Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1879-02-26

uetOlloflal alilluue, II you but knew
that | named your very name in my
prayers, you would be less indifferent
to me.'
If | breathed short before, after this
my breath seemed to desert me entirely,
and | verify thought that the beating
of my heart would hetray me. Belle,
pure as an angel to me then, and white
rs a snow flake, proceeded to turn off
the gas and to get into bed. felt her
soft pressure over my head, and shrunk
closer and closer to the hard floor upon
which was extended. What thoughts
rushed through my brain! Above me
lay II young and unsophisticated girl
wholly unconscious that the one she
loved lay so close to her. and who had
for the first time been made aware OF
her interest in him, by hearing words
which she supposed went only to
Heaveni l knew then that the night
must pass away, and the morning
come, and that Belle must first leave
the apartment before | could venture
to change even my position.
Belle had lain perfectly motionless
for several minutes, ard was, ! battered
myself, losing herself in sleep, when
suddenly she exclaimed to herself;
" There haven't looked under the
bed" A horror ran through me; all is
lost; what should | do? Belle rose,
and heard her feeling for the matches
She struck one, and was moving toward
the gas-hght, when the lucifer went out
leaving all darkness again. Blessed re-
lief, but how brief Again | heard her
feeling for the matches and tried to
light one after another as they failed to
ignite; then an ooh, dear, there are no
more" escaped from her lips. "Safe.
satel' whispered my soul to me, and
thanked God i'll silence for my deliver
auce Belle groped back to the bed,
but did not Immediately get in; she
stopped and lifted the curtains which
hung around the bottom and cautiouly
passed her arm under and around rs
far rs it could reach. | almost felt her
fingers Craze my face rs | held myself
fearlully and silently back against the
wall, too far, just too far for her reach
Apparently satisfied that no danger
was near her, she lay down in the bed
again and | counted her respirations
till she was lost in slumber.
AS for myself, sleep was utterly out
of the question. | never was SO wide
awake in my life How lay upon that
hard carpet and thought the night Quit
thought of her and her love for me !;
thought Of myself, and my love for her
Yes, | was convinced from that moment
that the hand of destiny was in it, and
that a benign and all-wise Providence
had seen fit in his extraordinary way
to open my eyes to the path Of happi-
ness and peace.
With the morning light fresh fears
came upon me lest NV unconscious
roommate might yet peer beneath the
bed for robbers before she left the
room; but my fears were groundless.
She rose and dressed eXpeditiously, for
she was to JOIN her cousins at an early
breakfast, and she had oversight her
self. When at last she took the key,
unlocked the door and departed, / lost
no time i'll slipping out of my shameful
place of conceament, and escaping
from the hotel. On the stairs | met
Fred coming out OF his room, who ex-
claimed;
"Why, what's the matter with YOU,
old fellow You look like the last days
of an iIl-spent life. And your coat, too
why it's all over feathers and dust.
Where have you been?"
"Why, | slept-slept out last night;
that's all. Our house is full, and so |
had to find quarters elsewhere. Pm
going home to dress"
81 should say SO. decidedly. see it
all, old fellow You've been on a lark,
and had to put up IN the watch-house;
come now, own up and tell us all about
it."
"No lark at all, Fred; nothing of the
kind, | assure you"
"Wel if not a lark what kind of a
bird was it? From the looks Of the fea-
theirs, should say twas goose"
you're the goose, Fred But, seri-
ously, I've a word to say to you of a
most important nature. Be man,
Fred, and make up your mind to hear
excessively disagreeable. II
must be told you sooner or later, and |
may as we'll tell it now"
Good Heavens, Gus how earnest
you look at me; you don't mean to say
that-that anything has happened to
Belle Bronson?'
Don't M ention her name again, Fred,
or think of her any more, for she'll
never be anything to you. l have it
from one who knows all about it, that
she has long been attached to somebody
q lsp and that som aboBv alsa r1papg IN
marry her. There's no mistake about
it; so bear up ard try your luck else
where"
But Fred Evans was not to be dis
couraged by mere hearsay. That very
day ne went to see Belle, determined to
know bis fate from Der own lins. Soon