Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-12-23

from sheer fatigue, longing Tor the scent
OF the pines and new-mown hay upon
the old farm, and ready to sacrifice all
his hopes for the privilege of standing
once more beside Primrose, TO feel the
pressure of her soft hand.
But his pride was not yet broken. 1t
was too late to go back nov. He would
not admit himself conquered. He had
not the courage to confess his mistake
and return to the peaceful lot he had so
foolishly exiled himself from.
And shortly his affairs approached
crisis from which he was extricated for
the moment by finding Il letter contain
ing n small sum of money waiting for
him at the postofiice. There was no
writing inclosed. nor any mark by
which to identify the sender. Neverthe-
less something told him that it must be
Primrose.
He had fallen very low, he thought,
when he was forced to receive aid from
her. But want stared him in the face,
and he accepted the offering with soul
full Of bitterness.
Urtil he had achieved something, he
esolved, he would write no more; he
would hide himself, even from her, in
the deepest mazes of the city. Even n
letter from her dear hand must seem like
calling reproach after this.
Not many days later it became ap-
parent TO him that ere long but two
alternatives would be left to him; either
tc crawl home a footsore, dispirited beg
gar, and acknowledge himself con-
quered, or to die OF absolute starvation
in the streets.
Yet little while he held out, yielding
slowly, stubbornly, TO the pressure OF
blind necessity.
One night less than a year from his
hopeful parting from Primrose, found
him pacing the streets without roof to
cover his head. Homeless, penniless,
starving on that bleak winter night, it
seemed to his irenzied mind as if heaven
and man had conspired against him.
There was little enough pride left in
him now. Want and despair had
robbed him of even that fallacious
strength. in his dazed thoughts there
seemed no better ambition than to lie
down in some sheltered corner and
yield up his broken spirit.
The bright tiresides shining through
the windows seemed TO mock his
misery. At one window he saw a
young wife anxiously awaiting her hus-
bands return. Something in her figure
reminded him of Primrose. What
would she think if she saw him now,
ttered, ghastIy, freezing?
Presently he fell into species of
dalirium. He thought he was on his
way back to the farm-back 70 Prim-
rose. The frowning rows of houses on
either hand seemed to stretch away into
the smiling, sunlit fields about his
fathers house. Yonder was the tree
where he had often met Primrose when
the days toll was over.
The hard pavement looked like the
winding, dusty road he krew so we'll
ay, and could he not smell the alder
blossoms in the morning air?
He laughed aloud as he strobe along.
He tried to sing an old air that he
knew, and wept, he thought, for JOY.
Poor soul! He did not see how the
chance waytarers shrurk back from
him, imagining him dangerous
maniac.
So he walked on straight toward the
riverside, where the water ran black
and ugly beneath the docks and piers.
For moment its sound seemed to recall
his scattered senses. He paused and
,ooked vaguely around him. He saw in
the distance n woman's figure Fastening
toward him, but he took no notice of it,
His fancy went wild again, and he made
toward the river.
"Hark" he shouted, "the miil-s,ream
/ shall soon be homer
In another instant he had plunged into
the water.
He was conscious of an icy thr j. the
whirling of the lights along the hore,
a shri.l cry in wOman's voice, and a
heavy plunge into the river beside him.
Then, as n slender arm was flung around
him and a voice, strangely familiar,
spoke some smothered words of ondear-
ment into his dull ear, he became insen-
sible.
A long, dreamy interval seemed to
elapse and he awoke to consciousness in
the broad light OF day. The room in
which he lay was his own chamber at
the farm. Was this the realityP Had
allthe past been merely hideous dreamP
He knew that he was very weak, and
that he must have been very near to
death.
while he lay coniusedly speculating
upon his position, the door opened and
Primrose entered. She looked sadder
and paler than when he had parted. with
her year before but bright warm
smile broke over her face as she saw that