Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1880-05-27

called, and called, with furious and
half-frenzied cries, til her voice refused
to come for more. Plainly as she could
see them, looking up, the children could
not see her for the interlacing and pro-
truding vines and branches. But they
could hear her all too well-a viewless
voice; it reused all their little magma
ton, and they scampered away as fast as
their feet could carry them, in amaze
ment and fright, totell of the mysterious
sounds they had heard.
"Now l must die" said poor little
Angel; and she fell back in her nest,
worn out with her frantic exertions. CT
suppose there is some purpose in it. If
sparrows don't fall to the ground I'M
heeded," she said, "God knows l am
here" And it would have been very
much to her surprise, if it had been pos
sible for her to know it, that here she fell
asleep.
The sun was still shining brightly
when she awoke; but she was unable to
tell whether she had lost herself for
few minutes, or had slept over night and
it was now next day. "And he hasn't
come for me yet" she sighed. "There
is a great deal of vitality in young peo-
pie" she said, "and l am only seven
teen. And then, in spite of her resigna-
ton, tears welled over her eyes, to think
of the light of her sweet seventeen years
so early extinguished. She put her
hand into her pocket for her handker-
chief, to wipe the tears away, before she
remembered that she had hung it out as
a signal of distress; and she drew forth,
instead, letter, one that Mr.. Wilston
had slipped into her hand the evening
before, and that had crr1mpled up, hard
ly glancilg at it, and had then taken
with her in the morning, thinking she
would read it in the woods.
What did he write her such letters for?
Why did he want to love her? Why did
he urge it again and again =? She was
only child; she had just begun to taste
the sweetness of life. Why couldn't he
let her alone for little while, till she
had looked on her surroundings and
seen what the world was; had had lit
tie pleasure and freedom-at any rate,
till she needed him."
Till she needed him the next thought
came. All, heaven did she not need
him now? And a storm of tears answer
ed for her. sob, if he did love me, if
he really did love me, he would know
what I am suffering; he would come and
help me and save me. 1t would break
his heart to see me" she sobbed. cit
would break mine to see him so" And
then all at once she paused in her cry
ing and exclaiming, and opened her
h,.IrS, NJt,rr hrn do 10 fba
shine. What Would it really break
her heart to see Mr.. Wilston suffering
so? Would she care? Did she-could
She Oh, if she never saw him again
at all. Was it possible that, after all,
she really, really Was it possible that
she-she loved Mr.. Wilston
And if he never knew If he never
knew! How good he had been to her
how patient with her what noble fell
low he was how tenderly, how passion
ately, his eyes had followed her If he
was ugly-well, she had never thought
so. Now that she should not see his face
again, it seemed beautiful to her. 1t was
the first face she should look for when
they both woke at last in the life beyond
this. And what forward and perverse
child she had been What had he ever
seen in her to love? But he did-he did
love her. And she Rugged her little
hands over her heart, suddenly conscious
that the fact was precious.
Well, if she must die, she must. But
here was mercy in the very act of death.
1t had been given her to love. 1t seemed
as if the Angel of Death had touched her
heart with the living fire. This great
JOY, this great rapture had buoyed her
heart over the abyss. There was first
moment for everything, and the first
moment of her awakening love, of her
recognition of her love, had been like a
winged spirit soaring over death, the
seraph springing from the grave. "My
love is my soul, she cried, "and my
dying sets it free.
And now if he never knew! But he
should know. Some day they would find
her, and the letter in her hand. Aud
she refolded that letter, took her pencil
case, and addressed it to Mr.. Wil1ton,
and wrote with her trembling fingers I'M
derneath: 81 never knew l loved you.
You must forgive me. But l do-iu-
deed do. am going to die presently.
If l had lived, l would have tried to be a
good wife to YOU And she signed her.
self his angel, and lay back in her nest,
half content.
She lay there little while, looking up
at the blue of the sky rising from the
red and purple of the rocks, with the
white flashes of wings across it, her mind
so made up to the inevitable that she
had hardly any fear; and she began