The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1877-01-31

one SWepG DttCh llcl louSo Ahh AAotih ~
face, but without displacing the lock that
curled like snake around her throat;
and then, as I looked at her, she broke
into low wailing cry:
81 had the fairest face in Salem-old
Chillingworth's daughter. The grass
withereth, the flower fadcth. The par
son used to tell me it was vain show,
and I laughed him to scorn. For in the
woods beyond Salem, when l was pick
ing May flowers, and rustling aside the
brown leaves to find their pink and white
clustered stars met Roger Vane, and he
told me q sweeter tale than the preacher
knew. And 1 let him kiss my mouth, for
he called it most sweet-yea, altogether
lovely '-sweeter than the breath of May
flowers. Oh, the Salem woods 4. Oh,
my love, Roger, Roger ~
Her vail swept by like a gust of chill
ing wind, and the folds of the curtains
stirred and trembled with it; but she
never stirred-not even hair OF her
head was shaken as she stood there.
"He was brave, and young, and hand
some, and he came riding in from Bos-
ton, and rode down the street Of Salem
that spring day, the goodliest day ever
saw. In old England, or in the new,
bleak country, there were none to COM
pare with him, in my eyes; and so [
loved him. And he stayed in Salem, and
I saw him day after day; and none knew
it at first, for We strayed far away IN
those green woods that were just putting
on their leaves, and locked for May
flowers, and, later on, for the blue vio-
lets that crept up through the rustling
dead foliage of last year. And at last ne
came to my fathers house; but Abel
Chillingworth was old and stern, and I
feared him, and had no mother; and so
We kept our secret-Roger and l. l
feared nothing, asked nothing, in my
love; drained the cup of each day dry,
and was content with its full draught of
Joy, and never dreamed, with summer
and the roses round me, of winter and
decay, and dust and ashes, until one day
came when We met in the Salem woods
to part. w 49,, :,
"'No tears, my little Mayhower,'
Roger Vane said, softly, as he held me
within his strong, kindly arms. L have
never seen the drops in those sweet eyes
of thine before, and would not have my
last sight of them so marred. 1t is only
for little space, sweetheart. l shall
come back to steal away my little Purl-
tan maiden before the first leaf has turn
ed red by her fathers door.
Why-why will you go, Roger? !
cried, as clung round him; and | asked
it only to hear over again what l knew
before quite well; how Gov. Winthrop,
whose blood relation he was, had sent
him here, and now recalled him, on busl-
ness Of the commonwealth, and now he
must obey; leaving me only for little
while-'a very little WHILE I made him
whisper over and over, with my arms
about his neck. And then he pulled
from his finger that ring, with its dark
yellow stone and the little bright pearls,
and slipped it over mine.
"'See, he said, you shall wear this
as my pledge of love and loyalty; there
is lock of my own hair under the stone,
and you shall give me one of those pre-
cious dark locks to keep and kiss when
we are parted; and in two little months
I VOW to exchange our love gifts back
again, here in this very wood, my sweet
est
"He took the lock of hair that curlel
by my forehead, and l took his ring, and
his own kiss sealed it on my finger. So
we turned away from each other, and
started on the long paths that led our
lives apart, and never drew them to-
gether again never any more !! Roger
Vane rode back into Boston town, and l
stole sadly to my fathers house, to
mourn and wait for him, with his ring
hung round my neck, low down, by my
heart.
"The summer crept on, and the hot
davs shortened their fierce fires, and the
August haze was in the sky the golden
rod shook out its plumes all along the
dry, dusty road, and the ragged white
thistledown blew here and there. I
watched for the first change along the
dark borders of the woods-for the red
leaves, and for Roger but, one morn
ing, I woke up and saw the white frost
glittering on some blackened, dropping
vines around my window, and broad
splash of scarlet, like blood, dashed
across the maple trees, and no lover
came riding down the road, or st1nying
through the Salem wood to find me.
"Never, never, more had the last
kiss on my lips forever, for none touched
them after Roger Vane. The leaves
turned crimson, and golden, and russet
brown, and withered and dropped from
the bare trees the dark November days
glowed over the land, and my lover never
came. No word had I from him-no
sign I knew not if he were among the
living or dead, until Gideon Giles, COM
ing home in the early winter from
weeks journey to Boston, told me, as he
satin the elbow chair by our hearth,
that he had seen gay young Roger Vane.
"'You remember him, Mistress
Esther? A well favored youth, but
sometimes light minded and yet [ saw
him among goodly company, coming out
of the South church after meeting, and
with fair young lady on his arm. He
had no eyes for any of the worshlpers
but her, and I got no speech with him,
else I might have brought back kindly
message for his friends in Salem, and
for you, Mistress Esther.
I" He looked ut me with keen, cruel
glance, and remember how once he had
crossed our path as we loitered in the
woods, Roger and l. If he searched for
any telltale sign i'll my face, it was in
vain.
$50 I knew that Roger Vane was
living and had forgotten me. I could
have borne his death, I could not bear
his scorn. The bitterness of hades crept
into my soul, and taught Inc hatred of
oil mankind. I shrank away from the
sight Of human faces, and in gloom and
solitude ate my own heart away, with
brooding upon its despair. Oh, my vain
beauty oh, cruel dowry that brought
my fall ! Two soft months of early sum-
mer, against the long, dreary winters
cold-the warmth of kisses in green,
glaucing woods, and the ice walls OF
Salem jail-the crowd on Witch's hill,
the strangling rope, the darkness of the
death struggle, and the trackless abysses
of eternity-these things my fair face
brought Meme, old Chillingworth's
proud daughter !"
What n cr1, sbe oora r, '&bo .1o.5