Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-01-27
A LIFE FOR A LIFE.

August weather-there was no air stir
ring from one arid noon until the next,
and the insects Missed maliciously all
day long Ill the parched grasses. Per
haps that was the reason that Bertrode
was blue.
Perhaps it was that as she walked
Growers Tract, day by day, and saw the
summers limited completion in the red
apples burning among the gray-green
boughs, the hay-felds at aftermath, the
purple tasselled corn, and yellow wheat,
that she felt her life to be aimless. She
had let the summer come and wane
across her passive existence. The pre-
vious winter she had said: 81 feel ice
bound now When summer comes l
will shake off this inertia and redeem
to-day"
Yet the summer was rapidly passing
and she was still in dream. The hour
never seemed to come which called her
to exertion. Well, :. Loves young
dream" comes but once; it was all we'll.
perhaps.
Growers Tract and her farmhouse life
was not as dull as she had expected 1t
would be when she returned from her
mountain tour year before only at times
the outdoor sounds and the leisurely
growing works Of nature oppressed her.
In the winter she had been gay, looking
at the sunset across the snow,
watching the chick-a-dces, and searching
the woods for purple mererion. In the
spring the long walks to the post-ofice
had been full ofjoyful fancies and golden
realities; she loved the sweet country
sights and scents more than ever before
in her life.
But in August something seemed to
Cypress her. The sky burned too blue,
the woods were too calmly content in
their greenness, the days closed too beau
tifully in their ripe splendor, as she
walked the Tract at sunset coming from
the post -ofice-c coming always empty
handed. Yes, something was wrong,
and when she realized it fully, she said:
81 am idle-I am stepped in idlenes: I
have been doing nothing for year. Now
, will have some work, and Dick may 60
to the post-office. | care too much fol
, those letters"
,, Whatever those letters might be, there
came no more of them. A certain gay
! tourist drifting about the world, forgot tc
!, write them at last; perhaps Bertrode was
!, pretty, but one travelling everywhere
: meets many pretty faces.
Bertrode's cheek grew thin and white
! Her mother saw that she struggled to re
press growing irritableness. But sht
; worked on Increasingly at her new EN-
: ployment Of teaching the dristict schoo
:, Of Growers Tract. She devoted herself tt
e the children Their parents said the,
. had never before learned so fast. Ber
: trode smiled only family at their praise
One day, coming home from schoo
: through the woods, she flung herself dow
: among the ferns and dry grasses.
e 1T is dust and ashes.n' she cried
&c The sky cleaned blue through gree
: bouchs overhead, aud a bird sang cheer
. ily in a neighboring bush. She lay ther
- until she felt the dew falling. AS sh
&c rose up, something rustled at her sid'
- She looked down; great rattlesnake WE
- =, slipping through the grass, going frol
I'd her, apparently unaware of her presenc
Ct Fascinated, immovable, yet full of horro
- she stood and watched the creature. Ft
=, a moment it glided steadily on, its courS
=, ~ so direct. its appearance SO subtle an
"a deadly, that she felt spell bound as 81
y "a regarded it. Suddenly, with a thrill
= horror she saw the reptiles aim; it w
n \ making directly for shady spot, whe
~ man lay asleep beneath the trees. o.
~ moment more would be too late to pr
- vent the threatened attack. Starting fro
~ her passivity, she siezed stone at her fe
~ and hurled it full at the creature. T
=. had Just paused and raised his crest
w view his position, when the stone stru,
VI him upon the back of the head. and wi
vengefull hiss he leaped into the a
IN then fell at full length upon the groul
IT. and slowly expired.
ne Bertrode stood looking at the dusl
ia length and bloody head of the dead snail
he her mind in sort of wonder that anythil
as could beso loathshme, when she hea
om her name spoken She raised her ey
get and saw Fennel Gould standing beft
me her. The young man looked
S. the snake with a sert of shudder, a
<er then said:
$, ';Bertrode, you must have saved l
ct; life"
an 81 suppose did," she answered. II
IN, creature was coming directly toward y
the Did you ever see anything so horrib
the Fennel?"
he He took her hands; she hardly glan(
or at him.
ed; Darling he said.
but She snatched her hands away in 81
den Impotence.
feet "Don't" 'she said. II wish /,
cks wouldn't, Fennel.''
be- .But I love YOU
len, II cannot help it."
IKE, lie regarded her sorrowfully.
silly took her shawl from the grass and put
10 on.
rpse 1T is chilly here, and late, am go
On home," she said.
hest He walked silently at her side out
ion. the woods and across the wide fields
we'd, Growers Tract. Never was there n
ural hopeless lover than Fennel Gould.
lead the farmhouse door he said, SsGoodni
she Bertrode." She bowed, and he went
oeen over the hill in the warm gray twill
cad. cursing his cruel fate as lovers
ding cursed their fates before.
ring Through succession of hot days
and month went out. Before it had pas
man Bertrode was taken sick-miserably
she of fever She suffered wearisomely,
little could be done for her. 1t W,
- =: clou, favor which mI1sf h,1rn ont ita col