Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-07-31

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of himself, the lad vanished round the
corner.
Just then the door of the nearest cot
tagc opened and n woman's face looked
out. II was growing dark
"Is IL you, Erickson! There's
no one at home in the house there.
But have something here that was to
| give you when you came this way"
| His flcc was stern and set and white
in the fading light as he took the little
packet from the woman's hand.
"Whero have they gomez" was all he
said.
II don't just know. TO visit some of
their kinfolk great way off," the
widow said. "Oh. but she's close
mouthed one, she is-and Meg's n bit
like her. They're not gossipy folk.
You never get much out Of them" she
added, with AN injured mir.
As soon as he was out Of sight
| Matthew Erickson opened the packet.
| He knew what was in ii before he un-
| tied the knot-a string of curiously-
carved beads with n strange foreign.
spicy odor, that he had bought Of a
wandering sailor and fastened around
| Mog's neck one happy night, and two or
three other trilcs he had given her.
| And he found this note slowly and pain
fully written, badly spelled, perhaps,
and not punctuatcd at all. But what OF
| that? The meaning was plain enough
| al too plain, Matt thought, rs hc drew
| his hand across his eyes as If to clear
| his vision:
- gave you back your troth last
night. Here are the beads and the
silver piece, and the heron feathers.
! Now all is over between us" Here she
had evidently hcsitatcd moment, Won
dering If her words Were strong enough
! for on the line below she had written.
rs with an echo from the prayer-bOok
revcrberating in her ears:
" Forever and forever, amen. Mar
| garct Ncalc."
! Not Meg. his Meg. his proud, high
| spirited sweetheart but Margaret Ncale,
! II set her at such AN immcasurablc dis
tancc from him "All is over between
! u.s. As If she were dead and buried out
| ofhis sight. And he had spoken TO james
/ Ray about the snug cottage beyond the
| bay; and they were 10 have been married
Mt Michaclmas!
! He knew enough of the Widow Nealc's
| habits to ask no more questions Of the
| ncighbors. As one of them had said she
was close-mouthed. He knew she had
| sister living in Scotland. for whom Meg
| WAS named; but where even he did not
II
| eign land 10 the people in Rysdyk. But
the widow had money enough 10 20 10
! Scotland CT farther If she wished, even
on short notice. She had never worked
| in the mines. neither had Meg She had
| n comfortable annuity. left her by her old
/ mistress; for she had served in n great
| family before she had married John
| Nealc
Month after month passed. Michael
mas was over. winter came and went.
! upd Rysdyk knew no more Of her OF of
| Meg than when they LEFT. Tho silence,
/ the void. grew uncomfortable 10 Matt.
With the early spring ho carried into
| effect what had been the one dream Of
| his lie before he learned 10 love Meg.
| America was the land Of promise for
| miners as well as others. and had he not
| n friend who worked in tho great iron
mines at Ishpcming, Michigan, on the
/ shores of the wonderful Northern lake
| that was itself almost as large as all
| England?
So when one fine morning. nearly a
/ year after her sudden fitting. the neigh
| bors awokc to find the door uf Widow
( Ncalc's cottage MAR and the shutters
/ open, the first bit oi news Meg heard
/ was that Matt Erickson had gone to
I America.
II struck her like n blow. Now. in
decd, he had dropped out Of her life az
| utterly a., months since. she had dropped
out Of his. For she. too, had had time 20
repent. Almost before the blue hills oi
I Scotland had dawncd upon her sight she
/ had rcpan'cd in dust and ashes. How
/ foolish she had been. like a child who
/ throws away his bread in pet and goes
/ to bed hun ,ry. Why had she not worn
I the blue ribbon to please her lover. even
| If she did not like it2 As for Jcuny--hut
what nonsense was that She would have
| been ashamed Of Matt If he had not been
| kind to her.
| To be sure, he had been cross and had
/ thrown ava her ribbon. But then he
/ was a man. and men were strong and
mastcrful and could not bear contradic-
| tion, and she had angcTcd him by her
foolish persistence.
| All If she could hut undo Il all. and
have her tall, brave. handsome lover
| back again
| Showould have tu ned round and gone
| back 10 Rysdyk the very next day Ii she
/ could have had her way. But tourney
was Journey to people of their rank and
! condition, and her mother. who had
! taken 1t to please her. and somewhat
| against her own will. was not to be
blown about like feather by her ca
| prices,
But why. do you ask. did not Meg
write to her lover IL she lslt she had
been In the wrong? And why did no
wiser ones than she ALWAYS do the best
thing. the right thing9 Besides, she was
n woman. and a proud one. After hav-
ing dis, ardcd her lover s,a would not
forthwith fall al his feet and ask him to
marry her But. ah! she thought as the
long. slow days wore on, II she could but
look upon his face once more, he would
know all without the telling
Once in n while. rs the years went on.
at rare intervals news Of him camc back
to Rysdyk. lie was well: he had fair
wagce though gold was not 10 be had for
The gathering in America any more than
in England; he had been promoted and
had charge of gang of men. At length
there was long interval Of silence.
| fTLpn cafnp floating rumnfg uf I'll. and