The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1877-01-10
CHAPTER VIII.
WHAT ANNIK SAW At rue ROCKING.
STONE

- = L II Al IL.
WHAT ANNIR SAW AT TUE ROCKING
sTONE.
Heavy-footed. for the mud eIuno in
Jumps 10 her shoes, tired. yet t,o
overTruught To be sensible Of fatigue
AunlS al last reached the road beside
which stood the Rocking. Stone. and
before long the vast, mysterious stone
l0omed 10 tue darkness.
she loUked around her. The daU
sound Of lapping waves old tina, tbs
sea was not tar of, aad southwark
the lighiness OF the horizon pointed
ou- It's whereabouts.
The dull sadness Of the sound re-.
called Laos 0nin0us words-"He
must not come back to Kerion.r
Sllyesuk. Sivestik,7 she cried in
an agony ut trIror, where ars thouY
IL is Annik ho cslls."
From acrOss the road came a voice
she kuew Te!l-lhe voice Of the xood
Cure.
Who goes there? II you are q
Christian man OF woman. ia the name
vi God come aud help a dvius manl'
a thriIl u terror passed through
AHulk
81 come, | eome." she cried
Aud she went in the dire ton Of
the voice. slipping and stumbling rover
tue uneven ground; aud sOoD, in the
darkness, she saw the priest bending
over some one who lay outstretchsd
at his feet.
Without word she flung herself
down beside the senseless body. and
ehaied zoe cold hands. ill at last she
fsncied lhey moved within her own.
The Cure spoke, and she answered.
0ut lt seemed % AnnIk that she vas
some oue else, aud that she heard her
own voice telling the good father to
beware Of Lao aud Of Guerik, for thew
were bent on numbering Silvesrik.
Presently came footsteps. and
light beamed up the road Annik
rose TO her feet, aud she saw her un-
Gle ard Lao
She stretched out her arms and
spoke gebemenJly: Keep OF. cow
ards aud uurderersl You shall not
touch Siiyesuk.'
Bur "a she spoke she grew faint
and giddy; aud as Lao answered her
sOJthiugly. she sank to the ground.
"Malnuriu Guerik.n - the Cure said
sternly, % back at once for your
hvrse and csst 90 carry tEese children
home. As to you" be said to Lao.
"begone--y0u are not wanted"
This was all Anlik heard, and then
she knew no more.
Aun's opened her eyes, and won
dercd as she looked around her.
AIN. cherry voice said from
the chair beside The bed, "you have
siepJ late, my poor Annik; you must
rise now, for Monsieur lie Cure wants
a talk with you"
Jeuuutton, the Cnre's old house
keeper, pay,ed the girls cheek, aud
handed ner d cup of coffee. But An
nlk coulu not drink. She sat up, gaz-
lug 10 tbe CHEEKY old face with eager,
ewes She feared to ask the
question that buug On her lips The
Did woman seemed to understand the
questioning look
"Silvestlk Is all right" she said.
1t is well 20 be young, " she went on,
aud she shook her head reprOschfully.
Monsieur le Cure permits much to
young people. or would ask what
'Uu aud Siivestik kergroes had been
about when the good father found
rOl and brought you both home half
lead last night"
And bt!''-cried Annik. with q
burst Of s0bs
He.' Jeaunetju shrugged her
shoulders. "lle - in the psslOr with
Monsieur But be s a fright, 1 can
ell you, with bis bandaged head and
broken arm-p00r tellowl You seem
o have come a best, mademCiseile,"
he added Grossly.
But \ Inik lung her arms round
be old wOman's neck, laughing and
.rying and sObbi0g all at once, 10
most inc0hereut manner-eonduct
Which, as Jeaaneton afterwards told
.cr master, was quite unsuited to q
'resbytery.
But for all that Annik stayed st
be Cure : house ill the chestnut lesy-
: grew brown, and began to fall slow
' from their stalks, and thrn. one
,ne clear morning, Silvestik and An
Iik we're welded in the little village
barch Of Eerion, and went home to-
IizJu 10 liye at the mill
Lao COaiirec never came back to
[erion, though Mathurin Guerik still
ived on at be old farmhouse; but An
nix never crossed its th. esb,ld alter
Ter msrriage.-Bsigr annual