Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1876-04-05

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shall live forever if / am to have you.
I was fool to talk as did. The moon
light made me melancholy; it always
does. Sweetheart, do you not feel my
arms round you. What harm could
come while we are thus and as for the
future %
"But you viii go away now"
"And in che short month you will
come away with me-"
ooh, Luke!'
"What?"
81 dare not say it, and yet I cannot
keep it to myself"
"Tell me. Trust me-"
GA month seems so long. I know it
can't be sooner-but a month. You
will come tomorrow evening, won't
your"
eyes; and every evening""
"I must go now. You will be here
tomorrow evening, surely"
Surely"
Goodnight"
Goodnight"
Tomorrow evening"
Tomorrow evening"
With a cry that was half a moan, she
ran swiftly to the cottage, and he strobe
fiercely down breasting the moonlight
and tearing his shadow into thousand
fantastic shapes among the tangled
weeds and shrubs.
When she reached her room she
could not sleep. She drew back the
curtain of her window and let in the
moonlight. The moon was setting. 1t
wanted about an hour of midnight.
The glen was silent, and, save when the
clocks of the city struck, no sound
reached her. She could not dismiss
his words. They made tumult in her
brain. Do what she might, they came
trooping in upon her ears, like unbidden
guests. Over and over again she tried
to Danish them. She sought to stimuli
late her imagination pleasantly about
the future. She strove to think of her
new home and of the love between her
and Luke daily deepening into calm,
unbroken, fulltoned peace. All in
vain. Turn where she would, the vista
ended at a tomb. At length, in despair,
she closed the curtains on the setting
moon, and with a plea for delivery
| from her fears, went to bed.
At two o'clock the moon set. A light
wind rose and blew the vapors from the
plain and famed the stars into tremb-
| ling flame. Soft music wandered
through the trees.
Still she could not sleep. AS she lay
the striking of the distant clocks came
to her on the wind. Three o'clock
drew near. The murmuring of the
leaves and fatigue began 70 dull her
hearing. She was growing drowsy at
| last. -
"I shall be asleep before three" she
unused dreamily, "and when 1 awake
it will be day, and he will come in the
evening"
At half past three she awoke with a
violent start She had had fearful
dream which she was unable to recall.
But there had been great noises in
it-great noises of bells and shoutings
Of despair.
She sat up. The easement was now
quite dark She brushed back her
hair and listened. All the clocks of
the city were striking together. What
noise they made in the silent night !!
And how long they continued striking.
She had been listening several minutes
and they were still striking.
| She pressed her hand over her face,
and rose, and went to the window
and looked down at the city in the
plain.
| The air was cool and clear. The
sounds came fuller and deeper. No
clocks now, but bells. The bells of the
city ringing an alarm, and in the core
| Of the city a red patch like the hectic
spot on dull cheek.
Som ething in the sound of the bells,
and sight of the fire, stimulated her
strangely. She drew back, dressed her
self hastily, and stepped with great
caution out of the house, and stood
awhile at the low garden wall watching
the throbbing spot in the plain. She
turned her eyes inquiringly from right
to left. No foot of man or beast pass
ed over the grass. Drawing her shawl
tightly around her, she descended to
the path and moved rapidly in the
direction of the bridge. When she
gained it she leaned over the parapet.
The clamor of the bells could now be
more distinctly heard, and she could
see that a great fire was raging In the
most populous district of the city. A
vague terror took possession of her.
His words were still wandering through
her mind. His talk of death now
seemed a pertinent preface to great
catastrophe. Driven by the breeze, the
fire crept in the direction of the glen.
His house lay straight in the way of
the flames. Where was he now? Had
those awful bells reused him? Was
be, like her, looking at the confagra-
tion2 or was he sleeping in the path of
the destroyer?
She turned her white face to the
calm stars, and then glanced round the
glen. She felt half conscious that her
alarm was exaggerated, that the risk
was slight; but as often as she quoted
her heart some silent spectre seemed
to point to the city, and some mysteri-
Gus voice cried out she knew not what.
fearless and terrified, she grasped the
parapet and watched. Her nerves
tingled and her breath came thick and
short. At length a vast volume Of
smoke, sparks and fame shot into the