Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1882-11-08

life that he should cling to it? He al
most felt the air pulsate with the first
heavy roll of the death knell. But no
sound came. Still facing the soldiers
with his clear gray eyes upon them, he
waited. The crimson banners in the
west were psling to pink. The kline had
ceased their lowing, and had been
gathered into the brick-yarde.
ALI nature had sounded her curfew:
but old Jasper was silent!
The bell-rineer, with his gray head
yet barred, had traversed half the dis
lance that lay between his cottage and
the UNCOVERED tower, when form went
fitting past him, with pale, shadowy
robes floating around it, and hair that
the low western lights touched and
tinted as with halo.
"Ah, Huldah, Huldah!' the old man
muttered;. chow swift she flies! will
come soon, dear. Ny work is almost
DONE" Huldah was the good wife, who
had gone from him in her early woman
hood. and for whom he had mourned all
his long life. But the Aeeting form was
not Huldah's, it was Lily De We're, hur-
ried by sudden and desperate purpose
toward the cathedral.
$50 help me God, curfew shall not
ring to night Oro.,avvoll ana his dra-
goons come this way. Once more I will
kneel at his feet and plead"
She entered the ruined arch. She
wrenched from it's fastening the carved
and worm eaten door that barred the way
to the tower. She assembled with flying
and frenzied feet the steps; her heart
lifted up to God for Richards deliver
ance from peril. The bats few out and
shook the dust Of centuries from the
black carvings. As she went up she
caught glimpses of the interior of the
great building, with it's grained roof, it's
chevrons and clustered columns; its
pictured saint and carved image OF the
Virgin, which the pillagers of ages had
spared to be dealt with by time, the
most relentless vandal of all.
Up-still up-beyond the rainbow
tints thrown by the stained glass across
her death. white brow; up-still up
past open arcade and arch, with griffin
and gargoyes staring at her from under
bracket and cornice, with all the hideous
and MEDIEVAL carving, the stairs. flight
by flight, growing Trailer beneath hef
young feet; now but slender network
between her and the outer world; but
still up.
Her breath was coming slow and gasp
ing. She saw through an open space
old Jasper cross the road at tile foot of
the tower. Oh, how far! The seconds
were treasured, which mwe]l, with all
his blood-bonshs commonwealth, could
not purchase fromher. Up-ah-there,
just above her, with its great brazen
mouth and wicked tongue, the bell hung.
A worm eaten block for step and one
small white hand had clasped itself
above the clapper-the other prepared,
at the tremble, to rise aud clasp its
mate, and the feet to swing off-and
thus she waited. Jasper was old and
slow, but he was sure. and Is came at
last. A faint culver, and the young feet
swung from their rest, and the tender
hands clasped for more than their prec-
ious Life the writhing thing. There was
grooming and creaking of the rude pull
leys above, and then the strokes came
heavy and strong. Jasper's hand had
not forgotten it's cunning, nor his arm
its strength. The tender, soft form was
dashed to and fro. But she chung to and
caressed the cold, cruel thing. Let one
stroke come and a thousand might fol-
low-for its fatal work would be done.
She wreathed her white arms about it,
so that at every pull Of the great ropes
it crushed into the flesh. 1t tore her,
and wounded and bruised; but there in
the solemn twilight the brave woman
swung, and fought with the curfew; and
God gave her victory.
The cid bell.ringcr said to himself;
faye, Huldah, my work is done. The
pulleys are getting too heavy for my old
arms. MY ears, too, have failed me. I
dinna he's one sttoke, Of the curfew,
Dear old bell, it is NY ears that have
gene false, and not thou.
And just beyond the worn pavement
shadowy form again went fitting past
him. There were drops of blood upon
the white garments; and the face was
like the face of one who walked in her
sleep, and the hands hung wounded ahd
powerless ather side.
Cromwell paused with his horsemen
under the dismantled maypole before
the village green. He saw the ma. who
was to die at sunset standing up in the
dusky air, tall as king and as beauti-
full as Absalom. He gazed with Knitted
brow and angry eye; but his lips did not
give utterance to the quick command
that trembled on them, for girl came
Tying toward him. Pikeman and archer
stepped aside to let her pass. She threw
herself upon the turf at his horses feets
she lifted her bleeding and tortured
hands to his gaze, and once more poured
out her prayer for the life of her lover:
with trembling lips she told him why
Richard still ived-why the curfew had
not sounded.
Lady Maud, looked out of her lat
tlced window at the castle, saw the great
protector dismount, lift the faintine
form in bis arms, and bear her to her
lover She saw the guards release the
prls oner, and she heard the shouts of
Joy at his deliverance; then she well
coined the night that shut out the scene
from her envious eye and sepultured her
in it's gloom.
At the next matin bell old Jasper died,
and at the curfew toll he was laid beside
the wife who had died in his youth. but
the memory of whom had been with him
Gooder dan GOODNESS
[From the Detroit Free Press.l
What am gooder dan goodness ?"
asked Brother Gardner, as he opened
the meeting. 1T am not only comfort
able to be good, but dar, am mo- money
IN 1t In de eand. When cashier robs
bank of $4,000, it looks as if he war
gettln' ahead powerful fast, but SIGH am
not de case. De first detective who
cotches him gifts $4,000 fur not ODER
takln' him. Den he loses $4,000 in |
playin' keerds wild a Chicago gambler. |
Den he am robbed of $1,000 in an |
omaha boardin'- house. Den he invests
Stu, 900 In mines aroun' Denver, an am
'cooped outer cherry shillin'. 'Lodg
bout Dat time he am rested by de bank.
m what de lawyers doan't git will be re-
urned to de vaults. What has dat
cashier gained?
Its de same wild a gambler. He NAV
7ln $500 tonight and lose $500 to-mor.
or. One day he may sport a watch wild