The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1875-09-02

| II Is growing dark, anu you KNOW HONOR
was so 'fraid," turned a deaf ear, unit
Allie and my brother came out to tell us t.
come in to supper.
Laz. looked anxious when told then
where UOnore was, and shouted down tn
we'll to her to abe sure her foot was in tn
rope good, and to hang tight and tell whcl
she was ready.'
But no answer came up to us.
l took hold of the rope. 1t was danglin.
and loose. Honore couldn't have hold o
it at all.
"Nora! Norav' screamed" supper il
ready. Put your foot in the moose ant
hang tight Quick! so we can pull you up
Still no answer.
81 guess she likes the old we'll now sh.
is down there" laughed Eugcnia. "Sh,
hated to go down badly enough, but Grip
pa would down her''
Some way these words cut into my sou
like the thrust of a sharp knife.
"Sistcr! sister! why don't you answcr?'
Lac. waited minute and then startcd
for the house on run.
This was the first moment of real alarm
! to me. A hundred conjecturcs rushed
into my mind. Had killed her in my
haste to get her to the bottom? What il
SolilC llOll III SC1 IJCul 1ld(l lthCll up H.
abode there and stung her to death with
its poisonous fanSs? What if the bottom,
of the old we'll had fallen out and Nora
had gonc-whcrc?
But had little time for conjecture be.
fore my brother came back with lantern
in his hand and attended by the whole
family. dared not look at any of them,
and they were all too much engaged to no
tice me, think.
Uncle Clark let Lac. down into the well
with the lantern. All was quiet mo-
ment, and then Lac. called up:
"There is foot of water here and HO-
more is chilled to death, l guess. She is
sitting up straight, but won't speak to
me-"
"Can you lift her and hold her while
draw you up:'
"Ycs!"
There was few moments awful silence
and waiting, then Lac. called:
I'm ready! Draw easy"
A turn or two of the windlass and a CRY
from below of Hold!" Another awful
minute, in which LaZ. seemed to be chang
ing his own or Honorc's position, and
again the word:
"Draw slowly and listen to my word
But no other word came, and at length
Laz rose to sight with the limp figure,
dripping with muddy water, Rugged to
his breast with one arm and tied about his
waist with the bingham apron of Honore's,
which he had torn in two and used to aid
his one arm in supporting her weight
during the perilous ascent.
Mother, aunt and Alice caught them as
they came up, and drew them out on 10 the
ground.
1 only saw Honorc's white, white face.
"She breathes! thank Godr'
This from my mother; my aunt an
swercd: Eyes! but there is little life here
she cannot breathe long,
Then there was no hope, after all, and l
was my sisters murderer. The reading
of the morning came back to me, and
found myself asking the question: "Am
l my sisters keeper" and with it ringing
in my ears began to find excuses; it was
only an accident after all. l had meant no
harm. Then remembered that had put
her in against her will, and the sweet,
pleading little voice, as it sank lower and
lower in the WE'LL sounded clearer to me
then than when it had spoken the words
"Buddie, please don't put me down
here! I'm so 'fraid. I'll hide anywhere,
only don't put me down here
Like the clang of the great church bell
when its iron tongue pcals out the sudden
and fearful alarm of fire those other
words came:
"And now thou art cursed from the
earth, which hath opened to receive thy
sisters blood from thy hand"
| crcrt away from the company, who
did not miss ME in their anxiety for
Honore. crept under the old, forgotten
trough, and lay there trying to think.
With the rapidity of lightning my mind
ran over each transporting event of the
day again and again, to end each time in
the horror which frozc me, and held me
powerless to move from my hiding place.
Then came the thought that even there
l was not hidden from the eye of God. l
shricked aloud, one long, wailing shrek,
which sounded to me like the shrek of
ready there? l reached out my hand and
something stung it; it CHANGED to he moth
ing but mud wasp, whose nest had dis
turbcd; had it been a rattlcsnakc should
not have minded it; the pain of the sting
only added to the frenzy of my mind :;
the deed had done filled all the world
with the gloom of tcn-told night, Won
dcrcd if the sun would not be turned to
blood when it should rise again. Wished,
oh! how l wished it could be back to
morning again, and in bed that l might
get up right, and be guiltless once more
of all the shameful deeds I had committed
during the day. If only had once more
in my possession the innocent boyhood |
had lost in the blood of my own little sis
ter Honorc. There was no place in life
for me now. | knew l must only be
looked upon with suspicion and horror if
| lived. would not live. l would 90
and give myself up to the hands of the
Constable, who lived our second neighbOr,
and beg him to hang me on the morrow.
I crawled out from under the trough and
mopcd away to Mr.. Dickson's house. 1t
was all dark there, so l sat down on the
doorstep to wait for morning; too miscra-
bic in heart, too anxious for death to fear
anything; and feeling thus fell asleep.
When next l came to consciousness
found myself in the parlor bedroom at
home, my father sitting beside me hold
ing my hand and indicating my pulse
with his finger.
"Honorc! Honorc! did kill Honore? 81
My father started. mo, my son; your
sister is sleeping sweetly in the next room.
You have been very sick and dreaming, l
suppose"
! wondered if it was all dream, but
was too weak to ask And in the hours
and days and weeks of convalescencc
which came to me had time to make
out that it was not all dream. Poor lit
tie Honore lived indeed but the fright
she had received had injured her mind,
and it was long before the full sunlight of
unclouded intelligence shone upon her be,
wildcrcd brain again. But it came at last,
the release from the pitiless chain with
which had bound her intellectual facul
ties; but the physical strength never came.
She grew up slight, frail plant, which
the least rude touch of winter would chill
to its hearts core. The same sweet, gen.
tic, loving Honore, whose presence was
always a sunbeam and whose love price
less treasure.
And I? Rose from that sick bed q
chastened child and have grown to the
estate of manhood, having learned in
those cventful twenty -four hours howe dan
gerous thing it is to harbor in ones
breast an evil spirit and allowing it to rule
the actions of our heart and hands, and in
| the English lang,1ape are not words