The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1877-10-31


after day they w0cld stray together
through -: :he woods. or by the river bank,
or often cross ii iu her little boat and
wander on the other side; she--the pure,
innocent girl who had read him, ySsif
never shruuk, always sprang joyously
to meet him. Nj. le Cure, good, guile
less old man, had been fearful at first,
but she had whispered a word in his ear
that made him smile and bid her "God
speed, then" and the simple villagers
when they saw the stranged matched
pair pass, came at last TO say, crossing
themselves, that Heaven had sent La
Cora, and neither man nor devil could
harm her" Perhaps there was more
truth in their ignorant, beautiful faith,
half superstitious though it might be,
than wiser heads have fathOmed.
One day she wandered down first to
the bank where, now dark and quiet, the
stately Loire flowed more gently; in vain
the golden headed Cora stood ready by
the little boat and called aloud, Cher
NJ. Max, je suis a vous.'
For once NJ. de St. Mar was late and
the child pushed off, keeping, however,
within hail but as she turned the boats
head, voice called across from the OPP
posite bank, for the river was narrowing
there "Hola is that VerbOis?'
A man was standing on the bank, and
La Cora, tuning her voice so as to throw
it well across without any effort to her
self, answered
"Oui Monsieur c'est VerbOis-sur-
Loire"
"Eh bien! And how am to get it?
/ have lost my way somehow"
monsieur can cross three miles below
this at Aumone."
"Unless," called the stranger, pleas
antly, "Mademoiselle would allow me
the honor of pulling across in the boat.
l am weary, for | am fifty years old, and
have walked far"
Il will ferry Monsieur over"
He threw himself on the turf and
watched the pretty boat as it came swift
ly on under the skilled, steady pull OF
the young girl, but the moment the
boats nose touched, he rose and stepped
down.
Glow can l thank you, my child
Permit me to relieve your
"No, thank you. Sit down, Monsieur,
if you please; my boat knows me best.
For now that she saw him close the
child preferred to keep the mastery Of
the situation. His face was such a one
as few would take on trust, for all its
smiling front and grey hairs.
CHANGING round presently, she thought
she saw the tall form she had never
been so glad to see as now, pass along to-
wards some noble trees right down by
the waters edge; if so, hepaused, looked
towards the boat, and suddenly disap-
peared behind the trees.
A little faster the child's heart beat
and she instantly headed for those very
trees rejoicing that M. de St. Mar was
there, that when she landed her passen
ger she would not be alone with him.
Oh that wonderful instinct of woman
hood, which loving Father has i'm
planted for her protection in the heart o.
the youngest, the most innocent, the
most trusting.
She sprang to shore quickly and fas
tened the boat tightly to a sapling, as thu
slower stranger set foot on land.
In that moment St. Mar stepped sud
denly forward face to face with thu
stranger, and the child started to see |
pistol in his right hand, and look il
the face she loved such as might wei
strike terror into her and the man be
fore him such desperate, passionate ha
tired, such fierce, blazing wrath, such
deep, relentless purpose, that tn
stranger shrunk in abject terror, ant
Cora laid her little trembling hand
never vet repulsed, On st. Mars arm
He put her sternly back.
"At last, at last, | have the devil IN
carnate in my power. Turn to ny, stir
step, and you die five minutes sooner
You, whom / have sought for twent
years; you, who escaped justice sha
not elude me. Where is my only, m
twin brother? the boy whose innOcenc
you poisoned; whom you dragged int
your own vices, into sin, step by step
and when he tried madly to free himself
tainted him, till in his misery-ha J 20
| know it was not suicide, it WAS murder
murder, murder on your own head, an
with body and soul you shall pay th
ransom p
But in the very second that he fire.
the weapon was struck up and hurlt
into the rolling waters by a girls slIgl
hand.
"The boat" she cried. "Thou mu
derer-fy For his own souls sake
shall leave vengeance TO God. FlyV
"Child, back, back, or"
He was springing desperately on !
foe, but the child threw herself on /
breast, wrapping her arms around hi
with strength he could not loosen wit
out using cruel force; and the boat sh
out into the stream.
"Loose thy hold, Cora! Thou ha
let my brothers murderer escape n
vengeance" he cried, with fierce wra
which seemed as if it would fam shaft
even this frail loved form, to reach
end.
But she was weeping bitterly now.
ooh, Max! 1 have but saved {
!, soul from death, from the awful sta
of blood. See, "-loosing her ella
only to cling as closely to his arm
is gone, and will never more cross
path"
t He looked down on her beautiful IA
+. with his wild cleaning eyes. -.
"Child, you have done me bit
t wrong. For twenty long years hav
nourished this just vengeance, lived
it, my only hope, my all; dream'
t brooded, fed on it, till all else vanish
before it; earth and heaven, body a
!, soul were flung into the scale l 8
t everything in this world and the next
this one jewel, and you, you whom low
] rob me Of It'll"
s "The jewel was false" said the chi
i shaking her golden head. "The fruit
u from the Dead Sea; the vengeance
Gods, not yours.
d "Not mine y
d He stopped, choked by the force of
i own passions.
a The soft voice came again.
n vengeance is mine, will repay, 50
d the Lord cast out the evil spirit from
e breast, and wear instead this Cross
Christ +"