The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1877-12-29

hopes; she longed TO do something fol
him, now that it was impossible en-
courage him, to help him, If she could
only once find his name. She nevel
Edid. And when ct last peace was de
clared, there came through the obscure
| channels in which all such news runs
not be verified, and yet too authentic
for disbelief, the report that he had beer
10 conscript of the Confederates, hai
fallen in his first battle, and had died il
hospital. -..,4 .ag ,s.. yei
And her act had killed him! Betty
Wilmarth sat down that day m despair
For what had she been born, when, Out
of her insignifcance, she had wrought
such evil as this? A murderess-that wa:
what she was! The murderess, too, Of
the best friend q woman ever had. By
. within, . mere within, she had brought
disaster and ruin on her family-she bad
brought a strong man down to his
grave. '''1'' ~ = ~ ~.
And then, her thoughts getting toe
much foriher, Betty would start up and
walk for miles, to walk off the horror
that oppressed her, the horror that made
| life seem not worth living; that made
life seem impossible 70 live, and yet did
not dare to die. Nothing was any pleas
ure to Betty now Her fathers affairs
had frightened; they had retaken their
old house her mothers, health was re-
stored; the girls had come from school,
content and happy, and ready to take
Betty's scepter where she dropped it.
But she was pleased for their sskes--fcr
herself itmade no difference. The color
had forsaken her sweet cheeks at length /;
her eyes were dim with her long crying ;
she sat for hours together staring
straight before her, conscious of moth
ing whatever but that she had been the
death of VIII Maunder.j H. d hI4oy
How she missed him now at every turn!
the ready smile, the tender word, the
helping deed, the admiring look, the
persuasion that she could do nothing
wrong! If he wore only here in her
trouble, he would clear it all away, rs a
strong west wind blows the clouds.
But, no; she would be having no trouble
if she had not sent Will out of reach !;
she would see him again neither here
nor hereafter, for the place where VIII
Maunderwent with his white soul would
be no place for his Emurderess.. = How
strong he was, in those dead and gone
days! how generous, how brave and
true! and all for her it might have been.
And she had been blind till the need Of
his daily care had made her, turn and
look and now it was too late. When
the first snow-storm of the winter came,
and she remembered that it was heaping
his unknown grave, the cold terror of
it chilled her marrow. All the gay
Christmas season that he used to like SO
much she sat in darkness. She forgot
her father, and all the need of house.
hold cheer, and it was only when she
saw the plying faces downstairs that
she resolved to forget herself, her sin,
and her grief, and help them all to gath
er what sweetness there was in this life
she had found so bitter. And she made
her New Years gifts ready, and helped
her young sisters decorate the rooms
and the simple table they. could spread,
and lent them her dainty ornaments
that she used to value so, and that now,
at 25, she was done with.
1t was q great white snow-storm,
though fierce, driving, drifting snow
storm-that wrapped earth and sky
when that day dawned, beginning the
eventful year. They would be friends
indeed who adventured through it. The
girls and their chosen companions, nev-
ertheless, we're just as gay in the par
lors as they could have been in the sun
niest of weather, imagining arrivals,
and, when nobody arrived, receiving
each other in turn, as if there were a
procession of callers at the door. They
were none of them so sweet, SO willful,
so charming as poor little Betty had
been; not one Of them had the dark
rich beauty that belonged to her yet;
they never would have the train of gal
lants at the door that used to cross its
threshold for Betty's sake. She won
dered what they found to laugh at; in
all the wide sad world there was moth
ing at which she could smile; the very
blowing of the gale, the whirling of the
snow and sleet through the white, cold
heavens, seemed only to answer her
own misery. She sat in the little side
parlor off the others, staring through
the window with her wild and wretched
gaze, though, for appearances, q book
lay open in her lap. Her thoughts had
gone upon their long flight;
and after. the first CRATE and jar
of it upon her, she heard nothing
of the laughing and twittering, of the
music, and the opening and
doors. The joyousness of the
day, like sunshine breaking through
storm, was nothing to her; she noted
none of the fragrance of the flowers,
none of the gay cries of the echoing
voices; her thoughts were under that
snow-heaped sod with Will. It seemed
to her that if she could only once see
him, and see him alive, the very relief
would kill her; but, oh, how hard it
would be to 60 if he were in the breath
ing world! She longed for him back
with fresh longing to take the stain and
burden off from her; and then size long
ed for him back that he might just put
his arms round her and take her, that
she might rest in his presence. Why
had she never loved him till he was lostp |
And now he would never know it. |
's Oh, Will, Will, Will" she cried-and
cried half aloud, all unaware-ssif YOU
only knew how 1 loved you! If YOU
only forgaye me-" And there the words
we're stayed by a pair of bearded lips, the
arms she had wearied for were about |
her, her head was pillowed on a breast
Did the dead walk? did the grave sur