The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-12-29

was in sackcloth and ashes that she sat
while summer and autumn crept by.
She loathed herself. She felt that even
God must loathe her every one must
loathe her that knew her as Will Maun-
der's murderess. The earth was dark !;
for her the sun ceased to shine the
faces of all she saw were blanks, they
seemed to belong to people of another
race there was nobody Of her race
q woman with the blood of her best
friend on her hands Day after day
gloom seemed to gather, thicker and
darker, over the world it was place
of graves all those that vent by were
born only to suffer and die-to suffer
and die, and after death the Judgment
And then, her thoughts getting too
much for her, Betty would start up and
walk for miles, to walk off the horror
that oppressed her, the horror that
made life seem not worth living that
made life seem impossible to live, and
vet did not let her dare to die. Moth
ing was any pleasure to Betty now. Her
fathers affairs had frightened /; they had
retaken their old house her mothers
health was restored the girls had come
from school, content and happy, and
ready to take Betty's scepter where she
dropped it. But she was pleased for
their sakes-for herself it made no diff
ference. The color had forsaken her
sweet cheeks at length her eyes were
dim with her long crying; she sat for
hours together staring straight before
her, conscious of nothing whatever but
that she had been the death of Will
Maunder.
How she missed him now at every
turn the ready smile, the tender word,
the helping deed, the admiring look,
the persuasion that she could do nothing
wrong If he were only here in her
trouble, he would clear it all away, as a
strong west wind blows the clouds. But,
no; she would be having no trouble if
she had not sent Will out of reach; she
would see him again neither here nor
hereafter, for the place where Will
Maunder went with his white soul would
be no place for his murderess. How
strong he was, in these dead and gone
days how generous, how brave and
true and all for her it might have
been. And she had been blind till the
need of his daily care had made her
turn and look; and now it was too late.
When the first snow storm OF the winter
came, and she remembered that it was
heaping his unknown grave, the cold
terror Of it chilled her marrow. All
the gay Christmas season that he used
to like so much she sat in darkness.
She forgot her father, and all the need
of household cheer, and it was only
when she saw the plying faces down
stairs that she resolved to forget her
self, her sin, and her grief, and help
them all to gather what sweetness there
was in this life she had found so bitter.
And she made her New Years gifts
ready, and helped her young sisters
decorate the rooms and the simple table
they could spread, and lent. them her
dainty ornaments that she used to value
so, and that now, at %, she was done
with.
1t was great white snow-storm,
though fierce, driving, drifting snow
storm-that wrapped earth and sky when
that day dawned, beginning the event
full year. They would be friends indeed
who adventured through it. The girls
and their chosen companions, neverthe-
less, were just as gay in the parlors as
they could have been in the sunniest of
weather, imagining arrivals, and, when
nobody arrived, receiving each other in
turn, as if there were procession of
callers at the door. They were none of
them so sweet, 80 willful, so charming,
as poor little Betty had been not one of
them had the dark, rich beauty that be-
longed to her yet they never would
have the train of gallants at the door
that used to cross its threshold for Bet
tvs sake. She wondered what they
found to laugh at; in all the wide, sad
world there was nothing at which she
could smile; the very blowing of the
gale, the whirling Of the snow and sleet
through the white, cold heavens, seemed
only to answer her own misery. She
sat in the little side parlor off the others,
staring through the window with her
wild and wretched gaze, though, for APP
pearances,a book lay open in her lap. Her
thoughts had gone upon their long flight;
and, after the first CRATE and jar of it
upon her, she heard nothing of the
laughing and twittering, of the suspend
ed music, and the opening and shutting
doors. The joyousness of the day, like
sunshine breaking through storm, was
nothing to her she noted none of the
fragrance of the towers, none of the gay
cries of the echoing voices
her thoughts were under that
snow heaped Sod with Will. 1t
seemed to her that if she could only
once see him, and seebim alive, the very
relief would kill her; but, oh, how hard
it would be to go If he were in the
breathing world She longed for him
with fresh longing to take the stain and
burden off from her; and then she longed
for him back that he might just put his
arms around her and take her, that shs
might rest in his presence. Why had
she never loved him till he was losa2
And now he would never know it. "Oh,
Will, Will, Will 70 she cried-and cried
half aloud, all uaaware-" is you only
knew how loved you II you only
forgave me-" And there the words
were stayed by pair of bearded Lips,
the arms she had wearied for were about