Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1877-12-15

"Ah, how pretty she isl he said.
"Was there ever such pretty lass, dye
think, Norah? s
.Perhaps not said Norah," and she
(took her milking pals, and followed
Nav. going on before with light step and
a gay song toward the meadow where
the COWS browsed. But when she was
quite out of hearing OF Ned Wilton. sit
ting perched upon The stile, she muttered
to herself: Pretty pretty! pretty |!
Ay. they ring the changes npon that,
these men. rs the old bell-ringer that
knew but his one tune used to do, down
i'm the church tower. Pretty. pretty !!
pretty LIS never 'good;' it's never
.honest - iE's never trtrue.'s Its. always
pretty" Then she stoppedsand looked
Up, and said, with CULVER of passionate
grief in her voice: "Oh, Fd give the
world just~to hear Ned Wilton call me
prettyls What a tool | am ~ and she
wentSon with her pals toward the cows
Brown Bess and Lily White and Pret-
ty Polly.
Certainly Norah was not pretty, and
what there was in her face the man on
the stile would have been the last TO see.
Had she been queen, many would have
seen something strangely fair and regular
i'm her face. Had she been only rich
gentleman's daughter, some one might
have dreamed OF those deep eyes and
hat pure brow of hers; but red and
white, and fat and dimples were the rec
ognized beauties of the locality, as, i'll
deed, they We're all over the world, TO
such tOlk Us her lot was cast among and
Norah was spoken of as splain." Two
years before she had taken it into her
foolish head to like Ned Wilton very
much; and he, the farmers son, bad
thought we'll enough of the dairy maid
10 say some very pleasant things TO her.
She had a sweet dream, but May Brlttons
coming broke it. Her. beauty was very
bright and rare, and Ned forgot the nice
girl he had been so fond of chatting with
for the pretty one who smiled and
glanced at him.
She was not so good as NOrah she had
not half her earnestness and cOnstancy !;
: but the face was all TO Ned. SO May
Britt0n wore, little plain gold ring that
he had given her, and had promised to
be his wife in midsummer; and Norah
knew it, and outwardly gave no sign
that she sutfered-only now and then. as
ut this moment when Ned babe her no
tice May. -.
They lived upon the coast of Lincoln
shire, AMI it WAS years ago. None OF
them knew how TO write more than their
names. The farmers deepest lore was
the market price of grain. Outside OF
them, the great world rolled on without
giving them any sign of its existence.
And none OF them had ever read y novel,
or poem, or seen II play. But they act
ed out the drama just as we'll. and Ned
loved May, ami cared nothing for Nor IN,
and Noral loved Ned ana hated May.
And My knew the whole. and tri-
uinphed oyer Norah, and cared little,
not much, for Ned, because of his broad
shoulders and brown curls.
The girls slept together in an upper
room of the house. and on her wedding
eve May spread out gown and shoes and
cheap White vail. and, dancing about
them, boasted that when the mol1ow s
sun SET she would be mistress of the
house, and Norail her servant. Aud
Norah, thinking of the old grandmother
who had begged her not to lose SO good
place. said nothing, but stood silent,
pale faced and wan, and felt a bitter
hate rising i'm her heart. Ned was away
To town, aud would not be back until
next morning, the morning of his we'd
ding. The old folks were asleep below.
How easy it would be. in the dead OF
night. 10 do this beautiful. Boosting cre;-
trlre some harm-to mar her beauty, or
even To end her liiel
Tie thoughts grew so, and were so
horrible, that Norah could not be sure OF
herself May, Watching her, sawsonly a
deadly whiteness creep over her lips,
and. with the first touch OF pity in her
heart, folded her vail away. and said, UNI
wisely enough, but meaning 1t kindly:
No doubt the next wedding will be
yours, Norah."
Then Norah, without look, turned
and left the room. She sought to be safe
from herself, for fiendish thoughts pos
sessed her; and, longing for solitude-she
climbed ladder that led 10 the tiled
roof. and. seeking the shelter OF the
great chimney, sat down in its shallow,
and looked up ut the sky. 1t was calm
and full of stars. Its peacetulness had
an instant Influence on her. Repentanr
tears began to flow. She prayed as SIM
pie Oh ldren pray: PLEASE make me
goodi" And all the hate for May lett
her heart, and her love for Ned-her
yearning, aching love tor hin-sOftened
into sort OF tender memory. Soon,
with her white. well-deyeloped milk
mails arms under her head, she slept
upon the messy root, under the canopy
VI tnC St0ii Dc
At last she began to dream. They
were going to church-May and Ned
and she heard the wedding-belis; but
going i'm ut the door she saw, instead of
gaily dressed guests, mourners all in
black, and a coffin before the altar, and
gave a scream and wakened. Bells were
ringing, but not wedding bells-the bells
that tolled ii there were any need Of the
men of the place-if fire broke out or
robbers were heard, or there were any
fiOting i'm town. What could it mean
NOrah listened. A strange surging
sound fell upon her ears. Lights CLEANED
i'm all the houses. The truth flashed upon
her. Years before her old grandmother
had told her how the old sea wall had
been washed away, and a tide had risen
and swept in upon them on that wild
coast, carrying with it, as it went out.
kline, and fiocks, and little dwellings, and
even land itself; and how there was
mourning throughout the land for those
it had done to death-men and women
and childrer-sO that many household
long remembered 1t with woe. This had
happened again. The sea wall was down
the floods were sweeping in The bells
were ringing as they had rung before in
the ears of those who now lay i'm their
grayes-ringing to tell the same tale to
those who were then unborn.
The house in which Norah dwelt was
Ola ana near the sea-.far from all human
ald, too; and its occupants were two
very old people and TWO girls. The only
one VINO couid have aided them was far