Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-03-28

And thus they met who had part
ed betrothed lovers Cecil Raymond
was always pale Lasley Payne wa
. one of those persons who only grew
more quiet in moments of terrible
mental agitation.
No pause made May
4 Il am SO glad this 10 better thar
all /! Mayn't 1 call you Miss Cecil
just as used? You may think me :
child yet-Lasley does.
i And more words from Miss Ray
mond and little contraction of ihe
muscle about Lasley's mouth, that hi
meant for smile; then somebody
rushed up to them to claim May fo'
a waltz.
/ Stay here and talk, said she sIl
come back ; and the last they Jaw O
her was the smiling face as she fioatee
away
Always child broke invoiantari.
| ly from Payne's lips.
| and the sweetest, .purest one ever
placed in mans hands, Cecil Ray
mond said.
4 know it, he answered.
| That was ALL They stood and
talked as two ordinary acquaintance
would have done; and when other
men came up Payne made way az
was proper; aud such were to be
their meetings hereafter
| When the waltz was over May
found Lasley.
you are tired she said. 'Well, SO
am let's go home.'
very willingly. You're good lit
tie May
But oh, Miss Raymond / mustn't
rush off after being SO glad to see
her. Will you Gomez
oh! there's crowd of men,
'Shan't COP
Oh, yes I'll wait
May went up and said good night,
and offered to visit her; and they
went home-Little May the child,
still. And alone in her room that
night she prayed.
| Our Father in heaven / beseech
Thee have mercy upon us according
to our several necessities. / beseech
Thee to help and strengthen my hus-
band in bis great sorrow. / beseech
Thee to remember Cecil, and to fill
her with faith in Thee that no farth-
err discipline may be necessary for
her. | cannot ask to bear their bur-
dens because that would be contrary
to Thy will. / cannot ask Thee be.
cause it is in Thy wisdom that I am
here--only to bless and strengthen
them; to make their trials a harvest
OF exceeding great reward to guard
and guide them always to be about
their steps, sleeping and waking, and
to give them the treasure Of Thy
peace. Amen
This was Mays prayer, for she
knew that her husbands lost love
was Cecil Raymond.
The season glittered to its close.
May was just the same only less
| strong-but nobody knew that. Las.
ley was on the full tide Of success, and
each wave that bore him higher was
bitterer to the taste; and always he
kept to May the same gentle demean-
or and was glad that she was child,
and marvelled a little at his own for
titude.
Cecil Raymond published her book
and was avowed the author of two
anonymous ones that had made
great sensation /; and people courted
her, and even the London Atheneum
vowed her genius; and in her soil.
tude she trampled upon the critiques
her friends showed her, with such
pride, and rebelled in the face of
heaven till she wondered why the
worst curses of beauty and genius
must be added to her misery.
When summer came May longed
in her heart for the sea once more,
but she would not speak lest it should
be painful to Lasley; bat he wished
it too. He took her there to die.
Without much warning-with no pain
or suffering, she was passing rapidly
away; not dying of a broken heart,
she had never been rebellious enough
for that-going because her work
was done,
1t was only a brief space before
that Lasley learned the truth. He
did suffer; he would have given all
his success, his ambitions to have kept
her alive. There was not one thought
in his mind of the possible future yet
in store but amid all his sorrow he
still had the feeling, 4 have kept her
from all trouble. She has been happy
perfectly happy And he believed
that he had done a good work he
had acted kindly and we'll. But
when we poor human creatures trust
only to our own wisdom we are very
blind.
To the last she was the same, radi-
ant with new childlike beauty the
beauty of the children of God. It was
not like dying; sonnet mes her face
was so glorious. that those who watch
ed felt thrill of awe, as If the angel.
halo were visible to their eyes. Once
in her sleep she sang in voice that
was like an angels, a melody no NOR
tai musician had ever composed, and
uttered words in a language incom-
prehensible to mortal ears, only so
sweet and grand, that they all knelt
in silence about the bed; for they
knew that the seraphs were teaching
her their hymns of praise.
have not drawn on my magma
ton for these details of her last hours.
| have related simple fact, very
solemn one to me.
And on radiant morning she went
forth, her last look fastened upon
Lasleg's face. her last words,
4 am going home.'
Lasley Payne went away at once
the cottage was sold; the house in
town shut up. For two years he did
not meet Cecil Raymond.
He married her then. He was
right to do so. He had tried to do for
the best; he had a right to grasp hap
piness when it came within his reach.
And they were happy-a noble
pair, nobly mated. They had not
forgotten May; they talked of her
often; their voices softened. and the
Il