Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1873-04-25
NORAH'S DEVOTION.

''Ah, how pretty she isl he said
Was there ever such a pretty lass
dye think, Norah?"
''Perhaps no5,' said Norah; and she
took her milking pals, and followed
| May, who went on before with light
step 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 stlle, she muttered to herself,
pretty! pretty! pretty! All, they ring
| the changes upon that, these men, as
| the old bell-ringar that knew but his
| one tune used to do, down in the
| church tower. Pretty pretty! pretty!
It's never good" it's never ''h0nest, u
| it's never "true." It's always ''pretty. -
Then she stopped and looked up, and
said, with q qulver of passionate grief
| in her voice. ''Oh, I'd give the world
Just to hear Ned Wilton call me pretty!
What a fool [ am.' and she went on
with her pals toward the cows-Brown
Bcss, Lilly 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 to
see. Had she been queen, many would
have seen sometls: eg straneiy fair and
; regular in her face. Had she only
been :. rich man S daughter, some one
might have dreamed of those deep
eyes, and that pure brow of hers; but
red and white. and lat and t!ilnples,
were the recognized beauties Of iho
locality, as indeed they are aii over
the world, to, such folks as her lot
was cast among; and Norah was
spoken "f as ''pja5n." Two years before
she had taken into les. foolish head to
Ike Ned Wilton very much; and lie,
the farmers son. had thought we'll
enough OF the dairylnaid to say some
very pleasant things to her. She had
a sweet dream, but Mary Britton S
| coming broke 1t. Her beauty was very
bright and rare, and Ned forgot the
nice girl he had been SO fond OF chat
ting with, for the pretty one who smiled
and glanced at him.
She was not SO good Us Norah she
had not half her eartnestness and con
stancv bEt the face was all to Ned.
So Mary Britton wore q little plain
gold ring that he had given her, and
had promised to be his wife il mids1lnl-
mer and Norah knew it, and out
wardly gave rosfgn that she suffered
only now and then, as at this moment
when Ned bade her notice May.
They lived upon the coast of Lin
colnshirc, ana it was Years ago. None
OF them knew how to write more than
their names. The farmers deepest
love was tha market price of grain.
Outside of them, the great world roll
ed on without giving them any sign OF
its existence. And none uf them had
ever read a novel or poem, or seen a
play. But they acted out the drama
Just 20 we'll, and Ned loved May and
cared nothing for Norah. and Norah
loved Ned and hated May. And May
knew the whole, and triumphed over
Norah, and cared a little, not much,
for Ned, because of his broad should
ers and brown cllrls.
The girls slept together in an upper
room of the house, and on the wedding
eve, May spread out gown and shoes
ard cheap white veil, and, dancing
about them, boasted that when the
morrow's sun set she wOuld be mis-
tre IS of the house, and Norah her ser
want. And Norah, thinking of the old
grandmother who had begged her not
to lose so good place, said nothing,
but stood silent, pale-faced aid wan,
and felt a bitter hate rising i'll her
heart. Ned was away at town, and
would not be back until next I..a,flng,
the morning of his Wedding The old
folks were asleep below. How easy it
would be, in the dead Of night, to do
this beautiful, boasting creature some
harm-t, mar her beauty, or even to
end her life
The thoughts grew 50, :,ai were Sc
horrible, that Moral. could not be sure
of herself, May, watching her, saw
, only Il deadly whiteness creep over hel
lips, and, with the first touch of pity
in her heart, folded her veil away, ant!
said, unwisely enough, bE. meaning il
kindly:
No doubt the next wedding will be
yours, Norah.
Then Norah, without look, tarned
and left the room. She sought to be
t safe from herself, for t.endish thoughts
! possessed her, and longing for solitude
| she climbed & ladder that led to the tileC
! roof and, seeking the shelter OF the great
! chimney, sat down i'll it's shadow, ant
| looked up to the sky. TWAS calm an(
| full of stars. It's pcacefulness .lad Ill
instant influence on her. Repentan
tears began to dow. She prayed as
simple taildren pray : PLEASE max,
me good." And all the hate for Ma,
left her heart, and her love for Ned
her yearning, achieving love for him.
sOftened into 4 sort of tender raemory
Soon, with her white. weIi-develope6
milk-maid's a,4as under her head, sh.
slept upon the mossy roof under thu
canopy of the stars.
| At last she began to dream. The
were going t. church-May and Ned
and she heard tho wedding bells bu
going IL a.s the door she saw, insteat
of gaily-dressed guests, molrnera, al
in black, and coffin before the altar
and gave Il scream and awakened
Bells were ringing, but not wedding
bells-the bells that tolled If tiIer'
were any need of the men of the plac'
If the fire brGke out or robbers wer'
heard, or there We're any rioting in t'lt
town. What could 1t mean? Nora;
listened. A strange surging souni lei
upon her ears. Lights cleaned in al
the houses. The truth flashed upol
her Years before her old grand