The Ripley advertiser. [volume] (Ripley, Miss.) 1843-1897, 1881-04-02

came uaSnlnS IN accompanied D1
streams ofrain. | would close the
window and endure the oppressive
closeness as long as | could; then
hoist the sash again, letting the
wind and rain pour in until my face
would be cooled. | had borrowed
Harry's watch, and sat with itopen
in my hand, counting every second
of time, which seemed to linger un.
usually long. A mental question
kept presenting itself TO my mind:
VIII | ever see Lottie again! Will
she be dead before get there?-
What is to be my fate in the future?
Can | consent to drag out a long,
miserable existence, after my dar.
ling has gone to heaven? | made a
solemn vow to God that | would not
rebel against His will, but that l
would humbly submit 20, and bear
without complaint, such punish
ment as, in His great wisdom, He
might send upon me. earnestly
begged for Lottie's life. No one
ever prayed more humbly and sin
cerely than | did on that OCCASION;
and | believe Harry did the same
though he sat silently on his seat,
apparently buried in his own sad
thoughts. Some times he would
turn his lace towards me and point
at the watch which | held IN my
hand which | understood to be an
enquiry as to the time. The only
answer | made was to hold the
watch close to his eyes. He woulu
glare at it, then lean back in his
seat, without uttering a word. As
the faint rays of the dim lamp foil
on his pale face, his features looked
like those of a corpse, while unut.
terable anguish was visible there,
| would have yentured to console
him, but | needed consolation too
much myself. But what could |
have SAID in the way of comfort to
HIM onthAt occasion? | was rather
selG.h in my misery then, because. !
imagined that ii was greater than
man had ever felt before. | had
lost sight OF the fact that his cause
of sorrow was greater than mine
Whilst The cold hand of death was
about to take from me the darling
Of my heart, | had lost sight of the
fact that she was Harry'S sister, and
that her death would inaict untold
sorrow upon him-especially when
his conscience told him that this
great calamity had been superin.
duced by his own ltnprudent acts.
Was it not true that Lottie's illness
had been brought on her by her un-
fortunate brothers raShneSs: and ilI
she died would not his conscience
accuse him Of causing her death?-I
Besides this, had he not lost Viola. |
under circumstances calculated to
cause him more pain than he would
have suffered, if she had died while |
ne thought her pure and unspotted?
| did not know, in fact | did not
seek to know the secret thoughts
that were at work in his mind. i'll
had not been SO selfish in my sor.
row. might have found IA little con
soIauon in the thought that my
cause ot misery was no greater than
his. Ever now and then, the wind
would dash in through the window,
scattering the falling rain over my
face, causing the lamp to flare up
and spatter; then for an instant the
feeble light would flicker and strug.
gle as ii III the last agonies of disso.
luton. Alter an unusual gust had
laShed in, bringing with 1t copi-
Dus shower Of ram, was compelled
TO close the window to prevent the
amp from being totally eXtinguiSh-
Ell. As soon as | had closed the
the same feeling of sulfoca.
lion, that had annoyed me so often,
came upon me with redoubled Sc.
verify. could not get enough air
nto my lungs, Notwithstanding |
was struggling TO do so. | telt like
suppose one feels when dying; In
act | do not believe that the actu
Il pains Of dissolution could have
increased my sulferngs.
My heart seemed to have ceased
Q beat, whilst the blood appeared
o be rushing in to my breast from
Ill parts of my body. Harry made
J sign s:gnilylng a wish to know
he time. | managed to hold the
ace OF the watch SO he could see it.
Nine twenty he whispered, as he
eaned back IN his seat aud closed
MS eyes. the lamp now began to
Ing and sputter, splitting the OIL up l.
trough me chimney, making a
loZen different sounds. Ii would