Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1878-01-19

without, a shadow hovered around the
Maynard cottage and caused deep
gloom to settle upon its inmates; for
almost Immediately after L,na's depart
ure. Grace's health began to decline so
rapidly that her parents were fearfully
apprehensive of what the result of this
gradually giving away OF her health
might prove, and as warm weather ap-
preached. the film OF Life grew thinner
day by day. until it needed only breath
from the destroyer's lips to tan out Its
feeble existence. This distressing fact
was cautiously withheld from Lima by her
sisters especial request. Grace knew
that she must die, therefore she awaited
with patience and christian tortltude her
Father scaling. With perfect resignation
she bore the sutferings inflicted upon her.
Grace knew that it her mother informed
Lima of the sudden change in her health
it would serve only to make her restless |
and unhappy. and create in her perhaps |
q desire to return horne, and this Grace |
did not wish her to do, because she felt
that ii Lima was with her she could not
be OF the least possible advantage to
her, though it panied her exceedingly
to think of never seeing her darling
again, for Grace and Lima were strongly
attached to each other. Yet providence
willed it thus. and there was no alterna-
tive, so on this beautiful night o!
which / speak. Grace Maynard's soul
lef. its earthly habltation and joined the
throng above, whore celestial sympho
nies flow forever in one angelic strain.
They laid Grace to sleep in a quiet
church yard, where the violets and dali
sizes bloom, and zephyrs hum ever a sad.
yet sweet requiem. Now comes the
painful duty OF writing to Lima, yet how
gladly would the mother have kept this
sad intelligence from the absent one,
to meet me in heaven" came to her
mind, and she hesitated no longer. but
wrote to her Immediately. 1t was one OF
those insutferably warm days in mid
August, when everyone wanders about,
Ras>elas like, in search of comfort. yet
one Of those extremely hot days on
which one strains his mental faculty and
almost eXhansts his intellectual power
devising means to keep cool
The school girls at st. Mary's are
scattered here and there over the
velvet green lawns. resting under
the huge shade trees, and weaving
} crowns and diadems Of the leave.
, and flowers gathered from the richly
bordered avenues; while others sal
idly by. wishing. longing as schoo
girls will, for something to amuse them
and thus hasten the close Of the long
weary day. Sitting apart from the others
devouring eagerly the contents of ;
5 book. was Lima May ynard, and of all the
: girls present, she alone seemed peace
full and content, for she had made VI
3 her mind to spend this vacation at thu
7 academy, and when once Lima determin
ed wi hin herself to do anything sh
, was of the opinion that it was useless
l TO make herself unhappy about it. S
she sat there reading in her quiet way
, undisturb-d by the merry intonation o
( the girlish voices around her. Suddenl.
e her favorite friend and school mate
: Clara Houston, came running up to he
&. and said, "Do Lima. for PHYS sake put VI
that horrid book, and come with me. 70
a sister Aloysia is in the hal! with the let
o ters waiting to distribute them" Upo
this information Lima closed her boo
s and sprang joyfully up. tor she wa
4 expecting letter from home. One b.
4 one the letters were given out and ther
y was not even one for her. She was i
d the act Of turning away, when one {
h the girls called to her and told her ihs
u sister Marie Louise wished to see her il
d the library Sister Marie met her at th
: doorand handed her a letter, saying, IN
Q dear child, this letter contains sad new
t tor you, yet you must try and bear
e with christians spirit. knowing tbs
He who chastises thee doeth all thing
d we'll" Lima read the first few lines {
o her letter, then a feeling of famine,
+ came over her, and she must have fa.le
u had not Sister Marie caught her in he
1t arms. This was the first real troubl
d that Lima had ever experienced. and
n bore heavily upon her mind, insomuc
that her teacher thought it judicious fc
J. her 10 relinquish her studies for sewers
II weeks. Through the long. weary da,
r. of Lina's indisposition. Sister Marie, ii
- sweet ministering angel to her want
Il the school and Sisters too, were unite'
!. and untiring in their efforts to dispel th
Y gloom which darkened the pleasure c
Linas life. But Lima always found III
sweetest consolation in the society
Sister Marie, for she had learned to 10,
- her when only three days at Il
:. convent On reading her letter. Lima
:, first thought was to return home, ft
:. she felt that her mother needed her
:. her loneliness and sorrow; but then
- was her particular request that 81
a should not do this; therefore, after du
consideration. she concluded to rema
;, at school. So Lima returned to HI
- books with deeper interest and studie
. harder than ever. There was anoth'
trouble in store for this brave girl,
which she had never dreamed, al
though it was of quite different cha
acter from her very recent trial, yet
IL WAS sufficient at times to completely III
3 nerve and unfit her for the duty whit
III lay before her. For two years be(o
i she LETT home for the convent. DR.. Morto
had visited. her and one beautiful ever
o. ing when the stars smiled upon then
III and the breath of summer flowers diffu
3 ed q wealth of sweetness in the soft a
u that nestled and played with each lei
ID and bud that overhung the lattice VOL
1t around the cottage door. he whi
+ pered in low passionate tones the stor
y Of his love, and asked her to be his wifi
She answered HIM by placing both he
4. hands in his; then he clasped her in h