Connecticut western news., 1881-12-07

school. Wednesday night, just at twi- light, we had finished our afternoon meal, and asked my mother if I might carry my present to Grace and stay there for little while. She consented, and told me she would send for me at nine o'clock.
 I took good look at the locket before I put it in it's little box lined with pink cotton wool. I thought how delightful Grace would surely be with it i; and was glad it was the carnation one, and not the forget-me-not. for fancied it would please her better.
 Shall ever forget that clear yet ten der winter twilight through which walked the half-mile between my house and Grace's? The west still held the glow of the sunset. The sky was cloud less, and in the east the evening star hung tenderly, as if to watch what might befall on earth this night of nights.
 I knocked at the door, when at last I reached the house. never used to knock, but had been such an infre- quent visitor of late. Mary, Grace's half sister, opened the door, and saw that her face was all swollen as by long weeping.
 "I am glad you have come, Carry," she said. "We were going to send for you. Grace wants you. She is very i'll with pleurisy. She has been i'll two days. but we never thought of danger until to-day"
 ssDanger I" I think that was the most awful moment of my life. knew then that she was going away from me; and at the same time knew, better than I had ever known before, how dearly I loved her. how dearly she had always loved me.
 ''May 1 speak to herr" I whispered.
 ''Yes, the doctor says it will not hurt her. You may go in now"
 I found my darling in her own room. Her mother was there, and her cousin Edith sat by the fire. Grace put out her hands.
 ''How do you do, CarryP I'm glad
 you've come"
 The very same old words of our first
 meeting, only now they were spoken
 plainly, but in hoarse, strange voice,
 not like my Grace's.
 'sMay I see Garry quite alone?" she
 asked, and the others went out.
 I sank on my knees beside her, and it
 seemed to me my heart broke then and
 there. She spoke faintly, and with
 difficulty, but she drew herself along
 and rested her head against mine.
 "Don't grieve so, Carry," she said.
 sI always knew you loved me. Did
 you think I didn't know? But couldn't
 be unkind to Edith"
 "No, and was wretch; wicked,
 wicked girl {; but did love you all the time See, I got this for you three
 weeks ago." and opened the little sil yer locket, and laid it in her hand. 70, Carry, it was just what I wanted most," she said. "Your dear face will make them leave it on me, if die dear, and I shall not be so Lonesome with that face on my heart. had some thing, too, for you"
 She drew out from under her pillow another little silver locket, the forget
 me-not locket. So it was she who hae bought it, even befors bought it. mate. There was under it's glass long tress of her soft, shining black hair, ant hair chain was attached to it. "The chain is my own hair, too : dear braided it for you myself. It i very strong, and thought you woult like It. I did not know was going t' leave you when I made it but it vii
 make you think of me when l am gone. She was so much calmer than l. , could scarcely speak at all.
 "Are you" I could not say thu
 rest of the sentence l had begun. "Yes, dear, I think so; and I dar } not be sorry when the Father in heavel , says Come ; but I should have liked t. be happy again, for while, with you. 7 Her mother came back then, bringinl : the doctor. They sent me out of tn room, and when, soon after, they came | out together heard the doctor say tha , she was sinking fast.
 "Oh, let me stay with her this on 3 night" cried, out of the depths of m. broken heart, "please, please let me !! 7 "Do let her, if you can," said Mary gentle voice, aud the doctor answered. "Yes, let her stay, if you like; nothing 3 can do any harm now" r So I stayed through that long night 3 and we all watched round Grace's be-
 together. Sometimes she was in sharl 3 pain, which it agonized us to witness Then she would seem to sleep the heav, 3 sleep of exhaustion. From time to tim 3 she spoke to one and another of us some tender, thoughtful sentence 3 Once she drew Edith's hand and min together, as we stood near her, an' 8 said, quite clearly:
 sYou both loved me. For my sak r love each other"
 ] And once she said, but that was whel
 it was almost morning: 8 "Will it not be good day to be borl 8 into heaven, the day on which our LOT t was born here ?"
 t It was the stillest chamber. We al 8 tried to be quiet, and to keep back al
 signs of our sorrow for her dear sake |, and we saw, or thought we saw upol l her face the light of some new dawn o g glory.
 b Toward the end, her mind seemed t v wander @ little. She said over and over g in dreamy kind of way: - "Oh yes, I knew always-I neve
 doubted"