The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1877-11-22

kneeling, his head nearly leaning upon
it, while his hands seemed busy. He did
not at once perceive her, and she stood
not far off on the sand watching him.
She saw that he had knife in his hand,
and was cutting into the wood. Present.
~ he laid his knife aside; and, going a
little way off, fell upon his breast, and,
propping his chin between his hands,
looked fxedly upon the cross.
The woman for q moment was disturb
cd. She seemed to enter this mans clos
ct, and to break in upon his secret devo-
tons Yet to go would be to disturb him
more. She remained motionless, her
eyes fixed upon him. Then she saw his
face drop into his hands, and she could
no longer hesitate. She went toward
him. He heard the sound of her dress and
rose hastily. His face showed signs of
great emotions, but the sight of Nancy
wrought change in it, He came to her
and looked in her face.
"Are you the woman who gave me my
supper in the house yonder, and asked me
to stay2"
eyes, l am"
"And you are not afraid of me2"
"No; I should not have come here if
had been. I came to see you. I did not
know but I might help YOU"
man."
"You cannot be wholly bad. You have
raised this cross here"
"Do you think so? Do you say so?"
he cried eagerly. "oh, look at me; tell
me that again."
Nancy looked steadily at him, trying
again to recall his features.
"No, "she said, you are not wholly bad,
and you have suffered much for what YOU
have done.
II have suffered the torrents of hell
for ten years. You are q good woman. I
have told nobody. Yes, I have at last
told the world. Let me tell you here"
He seized her hand and drew her near the
cross. "Do you see the crosse Do you
see OF how many pieces Of wood it is
built? have been ten years building it.
Yes ten years-it was ten years ago. See,
that piece is from Malaga. I was born in
Malaga, and went back there first; but
| could not stay there. And that is from
Brazil. And that is from Alexandria. I
bought it Of Greek. He said it was a
bit of the True Cross; but he lied. Igave
him all had for it, aud I put it in the
middle-see there; but it never drove it
out of my heart. And there's not coun-
try where I've not been and brought away
bit of the wood. It's all the work of nv
own hands; and I thought when I'd
finished the cross it would 60 away. And
l worked patiently though the men mock
ed me. And it's not gone away. Then
I thought if planted it right here,
right here, that would be the end !;
but it wasn't. And now I have cut
my name and what did on it, that
all the world may see; and, o, God! it's
on me yet: Where shall I go2 Shall I
lay myself down there, side of him and
the boyv Ye're tired. Sit ye down and
I'll tell it all to you. No2 Yell not sit
down7 Yell stand by the CROSSE It's all
cut on it. Ye can read it. That's the
story. tRequiescat II, pace! I Daniel Mora,
seaman, did, in passion, kill the skip
per Of the schooner Nancy and his boy,
and scuttle the Nancy, about two leagues
to the eastward of this cross, which 1 set
up, and may God have mercy on my
soul! Ye'll say now I'm not bad man2
0, blessed Mother! take it away Take it
away! Yes, it was off there, where ye're
looking. Oh! But it was terrible. Why
don't ye speak? Do ye see anything2
Oh! do ye see it, I bound them in the
cabin after latter they were-1 didn't
take any money. It was not for that.
There was nothing but ballast in the
lading. My God! the Judgment DAY."
Out of the blue water, under the sun
set sky, slowly there was rising, as they
looked, the masts and then the hull of
spectral schooner, half-careened over,
water-logged; Shiny. No sound was
heard; but the silent witness to Daniel
Mora's words lay before them, moving
sluggishly on the water. To-day the in
cessant rolling of ten years had released
the last weight that held it down.
Mora's eyes started from beneath their
shaggy brows, as he grasped the cross
and then clutched at his companions
dress. He did not see her. He only
saw the witness. on which his ewes fixed
with look of despair.
"Dacre! John Dacre!" he cried,
stretching out his hands imploringly to
the hulk.
"Aye! aye!" said a voice at his side,
and he turned suddenly. The woman
stood before him, her hands clasped
tightly before her.
"He was my husband. That boy was
my child" The man fell at her feet.
"Rise, Daniel Mora. I am not thy
Judge: I am sinner, like you" But
she herself bowed low upon the ground.
Her forehead touched the cross, which
carried the tale of her old grief and this
mans crime. Daniel Mora crept thither
also, until at length he felt two cold hands
laid on his head.
"God be mercitul to US sinners!" she
said. And he repeated the prayer after
her.--Horace E. Scudder, in N. =. Inde-
pendent.
A kind-hearted elephant, while walk
ing through the jungle where the spicy
breezes blow soft DER Ceylon's Isle,
heedlessly set foot upon q partridge.