Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-05-27

80 early eXtingulsned. Sne put her
hand into her pocket for her handker-
chief, to wipe the tears away, before she
remembered that she had hung IL out as
signal OF distress; and she drew forth,
instead, q letter, one that Mr.. Wilston
had slipped into her hand the evening
before, and that she had crumpled up,
hardly glancing at it, and had then
taken with her in the morning, thinking
she would read it in the wood.
What did he write her such letters
forp Why did he want to love herP
Why did he urge IL again and again.
She was only child; she had just be-
gun to taste the sweetness of life. Why
couldn't he let her alone for little
while, till she had looked on her sur
roundings and seen what the world
was; had had little freedom and
pleasure-at any rate, till she needed
himp
Till she needed him! the next
thought came. All, Heaven! did she
not need him nowp And n storm of
tears answered for her. "Oh, 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. "It would break mine to
see him So" And then all at once she
paused in her crying and exclaiming,
and opened her brimming brown eyes
wide to the sunshine. What! Would
it really break her heart to see Mr..
Wilston suffering SOP Would she careP
Did she-could She Oh, if she never
saw him again at all! Was il possible
that. after all, she really, really Was
ii possible that she-she loved Mr. VIII
STOMP
And If he never knew If he never
knew! How good he had been TO her |!
how patient with herl what noble
fellow he was! how tenderly, how pas
sionately, 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 tho 6rst face she should
look for when they both woke at last
in the life beyond this. And what n
forward and perverse child she had
been! What had he ever seen in her to
lovep But he did-he did love her. And
she hugged her little hands over her
heart, suddenly conscious that the fact
was precious.
Well, if she must die, she must. But
here was a mercy in the very act of
death. 1t had been given her to love. II
seemed as il 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 winged spirit soaring over death,
the seraph springing from the grave.
My love is my SOUL" she cried, land
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.
And she refolded that letter, took her
pencil-case, and addressed it TO Mr.. Will
ston, and wrote with her trembling fin
gers underneath: II never knew I
loved you. You must forgive me. But
/ do-indeed l do. | am going TO die
presently. If | had lived, would have
tried TO be good wife 10 you" And
she signed herself his angel. and lay
back In her nest. half content.
She lay there little while, looking I'D
Mt the blue of the sky rising from the
red and purple of the rocks, with the
white flashes of wings across II, her
mind so made up to the Inevitable that
she had hardly any fear; and she began
softly singing a hymn TO herself. "If
mans love is so precious" she was
thinking, "what must Gods 1--we be?"
In the midst of this tranquil moment.
however, she was reused by singular
vibration running through the stout
vine ropes of her cradle, and quite
another line of thought rs instafitane-
ously suggested itself. She had been
fully prepared for this fainting. pain.
less passing away. high up in air. al
most in the blue sky itself; but falling
on the jagged rocks and boiling water
all that was horrible, and she felt her
heart shaking.
An. yes, certainly the vine ropes were
shaking, too. Were they loosening?-
were they falling? Oh, what was this?
And some great 1apping object was fly-
ing over her with scream-an eagle
startled frorm its perch-and n rope was
following 1t, n great moose, and then n
hand and darm had suddenly closed round
her from behind. and voice was curtly
telling her to "obev. and spring back
ward" And Mr.. Wilston was drawing
her out of the nest of the grading vines.
and she was standing, trembling in his
grasp on the shelf of rock where he
leaned, with rope round his waist
maze last to tree above-a shelf of
rock, she thought, with n swift pulse of
chagrin, that had been there all the time.
in crevice round the corner of the cliff.
and leading narrow way up 10 the sod
and the saplings above, II she had only
had the sense TO turn her head and look
for IL.
Mr.. Wilston did not speak word.
He was white as ashes, and she thought
she could hear his heart beat. Still
holding her and his rope, he crept slowly
up the narrow shelf; then he set her
down before him, united Lis rope, and
slowly coiled It away, looking ut her all
the time. with her downcast eye and
reddening face halfhidden under ali the
right brown blowing hair.
Now, ityou please" he said ,gravely.
at last, 3" will take that letter which |
saw you had addressed to me-"
"A letter addressed to you'll" she said
looking up then, spark ofthe old spirit
half pplinQinU that noxu li0ht xxyhtoh H.. a