The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1877-10-29
NoRAH's DEVOTION.

|
"Perhap, not" said Norah, and she
| took her milking-pails, and followed
May, going on before with light step
and gay song toward the meadow
where the COWS browsed. But when
she was quite out OF hearing OF Ned WILL
ton, sitting perched upon the stile, she
muttered to herself: "Pretty! prettyi
pretty! Ay, they ring the changes upon
that these men, as the old bell-ringer
that knew but his one tune used TO do,
down in the church tower. Prettyl
prettyl pretty! Ips never 'good;' ips
never shOnesl;' it's never 'true.' Ips
always pretty" Then she stopped and
looked up, and said, with q quiVer Of
passionate grief in her voice: 'On, ia
| give the world just to hear Ned Wilton
call me prettyl What a fool amp and
she went on with her pals toward the
cows-Brown Bess anu Lily White and
Pretty Polly.
Certainly Norah was not pretty, and
what there was in her face the man on
| the stile would have been the last to see.
| Had she been queen, many would nave
seen something strangely talr and regu-
| lar in her face. Had she been only
rich genlleman's daughter, some one
might have dreamed OF those deep eyes
and that pure brow of hers; but red and
recognized beauties of tAe locality, as,
indeed, tney are all over the world, 20
such folk as her lot was cast among;
and Norah was spoken OF as "plaln."
| Two years before she had taken 1t lnto
| her foolish head to like Ned Wilton very
much; and he, the falmers son, had
thought we'll enough OF The dalry-mald
to say some very peasant things to her.
She had had a sweet dream, but May
BrttoRs coming broke 1t. Her beauty
was very bright and rare, and Ned tor
got the nice girl he had been So fond OF
cnatting with tor the pretty one who
smiled and glanced at him.
she was not SO good as Norah; she had
not half her earnestneSS and CUHStancy {;
but the lace was all TO Ned. So May
Britton wore little plain gold ring that
he had given her, aud had promised TO be
his wife in midsummer; anu NoraA
knew il, and 0utWardly gave no Sign
mat she suifereu-on, y now and then,
as at this moment when Ned bade her
notice May.
Yney lived up IN the coast Of Lincoln
shire, and il was years ago. None ol
them knew how TO write more than their
names. The farmers deepest lore was
tue market price OF grain. Outside OF
them, the great world rolled on without
4lvlug tDen any slgn OF It's existence.
And none OF them Lal ever read novel
OF puem, or seen play. But they
acted out the drama just as well, and
Ned loved May, and cared nothing toi
Norah, and n Noran loved Ned and mated
May. And May knew the whole, AM
triumphed over Moran, and cared a lit.
tie, not much, Tor Ned, because Of his
broad shoulders and brown curlS.
} The girls Slept together in an uppeI
room Ul The house, ana on her wedding
eve May spread Out gown and shoes anu
cuuap MhIte Val, and, dancing aUoul
them. boasted that when the morroW's
sun set she would he mistress of the
mouse, ana Norah her servant. AnC
Moran, thinking Ol the old grandmother
VINO mad begged her not to lose 80 gooC
place, saIu nothing, but stood silent
pale-iaCeu and wan, and telt blttel
hate rising in her heart. Ned was away
to town, and would not be back Until
luext morning, the m0rnIng Of his wed
= dug, Tue old folks We're asleep below
7 How easy it would be, in the dead o
; nignt,to do LUis beautiful, boasLing creB
+ lure some harm--tO mar her beauty, 0
S even to end her life!
Ihe thoughts grew 80, and were 81
horrible, that Norah coulQ not be sure 0
herself. May, Watching her, saw only
= deadly wuileness creep over her lips
, and, with the first touch of pity in lie
heart, folded her vail away, and said
unwisely enough, but meaning it KIND
+ Iy-
No doubt the next wedding will b
yours, NUran."
!, Tnen Norah, without a look, turne
land left the room. She sought to b
safe from herself, for hendish thought
| ,.o..,oouoH har' and lDIplnD SnlituHl
: She climbed a Ladder thaT led to the tile
: roof, and, seeking the shelter Of th
2 great chimney, sat down in its shadow
d and looked up al the sky. 1t was call
d and full OF stars. Its peacelulnesS ha
an instant influence on her. Repentau
r lears began to flow. She prayed as sin
}, nle children pray: "Please make III
O roodV And all the hate for Muy lie
Y her heart, and her love for Ned-ne
e vearning, aching love for him-soltene
into a sorL OF tender memory. SooI
n with her white, well-deYeloped mil
~ maid's arms under her mead, she sleI
v upon the mossy roof, under the canoI
+ Of The stars
- At last She began to dream. The
i" We're going to church-May ana Ned
+ and she heard the wedding-bells; bl
, gong in at the door she saw, instead
| gAllS-uIS55Cu SuSoLS3 lIlouA u0Ip Oil
'' black and 4 coffin before the altar, AL
n gave a scream and wakened. Bells wei
o. ringing, but not wedding -bells-tL
= bells that tolled If there were any nee
of the men OF the place-if fire broke OF
3 or robbers were heard, or there we
;: any rioting in the town. What could
y- mean? NOrah listened. A stran4
u surging sound fell upon her ear
u Lights cleaned in all the houses. III
n truth flashed upon her. Years befo
her old grandmother had told her ho
a the old sea wall had been washed ava
Of and tide mad risen and swept in upt
1t them on that wild coast, carrying vii
20 it, as it went out, kline, and fiocks, al
# little dwellings, and even land itsel
,r and how there was mourning tbroug
out the land for those it had done
- death-men and women and children
-, so that many a household long remeI
~ bered it with woe. This had happene
- again. The sea wall was doWn-tl
D. floods were sweeping in. The bells we
ringlng as they mad runs before in II
ears OF those who now lay in their sraV
ringing 10 tell the same tale TO thOl
who were then unborn.
l. The house in which Norah dwelt WI
II old and near the sea-tar from all hume
+, aid, too; and its occupants were tv
very old people and two girls. The on
- one who could have aided them was fl