave the earth in a
month"; Yet Christine Dent had told her
soul great many times that she wished she
We're dead. She hated life Her unhappy
temperament had beaten against it more
than a score Of luxurious years. However
We all remember the fable of the old man
who fell down and called on Death. and rose
again Z" to explain" when Death appeared.
People said Christine Dent had everything
in the world to make one happy. She was
an heiress, cultured, much sought unto had
an iudulgent maternal aunt for a guardian a
beautiful establishment she had spent sea-
sons abroad, and in the capital she was
herself thing of beauty how could her ex-
istence be anything but a joy forever? For
aren't those nursed on Fortunes bosom,
borne tenderly to the door of Heaven, and
handed in? Wealth is a beautiful advan-
tage We don't need dear Charles Lambs
word to convince US that " exhlarating cor
Gials, books, pictures, the opportunities of
seeing foreign countries, independence
hearts ease, a mans own time to himself,
are not muck, however we may scandalize
by that appellation the faithful metal that
provides them for u.s.
But Christine Dent, with her wealth. her
beauty, her circle" had not been happy.
Some gasps of rapture had been hers. which
lett her miserable because they didn't last
She had entered the world-not for the pur-
suit of happiness; that privilege is guaran-
teed to the meanest of her countrymen lex
cepting the Chinese); but for the purpose of
catching and retaining happiness. She
couldn't do 1t consequently, her life stood
for nothing 1t was a failure.
Christine Dent had owned lover, and
now owned him not You reach the core
of the matter) She had scores of old notes
breathing VOWS warm enough to scorch the
satin paper, signed by her devoted Dart
ley Couldn't she remember how they
used to set her heart a beating till it nearly
burst? Couldn't she remember, also, how
her love waxed while Dartleys waned ?
They met in Washington. He at once
seized sway over the unfortunately made
girl They were lovers in few hours.
Dartley had that vanity which spoils the
fascinating man. Had Christine been a
trt, she might have kept him. But she
was jealous, exacting, worshiping woman.
Their engagement ended in a tempest.
Christine was just young enough to wish
violently for death. Until the old fellow
came obEgingly aud stared her in the face
that lovely morning.
I'm not positively glad to see you, she
said !" it's little odd. And I've been in
the habit of living. But I'm not sorry.
One month. Well, it doesn't matter ,pheti-
er I'm happy this last month or not. But
| wish could do something fit to be done,
before / go.'
She spent the day putting many little
things in order. Aunt Thusa," said Chris
tine at dinner, "whst do you want TO do
this EVENING""
why, my dear" replied Aunt Thusa, in
her usual brisk, submissive formula, "apy-
thing that you want to do. The opera g".
"Oh, Auntie," said Christine. with sud-
den, mourntul qualms, you've always given
up to me in this way, haven't you? Oh,
I'm so ashamed. Do tell me for once what
you would like me to do?"
My darling child 2" cried Aunt Thusa.
She Strengthened her spectacles and looked
fxedly at Christine. The sad, earnest
great eyes were perfectly sane. Well, my
dear, since you are so thoughtful, l will con-
TESS would like you to stay at home this
evening, SO can spend the time on some
fnery for your cousin Rheda. You know