The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-12-23

I
~ in II There she Stood with her race ana
necf cleaning dull-white, like old marble,
above the gray gown, and one lock OF het
Hack hair twisted round her throat, Ike {,
soft necklace, and her little damp, cold hand
lyinr on mine, and he lips moved yet, rs II
l. She we're saying over again:
"Tct me have it,'
WHO are you:" cried, trembling ana
hardly breathing. What DO you want
"My ring-mine and Rogers No other
woman can wear my ring. Look dontyou
see the blood on it!'
Aunt Iucinda's ring, There was no STAIN
ION il when she took it out of the old caskel;
but saw it now in the moonlight dash
of ugly red among the crusted carvings.
tore it off my finger, and flung It away as II II
were q coal of fine.
WHO arc you?" cried once more -,
And the answer came softly and slow, like
a sigh:
esther Chillingworth."
| started up at her brcaihlessiy.
"Lpok at me-" she murmured. This Is
the face that Roger Vane loved nigh 200 years
ago; this is the hand that wore his ring
that sent it back to him from Salem JAIL When
he no longer cared to remember how he slip
ned 1t on with kisses. They say was very
fair to see in those days. Look at me, Am
cCmely now"
She swept back her long hair from her
lcurled like q snake around her throat; ana
then, as | looked at her, she broke into 4 low
waling cry: ,,,
al had the faircst face in Salem, old Chill
Iliprworth's daughter. The grass wlhereth,
the flower fadeth.' The parson used to teIi
me 1t was but vain show, and laughea
him TO scorn. For in the woods beyong Sa-
lem, when | was picking May-flowers, ana
Trusting aside the brown leaves to lind their
Ipink-and. white clustered stars, ] met Roger
Vane. and he told me a sweetcr tale than the
preachcr knew. And | let him kiss my
mouth, for he called it most sweet-yea, al,
together lOvely,'-sweeter than the breath OF
May.nowers o, the Salem woods! ., my
love, Roger, Roger" go.
Her wall swept by like a gust of chilling
wind, and the folds of the curtains stirred and
ItremLlr' with IT; but she never stirred, mot
even la'r Of her head was shaken as she
stood there.
"IIe was brave, and young, and handsome,
land he came riding in from Boston, and rode
down the street Of Salem that spring day, the
roodliest day | ever saw. In old England, or
in the new, bleak country, there were none to
compare with HIM, in my eyes; and so low
ed him. And he stayed in Salem, and saw
him day after day; and none knew 1t at first.
for we straycd far away in these green woods
that were just putting on their leaves, and
looked tor May. flowers, and, later on, for the
blue violcts that Crept up through The rustilng
dead foliage of last year And at last he came
to my fathers house; but Abel Chlllingworth
was old and stern, and | feared him, ana
had no mother; and so we kept our secret
Roger and |. feared nothing, asked moth
| I lroinnl tho pt pupb
day dry, aud was content with its full draught
of 10y, and never dreamed, with summer and
the round me, of winter and decay, and dust
and ashes, until one day came when we met
IN the Salem woods to part.
"'No tears, my little Maylower,' Roger
| Vanc said, softly, as he reld me within his
strong, kindly arms. Il have never seen the
drops in those sweet eyes of thine before, and
! would not have my last sight of them so
married. 1t is only a little space, sweetheart
! I shall come back to steal away my little
| Puritan maiden before the first leaf has turn
ed red 10y her fathers door
| "Why-why Will you go, Roger | cried,
rs chung round him; and asked it only TO
hear over again what | knew before quite
well how Gov. Winthrop, whose bloOdrcia-
tlon he was, had sent him here, ana now re
called HIM. ON business of the commonwealth,
ana how he must obey; leaving me only for
little whilc--'a very little while, | made
him whisper over ana over, with my arms
about his neck. And 'hcn he pulled from
his finger that ring, with its dark. yellow
stone and little bright pearls, ana slipped it
over NINE.
"'Sec,' he sfi1; you shall wear thls as my
pledge Of love and loyalty; there is lock of
my own hair under the stone, and you shall
give me one of those precious dark locks to
keep and kiss when we are parted; and in
two little months | VOW TO exchange our love
gifts back again, here IN this wood my
sweetest
! ale took the lock Of hair that Curled by
my forehead, and | took his ring and his
own kiss sealed ii on my finger. So we turn.
ed away from each other, ard started on the
/ long paths that led our lives apart, and never
drew them together again,-never any more :,
Roger Nane rode back into Boston town, and
stole sadly to my fathers house, Ia mourn
and wait for him, with his ring hung round
my neck, low down, by my heart
"The summer crept IN, and the hot days
shortened their fierce fircs, and the August
haze was in the sky; Tie golden rod shook
out its plumes all along the dry, dusty road
aud the ragged white thistle.down blew here
and there | watched for the first change
along the dark borders Of the WOODSTOCK the
red leaves and for Rngcr; but, one morning,
| woke up and saw the white frost glitter
ing ON some blackened, dropping vines
around my window, and broad splash of
scarlet, like blood, dashed across the maple
trees, and no lover came riding down The
road, or straying through the Salem wood TO
| find me.
"Ncver, never morcl | had the last kiss
on my lips forever for none touched them af.
| Ia EpUer Aann The lpn tprnp1 crimson
and golden, and russct-hrown, and wilhered
and dropped from the bare trees; the dark
November days glowed over the land, and
my lover never came. No word had from
him.-nn sign; knew not il he were among
,hc living or dead, until Gideon Giles, com.
ing home in the early winter from IA week s
! Journey To Boston, told me, ms he sat in the
Iclhow-chaIr by our hearth, that he had seen
CAV Young Roger Nanc.
"'You remember hun, Mistress Esther
4 well favored youth, but somewhat light.