The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1877-01-21

door.silI, and Just q morsel of bread would
| save her And you, Ceolia-you can never
find IL your heart to refuse me just that Dit Of
This appeal went to Ceeilia's heart, she in
her agitation not taking time to consider how
far it was likely to be grounded 10 truth and
| not mere stratagem to obtain admittauce.
She stretched forth her trembling hand to.
| ward tho bolt, which yet at Fl st she did not
venture to touch. cycling il nervously, as
though it was likely TO harm her.
"Quicki oh, quickl" mosued the voice from
without, "or il will be too late"
With feverish haste Cecilia drew back and
opened: or rather half.opened, the door. but
the widow, who had been watching her OPP
portunity, immediately forced her way in.
Her entrance once Effected her first care was
to anticipate Cecilias expressing the astonish-
ment which unaffected itself upon her couute-
nance in an audible form. Laying her hand
upon the madeus lips, and speaking in low,
mysterious tone:
Hush" she said. "My ohiIdf Oh, she's
obliged to deceive You, for must speak to you.
Where's your uncle f-up stairsf Hush, then /!
he mustn't hear u.s.
ooh, go away, Kate, do! Thys will DO
back directly" said Cecilia, imploringly.
The widow went up to the cupboard like one
Well acquainted with the localities, took q
loaf out, and cut q slice from it. Then. shut
ting up the cupboard and turning TO Cecilia !:
There, this is the aims that you bave given
me-" she said: "say nothing else to him, good
or bad. have seen him, and know where he's
gone to he's at the notary's. Don't beg me to
go away now have been three months on
the lookout for such q chance as this; yes,
full three months have 1 watched the Abbey
farm from morning till evening, to get speech
of you alone. sm determined to know what
it is that's going on here 1t is not for nothing
that Thys is with the notary be has some bus
mess of conse quence in hand that won't be
soon settled; ha will not be back again just
yet. By-the-way, mean to be at the bottom
of that too before I've done; but you're pale
and thin as corpse. Why, what's going on
bop hat l-aar or in th,oxa
All, Kate! dear Kate l mustn't tell you"
Mustn't tell me!' repeated the widow,
scorntully; why, what are you afraid of,
suppose he has forbidden you TO speak o:
course, he wants you to hold your tongue and
pine away; he wants to kill You, in fact All
he cares for is to be rid of you, no matter how,
to have you out of his way, that he may clutch
your share of the Inheritance too. And are you
crushed and broken, worn out, that Yoo
can't stand up against him, and let him carry
it all his own way just by your cowardicef
Isn't it, think you, a downright sin against
God to give up your own cause 50 aud let wick
edness gain its ends for want of little spirit
Perhaps you'll say that it's your own affair;
bat, even if it was no siu-and it is q great one
to throw away your own life 80, what will
you say if there's come one else that you're
killing at the same time f-some one that love
You that can't live without you 7 that's vast
ing and pining away for You 7"
"My God, my GodW exclaimed tho poor girl,
in Responding tone, "is Bart ill, then ~
dO~ can you ASK 6uCu D Que9UlOu, SoClllai
was the reply. "Yon yourself, then-you have
never thought of him, never mourned after
him 7 1t has been 'out of sight ont of mind
with your
bitterly. AT last, her voice broken with sobs
Kate" she said, perhaps am not doing
well TO let you see all that is inmy heart. Oh,
have suffered more th an be! for at all events
he has the sun, the fields the open air. he has
friends to speak to and kind words to hear; he
he's his mother; while II hear nothing bat
scolding and abuse; see nothing but the four
bare walls of this prison, Mess when in my
solitude bis name Involuntary uttered by my
own voice strikes my ear, or a d@y-dream
wildly copjures up his image before me-"
A smile of satisfaction lighted up the widows
features. Tenderly she took the suffering girl
by the hand, and:
"Yuu do love him, then, Cecilia 2" she said.
The maiden made no reply. Silently she
hung down her mead TO hide the blush that
Grim souCd ON her cneeks.
"Ah, Cecilia, do but jlst say that tell me
that Sou love him.
Il can't, KAre! yon'll not keep nay secrot-my
sous secreJm
Bat, Cecilia if my telling ont this secret
mignt perchauce save a life 7"
All me! well then, let him know that which
I've never till nov ventured to confess plainly
to myself. II was the separation from bin that
made suffer most; and, if die, my soul
will carry with it to Gods presence the thought
of him"
Here X Ate rose from her seat, half opened the
door and looked out Into the distance across
the fields. Then, returning:
" don't see Ehys YET" she SAID. BAT, come
now, Cecilia, pluck up little spirit and fight
your WI battle With him; he is but a coward !"
Bot. Kate, tell ME now, is it really truef Is
Bart really so ill =
We'll, that he's do wright to call i'll I won't
cay bu5 he's PALE and thin, and pining, like
yourself. Cecilia. He's LcAr enough to the
graveNto tumble in, if he gets no comfort. 3 1t
uow Ithave the right medicine for his disease.
Aud no& let me hear, Cecilia dear,--tell me
what as been going on here for these three last
unhappy months; but make haste aooHt it, for
we've no time to lose"
We'll, then, listen, Kate. You'll not say a
word of what tell you to any one, will you
and yet what signifies if you dol he can but
kill me! Well, then, Thys waits me to marry
him"
"If I didn't think SO !" murmured the widow.
And he's put it into my uncle's head to want
il too, and day afterda the poor old man is at
sbont it; bot I'll die thousand times
first! There's no kind of persecution that
haven't had to suffer. I'm abused and scolded
at; I'm half starved I'm Verdone with work
I live in constant alarm and terror; aCd-but
for Gods sake, Kate, not word Of This to
Bnrt-yes, Kate, I'm Knocked about, piuched
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