Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1882-10-18
"CREVASSE."

'Miss Ruth, Major says it's jes' on
ter shutdown, an tole me to ak was he
ter come out yereP
Tell him I'll come in, Cappie." Cap
spun around on her bare toes few
times, then started slowly for the house,
while Ruth swung idly in her hammock
in the shade of the live oak. and l ex-
claimed:
''Think what YOU are doing Ruth
He is not happy moment without you.
He loves you so that the thought of not
being able to sail with you brings on a
fever turn, and you know he had a
hemorrhage the last time you went
riding without him. His life is bound
up in your
II know it, Aunty, so l shall 90 rid
ing and sailing no more"
''But such devotion will surely de-
ceive him."
''When he came to us, with his doom
plainly written IN every feature, re-
solved that if could not nurse him
back to the life he so much loves, his
last days should be as happy as posi-
ble."
Suppose he dies deceived, believing
that you loved him-believing lie?"
''Dop't you think when he sees no
more through glass darkly' that he
will understands
"But should he recover, do you think
he would thank you for his life if YOU
had taken all hope and brightness from
it,"
IL assure you that his happiness
should be, then as now, my first and
only object"
Ruth" l exclaimed aghast, "you
would not marry him with no love to
give him-loving another as you dop'
She raised herself slowly on her ell
bow, her beautiful brown eyes looking
steadily through the long lashes wet
with tears, and said
"My life is sometb ing that / do not
prize, but by dying l cannot give him
life, so if by living can make his life
happy, why notp Whatever is for his
happiness that shall do. Now I'll 60
and watch the uiset with him."
sat still under the spreading branch
es OF the great ol d oak and watched the
swollen river which seemed trying to
force its way through the great wall of
earth that confined it to its course, and
thought of the beautiful girl who had
JuSb lclJ ulc.
When Major Grant had come to us,
sick and apparently dying, she had just
met the first great sorrow of her life.
A misunderstanding had arisen be-
tween herself and Frank Russell, to
whom she had given all the loving de-
yotion OF her warm heart, and by the
interference OF friends the lovers quar-
rel became II serious matter, and the
engagement was broken.
She believed herself deceived and
cast aside for another, and life not
worth the living, but she wa proud,
and lived on bravely, making no moan.
Major Grant had lost his he alth by
exposure during his army lie, but
would not for moment doubt his en-
tire recovery. He was always better.
lie chung to Ruth-was never happy
when she was absent, and built castle
after castle in the air when beside her.
And now the two were watching the
sunset-one believing the sun Of her
life had already set in clouds and dark
ness, and the light was fast failing for
the other; she turned in dismay and
dread from the life before her-he
longing and striving for the life that
was fast slipping from him.
A bunch OF gray moss swung smartly
In my face and reused me to Il Ne fact
that the wind was rising, for ad 'ded to
the muttering of the river wss the
moaning of the pines. walked hasti-
ly to the levee. Everybody was there,
working or watching, for should q Jet
OF water force its way through tndis-
covered n crevasse was certain an, q de-
struction sure.
There was great danger that. the
levcc could not withstand the fore q of
thc water without the wind, but writh
gale IL seemed hopeless.
II was yearly danger to which .ey-