Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1881-01-28

| pain, and close TO me, startled me; then a
death-like silence reigned.
/ knew l had not been mistaken. l felt
that must forget myself and help the poor
creature in distress. 1T is very good for
strength to know that some one needs you to
be strong" No longer hesitating hurried
into tho little cabin struck a light, and went
in the direction whence the moan had reached
my ears. l thought Of the shot had heard
1t was quite possible poor wounded deer
was lying in the bushes. Yes | could now
SEQ its skin-unmistakably a fawn-spotted
dun color. It lay quite still-perhaps that
moan had been It's dying gasp and so 1
came quite close to it, leaned over, and, par
| alyzed with horror, saw my mothers face,
only young and very beautiful, as she must
have looked when a girl. Deathly pale,
dead possibly, she lay-matted hair all about
her face and clothed in doeskin. Just then
she stirred; it was not death. All wonder
ceased within me, every feeling fed before
the thought that this being, whatever who
ever she was might be saved TO live.
dragged her the few steps into the house,
laid her on my hemlock- -boughs, untouched
by me since the sickness visited us. Then l
found wound in the poor creatures side
and bound it up, bathed her head, and in
the quiet, now again l felt startled by seeing
my mothers image, young and fair, before
mes anu, Hntu NJ lbnBln ueF great eyes OPEN
ed, | felt it must be that sister lost to me till
now, and sent back in this sad hour TO take
my mothers place. l leaned forward in an
access Of tenderness to welcome her when a
look of fright, an animal-like, wild terror
took possession Of her face, and low sort of
snarl broke from her human lips.
The start she gave caused a fresh flow of
blood dimness passed over her eyes. Again
l stanohed the wound and prepared nourish-
ment in case she walked Too busted in
these ways for further speculation, only with
a strange weight at my heart and weariness
of body, suddenly felt the CLEAN Of eyes
watching me. Such strange eyes No hu-
man expression about them a stealthy look
in them now. Gently as l could l approach
ed her side. She trembled and tried TO hide
her head when offered her my carefully.pre-
pared food. l moved away and studiously
avoided any appearance of watching her
Yet was intensely conscious of her every
movement. l could see her cycling eagerly,
with wretched, famished look, a raw veni-
son steak that had been forgotten, and lay on
the table close beside her Stealthily, like a
beast Of prey, her feeble hand stole toward
it, and in a moment she had torn it 10 pieces
and devoured it,
Horror filled my heart. Could this crea-
ture be humRnS l sat still in the corner,
where, myself unseen, could watch and re-
strain her If necessary, and soon-weakness
overcoming her-after this last effort she lay
tossing in an uneasy sleep.
Oh! l was so weary and so very lonely
The dreadful night was almost at an end.
wentto her side, threw myself on the bed beside
her, and put my arms about her neck. Again
her wonderful eyes opened full in my face.
fixed them with my own. ] caressed her,
called her by the endearing names Of old.
besought her to be gentle and to love me. 1
told her she was my own, the only creature
left for me TO love and care for One short
second it seemed as il soul looked out of
her glorious, deer-like eyes, then, with
groan as if she gave the struggle over, and
with that low, fearful growl again, she fasten-
ed her white teeth in my hand.
Shrieking with the pain, tainted. When
l came TO myself dawn was struggling in at
the window leaf-shadows flickered on the
floor. Fearful pain in my hand reused me
at length, and consuming thirst drove me
into the woods toward the spring TO allay it,
struggled through the underbrush and
there, close to the water, discerned a CON
fused mass. There lay my poor sister, dead,
her head pillowed on a wildcat of the woods,
shot by the same hand, probably, that had
wounded her fatally. y.-APpletoH's Journal.