The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1880-04-15

to that country where home awaits
every man that is willing to work. So
dry your tears Aileen and bid me God
speed, will you not, mavourneen?" he
said, in q low, assuring tone.
Smiling through tears at his hopeful
words, Aileen soon became almost re-
couciled; at hethought Of bidding him
goodbye.
But two years is such long time,
I tremble for fear that you will
nSB come back" said Aileen, in voice
that sounded as if it came through
waves of tears.
"Aileen. you know that, 4 could not
al know it, Neil. But something
tells me in this parting hour that after
you. are gone that dark-faced agent,
Morris Leinster, will Epuble me-, i re-
fused him, you know, and at the time
he frightened me, he was SO very
angry"
Could the girl have : perceived the
effect of her words on the listener
crouched behind the lattice, she would
have screamed from very fear.
A blaze OF jealous, white heat spread
over the dark face of the spy; his eyes
darkened with fierce and evil light;
his lips compressed with bitter hatred,
and he ground his teeth together as he
muttered to himself:
"You may well fear Morris Leinster
my fine lady, for the day will come
when you, a peasant farmers daughter,
will rue that you sighted the hand OF
the rich agent for the sake of that beard
less sonlof poverty" 90.
The agent crouched behind the lattice
until he became aware .that the young
couple were coming 10 the door. Then
he hastily hid himself in a clllmp OF
bushes that grew close by the cottage.
And there he stood, with his livtd'face,
compressed lips and eyes cleaning like
basalisk' while Aileengave her lover
the promised, cheerful Godspeed, then
silently left the vicinity of the CARY,
cottage with a terrible unspoken VOW
written on the evil face. yl @
=. Hp. ~. TN.Es! sIad .:tG2S.t
T",srnAF
Bread! Bread! We are staIyipgt"
aYhe cry arose, first low, trenlulous,
as from sea of tears, then ~deepened
and swelled into great miserete going
up before the throne of the Eternal
Spirit. 1t crossed the ocean and vi
brated over the sentient heart-strings
of all thosewho heard, for it told them
that the " Jewel Of the Atlantic was
holding-eut imploring hands, and pray
ing for life-that over the beautiful
island stalled the grim, skeleton of
famine, converting il intora. vast wine
press, though the crimson, oozing fluid
was not wine, but blood. from those
who are among the noblest of the sons of
''st St sstar7ipgmg livsjinhaaad
of plenty with its immense storehouses,
its great granaries filed to overflowing
with golden grain, hardly know the
meaning of the word, and God grant
that the hunger wolf may never step
over our thresholdsA We may never
be obliged to refuse the demands Of hum
ger tills aS seorchesss wfftthbets aeven the
great passions of life by its incessant
calls for food, :" ..,r' :.'''.'i t."' ',.r''r
And famine forgot not the LONE of
the Clarys. The rounded form Of Aileen
grew thin; and wasted, besides a gray
pallor her face had wan, pinched look;
the lips, alwayssso brilliant and laugh,
ing, became rigid and ashen hued, and
every feature bore the trace of intense
suffering, but not a'word escaped her,
for the pain of witnessing the agony OF
her parents as they saw their children
wasting to skeletons, as they beheld the
younger children, begging vainly,
with little, claw-like hands for
food that theyahad no, strength to ask
for. numbed even the pangs of hunger.
Tken,in thesep days ofwretchedness
and woe, came a new trial o.the brave
hearted girl. She,never forgot the thrill
of terror, that caused her heart to beat
with great frightened bounds, as she be-
held the dark face of the agent in the
doorway one 'co1s. morning. Hs came.
into the cold room, Laughed triumph.
antly. at the evidences of want about
him, took cool survey ofthe face over
which settled a shadow of fear, and
said in e sneering tone: -,L .+:I
$50, my dear Aileen, you haven't slip
ped out OF: my, hands as easy Sc you
thought for" = S-.,.., ..,... 49,
Then he taunted the family cf their
po1erty-goaded her father almost to
frenzy by threatening to turn his starv-
ing family out in the snow to die. At
last he said, tantalizingly: