The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1878-04-18

life) "I never SEQ her look 80 beautiful
and 80 proud-ike as she did when the
| Judge got up frcm the chair and was
agoin' to give her kiss. She drew
back her head like a queen, and just put
out her hand for his lips; and he stared
at her, astonished, moment, and then
kissed her finger-tips. Redolette, said
he, you've been imprudent; you've got
chilled through; your hand is as cold as
ice.' That was just all he thought about
it, but women is more keen; and I says
to myself, that very minuit, yes, she's
caught chill, and she's caught fever,
the fever may last or it may not; but
the chill she's caught II last her the rest
of her life'"
There comes into almost every ex-
perience a night that, for it's very dis
| tinction of darkness and gloom and
binding fright, is counted ever after
ward as :" the night"
Such night came to Redolette. 1t
was the hour that Willie had anticipated
when he made her make solemn prom
Use "for her good"
A night of storm, of wild wind and
drenching rain. But wind and rain
seemed feeble elements in comparison
with the cruel anger, the passionate up
braiding, and pitiless threats that formed
the actual dark pre-eminence of the
eventful night.
One bright scene stood out in relief
against the stormy background-th
opening of a door in answer to faint,
| despairing knock beaming home
room, warm with fire-light and gay with
cheerful lamps; kind faces, kind voices,
sympathy, encouragement, help. So
every dark night-even the darkest
has its friend.
Before morning dawned Redolette,
urged with all the gentle and firm aid of
which she had need, was speeded forth
on a journey that was to cast into
higher plane her whole future life. By
the time night had glimmered into day
Redolette had made her escape.
|
Examination week at the famous girls
school of N-had reached it's closing
act. Compositions were to be read in
the afternoon prizes were to be award
ed ; and at evening a collation. would be
spread at half-past ten in the not spa
cious but particularly attractive grounds
of the N-seminary, to end in garden.
party style, with band of music and
merry dance, the arduous exercises of
the week.
Intense interest gathered about this
closing afternoon. Indeed, when
one considers how small part of the
great world the female seminary of
N, with all its frame, actually was,
it was wonderful how intense this inter-
est became. One would say, who hap
pened to peep into the greenroom of
the composition readers, waiting with
cold fright or with hectic agitation, each
for her turn to be called upon the stage,
that the result of this evening would be
something momentous enough to cause
an alteration in the course of our planet,
or, at the very least, trembling in its
onward step.
This impression would not have been
lessened by reading the titles of the
compositions "Women of our Gen.
tury !" "The Dead Past burying its
Dead :" "The Future of the American
Republic" very fine thing, and
winner of the first prize "Spiritual
Tendencies of Astronomical Research 1"
"Darwin's Development Theory con-
"Is Genius Hereditary, and if SO, from
|
Statistics from Galton, carefully COM
Piled" and so or, land so forth.
Very simply, after this array, came
the announcement given by the principal
of the seminary, ga Mountain Brook, +"
by Miss r. Kane.
Closing exercises had been heightened
beyond their fixed time, and daylight
was departing as Miss Kane made her
appearance from the greenroom, COM
position in hand. A side window had to
be opened to give sufficient light, and
through this opening came rosy glow
that almost atoned for the lack of floral
tributes such as had overwhelmed the
entrance of every other reader. Not a
single flower was thrown to welcome the
coming of Miss r. Kane. GA friend
less GIRL" many of the audience thought.
But no one in the world is friendless
girl, SO the suddenly opened window
said for the sunset glow poured in and
enshrined her feet, and illumined her
garments, and crowned her young head
wi til flowers of light.
And in timid, but clear voice the
composition was read. ga Mountain
Brook" not scientific or erudite, but q
theme of action, and taking as a simile
of useful life the trite figure of river
bearing from its rocky solitude, through
wood and through field of grain, and
over mill-wheel and by the town, its
ever-augmenting stream of refreshing
and compelling force.
The trite comparison was treated with
a novel grace. And one thing was quite
remarkable about the composition "a
description of the scenery in which the
Mountain Brook was supposed to receive
from high authority its mission through
the thirsting earth. This description
was SO vividly accurate that any one
familiar with certain mountain locality
would have recognized at once that the
Brook sprang to light under the fern
famed cavern of Block Height.
| No one among the audience, however
was familiar with that particular nool
of upland scenery. No one, excepting |
handsome young man who had drawn t.
himself during the afternoon the shyl.
admiring glances of very many of the girls
He had been restless, like the watche
who impatiently awaits the striking of tn,
hour. When Miss Kane entered he became
still and satisfied, like the watcher whel
the hour has struck.
"Redolette She has fulfilled he
promise"
These two unspoken sentences ex
pressed the mental impression, com
plete. For to this young man, through
the five years, including his senior yea
at college, mis- law study, his energeti
establishment of law practice, Redo