, 1877-12-07


.,.A curly hair. Hi. eyes, uNcrhung 10y
f..A rrHN.. did not luok directly At her,
... au..r aycrri, every now aud then
-r...u .HDk ai her. Something about the
uan. .hr could NOT say What, seemed ia
u.lar O. her, aud she studied his face
....-r.y. irving 'u recall 10. Perhaps the
..rup.tur,- ui her lluk made him uneasy.
be drained the boa dry. placed il on
.lc stone beside him. and then stood IL
.ru' With his hand, moving rcstlcssIy y 10y
BOO, side.
81 have seen yuu before, she said, .inAlly.
Her voice Was kind; but he stepped has
,ily aside, then looked at her turtiyely.
Il don't remember" he said, slowly,
and turned his face away. Not tonight "
he uttered, mot tonight" But then, AS
be was about To leave, he stopped and
said, MANY thanks
But where will you sleep to.nightl
You may stay in my she'd
II will sleep over there and he point.
ed toward the rocks.
"ln Paradise! There is no house there"
The man gave a groan.
"Is that Paradise where the grass grows
greeni"
80 we call it."
He turned and walked hastily away.
The woman followed him with her eyes
until she could no longer descry him, as
he was lost in the shadow of the rocks.
His face perplexed her; but she could not
remember where she had ever seen it. Sew
eral days passed, and once or twice the
man had been seen clambering about
the rocks and apparently gathering ber-
ries. Once he had been seen fishing, and
a smoke curled up occasionally from the
rocks. His presence there served to keep
the children away, while it yet tempted
them to 90 nearer and see what he was
doing. One, more daring than the Others,
crept round by another way, and brought
back word that the cross which he had
been seen to carry was raised above the
beach in front of the opening to Para
disc, but the man was not to be seen.
All this and the stories which one and
another had told of other men who had
acted strangely began to affect the little
community; and, at length, on Sunday
afternoon, Nancy Dacre, unwilling that
the uneasiness should continue, left her
home and walked along the beach toward
Paradise. Some of the children began to
follow her.
"Come back Come back !" their moth.
er cried. "Nancy will go. No one will
harm her. But you must wait till she
has been"
Nancy herself was not unwilling to go
alone. The cool breeze blew freshly be-
meath the warm July sun, and the long,
swooping dip of the sea-gulls gave her
sense Of freedom and life. She stepped
quickly forward, and each step seemed to
make her more buoyant. Victory is fa-
bled to be winged, and this woman's life
has not been without its overcoming.
She passed round the rocky ledge and
came out in view of Paradise, with the
gray rocks which formed its northern
boundary. Midway she saw the cross
standing. 1t could not fail at once to
take her eye; and at its foot the man was
kneelipg 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. Presently he
laid his knife aside; and, going a little
way off, fell upon his breast, and, prop
pirg his chin between his hands, looked
tixeuly upon the cross. The woman for
a moment was disturbed. She had seemed
to enter this mans closet and to break in
upon some secret devotions. Yet to 90
would be to disturb him more. She re-
mained motionless, her eyes fixed upon
him. Then she saw his face drop into
his hands, and she could no longer hesi-
tate. She went toward him. He heard
the sound of her dress and rose hastily.
His face showed signs of great emotion,
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 at the house yonder, aud asked me
to stayl"
ayes, l am"
"And you are not afraid of me9r
"No; should not have come here if 1
had been. came to see you. l did not
know but l might help you"
"You are a good woman. am bad
man."
"You cannot be wholly bad. You
have raised this cross here"
"Do you think sol Do you say so2"
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, deliberately. "You are
not wholly bad, and you have suffered
much for what you have DONE"
81 have suffered hell for ten years. You
are good woman. l have told nobody.
Yes, ! have at last told the world. Let
me tell you here" He seized her hand
and drew her near the cross. "Do you
see this CROSSE Do you see of how many
pieces of wood it is builtl 1 have been
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