The Red Cloud chief., 1877-10-25
THE LAST LINK.

was far away when Miss Lestrange tool
me to her home-tOOk me weeping from
my dead mothers arms, and sOOthed M,
with gentle words. All my early life
had been a petted child, and l shranl
from GOODNESS as sensitive natures will
ever do, but in my first wild SORROW fol
my mothers death, Mildred Lestrang,
was SO thoughtfully tender to me thai
my lonely heart turned to her, giving
love for love.
In all my life / have never seer a wO
man as beautiful as Mildred.
What though some sorrow lay in the
depth of her eyes, were they less deeply
darby blue, and were not her features
perfect from the lOwbrOw, with its halo
of golden hair, to the daintily round.
ed chimp
One evening Mildred and I were sit.
ting together in the twilight, that
strange, weird hour between daylight
and darkness. she gazing with weary
wistful eyes over the shadowy green
fields, and ], with my eyes fixed dream.
lily on her face, was thinking of my
brother Willis-Willis who, q year be,
fore, had been Miss Lestrange's guest,
who had come down, his heart filled
with love for his sister, and no woman,
save the memory of our mother, hold
ing a higher place in it, and had gone
away loving Mildred Lestrange-loving
her, but knowing his love was vain.
1 thought of the day he kissed me
farewell, and for the sake of Mildred he
was going abroad again.
"Oh, Whilst" l had cried, "why will
she not be your wife? Does she not
know it will break my heart for you to
60 forth a wanderer? OH. Willis, you
will not gOp"
He smiled.
Little sister," he said, "better men
have done that before, and for wo-
men less fair than she, but l, Glare,
have gone abroad before, and what bet
ter could l do than 60 again, where,
amid other scenes, may hope to over.
come my love for Mildred? GoOd-by,
Clare" he said. folding me in his arms,
land love Mildred as you have always
done"
"CIare, little one" Mildred said, turn
ing from the window, what are you
dreaming Off"
d 1 was thinking of Willis" l ans
wered; then, after a moments silence;
"Oh, Mildred, Mildred, why could you
not love himi"
A shadow fell over the beautiful face,
and her sweet blue eyes grew sadder.
Glare" she said gravely, Il must tell
you the story of my past life, then Judge
is my heart one to be given in return for
the first loyal love of Willis Stanton.
when a child of six l went to live
with my Uncle Charles, my fathers on
ly brother. l was left lOnelier even than
you and [ in my childhood, Clare, for l
had lot even a brother, and 1 got no
share of my uncle's heart, for all the
love he had was lavished on my cousin
Ralph, my uLcle's only child. Love
was no name for the passionate love his
father gave hint was little short of
alteration. To me my uncle was always
kind, but he had no love to spare-it
was all to Ralph.
"Ralph and l grew up like brother and
sister, but like very quarrelsOme ones,
for he Was a naughty, imperious boy,
and. having no one else to lord it over,
he generally spent Lis temper on me,
and l beirg seldom submissive, a day
never PASSED that something disagreea-
bic did not occur. Still we played to-
gether and liked each other in a certain
way.
About four miles from us lived DR..
Carlyle, my uncle's family physician,
and his son Deane spent a great deal of
his time with Ralph and me; in fact.
being u constant companion, and even
then l liked Deane much better than
my cousin. He was the complete oppo-
site of Ralph, being gentle and courte-
IN his manner to girls, but to me in |
particular. He was a handsome boy as
well, though not SO handsome as Ralph.
when [ was twelve years old nv
uncle sent me to a fashionable boarding
school. and Ralph went to college at the
same time. because Deane CARLYLE was
going. and they might as well enter it
together.
six years passed and then l returned
to my uncle's.
Ralph had been home the year be.
fore. but had gone abroad to travel. and
Deane Carlyle was studying law in
London, but when he heard 1 was at
home he came to see me-, and spent a
month at his fathers, resting himself.
he said.
Zone evening he came to me, grave
and earnest, and asked me in implorinp
tones to be his wife.
":My darling he said, with the old.
smile I liked so well, can YOU
give me your love, and wait till 1 am
able to claim you? It may be many
years, dear, though will work hard for
your sake
HE was the Deane of old, and my
heart went out to him with a thrill of
Joy.
He loved me-that was enough. It
nav have been his old love for the child