Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-07-03

HduCe put sue came quickly 10 my size
again, and took my hand.
''s And your name is Rant, you told me.
| did not think at the time. You are the
being | have heard of and was warned
against, and never saw till the other night
That proves what men are. Let me whisper
to you; there are people here who abIor
you, and yet you are the only one who has
given me kind word since my baby died. ,
She kissed my hand passionately. And
you live on the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
mountain. She lies, too, in ground that
has not been consecrated. | shall come
and see you ON the mountain.
"' You will be the first who has dared.
$50, shall dare
"Best to keep away l said !; Il prefer
to live alone.
The mountain is free; shall come ;
1 am not frightened. Evangeline is there,
and her heavenly messengers the pretty
birds that fly to and fro. have watched
them, and hope one day they will bring
me a message from heaven or Evangeline.
You see, l know you do not live alone.
Have you not goats and dogs?
"'Yes.'
"'It must be fine life. shall come
and see you,
81 left her that night, as on the other
nights, whispering to the wild flowers
which grew on her child's grave, and kiss
ing the cold, earth which mercifully hides
what is dearest to her in this world and
the next.
''Her piteous story drew me to her. and
from that night we were friends. A fancy
of mine impelled me to place some roots of
the dream. flower on the grave of her child,
and when | told her the name of the flower
she thanked me earnestly, and said that
heaven had directed me to bring the sweet
comfort to her soul
"What is most beautiful in her is her
devotion to her dead baby. AS the leaf
loves the light so does she love her child.
Her father lives now life of seclusion,
pitied and not condemned by his comrades.
And yet he has broken holy command
ment. 1t is hard to thread ones way
through these labyrinths-n for me- for
others; my mind is no longer in state of
doubt upon other than mortal matters
The woman who most needs pity receives
none she is stunned and avoided by all.
Hard as granite are the islanders in their
notions of morality.
81 have already set down here how,
when 1 slipped over the precipice and
almost met my death, was saved by the
branch of a tree which grew out of the
rocks, and how. by this means, discovered
a path which led me to place of safety,
from whence I crawled to my hut and
nursed my wounds. l determined then,
when l was strong to convince myself
whether this path was made by nature or
man. If by man, but one being could have
formed 1.-THE Cain Of the Silver Isle, who
in paroxysm of jealous love treacherously
killed his brother.
Anxious to make myself acquainted
with every detail of the tragedy that at
this distance of time could be gathered to-
gether, enlisted Joseph Sylvester, who
was most industrious in collecting all the
hearsay connected with the subject. Such
story, transmitted from generation to
generation, of course becomes twisted and
dotted with fantastic features but the
main points remain, and can be eliminated
from the fanciful creations, and these I
have taken and placed with clearuess and
consistency. l cannot well explain my
motive, except that the tragedy appeared
to be directly connected with the task |
had set myself Joseph naturally took
great interest in the story, partly for its
own sake as wild and gloomy episode in
human life, but chiefly because the girls
name was Evangeline. This was sufficient
to enchain his imagination, and it has also
eaptivated the imagination of our own
ENdLe1SiiuC, lIoHI HHOlH oOSSpH HiueS
nothing. She tells me that she sometimes
dreams of her namesake. | have endeav-
ored, without success, to make light of the
subject in my conversations with Evange-
line did not wish her to dwell morbidly
upon it but | cannot wonder that she
should often speak of it when my own
mind is so. continually dwelling upon the
theme
"0ther matters, after l got WELL pre-
venting the immediate execution of my
purposes, it was quite three months before
/ was enabled to apply myself seriously to
my task. l felt that it was likely to prove
a difficult one, and wished to have clear
time before me. Some parts of this noun
tain are subject to land-slips, and although
l am not aware of an avalanche of any
magnitude occurring, have had myself to
guard against commissions slight in them
selves, but sufficient to prove fatal to life.
Zone morning l set forth from my hut,
accompanied by my dog Leontine. /
strapped blanket round my shoulders in
case should be benighted, and provided
myself with food, and gourd for water.
A light ak and short. handled shovel com
pleted my equipments.
1t was not without difficulty that l
found the narrow path which led to the
outer surface of the rocks. When first
discovered it was in pain and great ex-
citemert, and my only aim was to reach
my hut in safety. paid then no attention
to its conformation, and even the circum-
stance that for some distance it had been
tunneled had escaped my memory, perhaps
even my notice. Since l last passed
through this tunnel a quantity of loose
earth had fallen this | cleared away, and