Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-03-18
ooh, yes, pretty WE'LL assented Mary,

| plenty OF splenuld clusters bot lar Oh.
Then she said frankly, though still with
her face turned away,
g am so sorry"
"Are you really, dear? Won't your
mother be glad, thought She doesn't like
me much.
"No." said Mary candidly.
"Do your"
"You have no right to ask. me that
"Have not Z? And why not, Miss
Nary"
Beoause-because ycu have not told
me-whether you like me"
60 l think l called you something, Miss
Mary Salway, few minutes ago." glanc-
ing up and down the path; they were just
in the center of the gorge near the Low
| Water Tarn, and there was no one in sigh.
Mary did not answer. "You've forgotten,
perhaps, what it was, dear?
She shook her head.
81 meant it. You are very dear to
me.
you've only known me nine days"
His arm, which had been assisting her
MP the steep path, was Low giving her
much surer support.
" And to know you day, my darling is
to love you"
And Mary, her arms full of parsley fern,
was kissed before she could escape Then
little reaction of feeling took place on
her part
81 don't even know your name, she
said, standing still.
"Of course not; Harry. It's rather
common name, isn't it ?"
Harry ?" murmured the girl softly ];
"and-and what else -
"Oh, never mind that. You have not
yet answered my question whether you
liked me-.
" Yes, like you"
"That won't do, Mary. The question
is now altered to-love me p
% You have answered it for yourself, l
think. Do you suppose l should have let
you do what you have, if | had not?
Aud they went on up the mill.
When they reached the top it was unoc.
cupied and seldom, indeed, had it been
gained by two more happy people. a
sunny smiling world stretched round them
from sea to sea, the lights and shadows
fitting over the green sides of the Old
Mans brethren while below, lake beyond
lake reflected the sky, and round them,
peak beyond peak. the mountains stretched
as far as eye could reach. Oaly Scawfells
summit was vailed in mist. They stood
by the cairn, and for moment almost for
got one another in the grandeur of the
sight. No, not forgot one another rather
it was the thought of the others presence
which tinged with brighter luster the
brightest sunbeam on the distant lakes.
No wonder that they sat down by the
cairn, taking no very careful note of the
passage of time, and talked more of those
sweet nothings than before. At length
Harry looked at his watch, and discovered
that they had but an hour in which to
make the descent if they wished to catch
the coach.
"The others must have given it up and
turned back, Mary
81 suppose so. We must come up with
them, or mamma will be go angry"
Poor little Mary !"
Don't, sir How misty it has be-
come l''
"By Jove so it has. ought to have
looked out. Have we not the world to
ourselves? But l wish l were quite GER
tain which is the side by which we came
up. We must make start, anyhow"
Have you ever, when at the top of a
Westinereland hill, found yourself silently,
as if by magic, surrounded by a mist. from
which London fog would, for density and
a power of confusing things, hardly bear
off the palm a moment ago smiling
plain, set with lakes, az if with jewels, and
trimmed with purple hills, was before you
a little puff off thin mist, almost traDspa-
rent, rises from some neighboring gorge,
another, and another, and, 10! your pros
psct is narrowed to few yards, perhaps a
few feet, of turf and shale, cold, CHASTITY
cairn of stones, and beyond-nothing
nothing but mist, surrounding your little
island ike gray ocean. While all is clear,
it ia so hard for novice in mountains to
realize the difficulty of finding his way in
such state of things but the difficulty is
very real. Our hero, who had experience
of it, was quite at fault, nevertheless he
had been too much occupied with his CON-
panion to notice the direction Of the wind,
or any landmarks which might indicate
the side on which they had come up. Once
safely upon the path, the foot of the hill
might, by patience and care, be gained.
But the summit was stony, and on two
sides precipitous. He remembered that a
honey incoming couple had only week be-
fore been caught upon Helvelyn and de.
tanned all night by the mist. Such an
adventure would be much worse for him.
self and Mary the latter would certainly
suffer, so he made resolute attempt to
descend.
Mary trusted to him implicitly, and hand
in hand they had successfully descended
some distance, although the steepness OF
the hillside and its rocky nature made him
feel pretty sure that this was not the side
by which they had gained the top. Slip,
stumble, slip, here few yards OF steep
turf aiding them, there the stones giving
way under foot, and warning him at least
that they were on the border of a scree.
The ground grew more and more PREACHER.
GUS and rocky after a stumble worse than
those which had preceded it, he stopped to
try if their eyes could distinguish anything
through the gulf of mist into which they
had nearly plunged headlong. No, the
curtain was as thick as ever, and the rain
besides was falling heavily. Then he start
ed large stone, in order to Judge by its
descent what kind of ground lay in front
of them three yards and it was hidden
from sight; bound, bound, twice it struck
the rocks, and then an interval OF silence,
and then a sullen, distant splash. He
shuddered, and drew the girl back against
the rocks.
"Thank God i" be muttered "a few
more steps and we should have gone over
the scree into Low Water Tarn."
Mary's distress, as slowly and very care.
fully they retraced their steps, may be well
imagined. Not only was she tired, worn
out and frightened, but the thought of
what would be said if they could not de-
scend speedily was tormenting her. The
poor girl was feverishly anxious at any risk
to Get off the hill, and her companion had
much work to prevent her meeting with a
mishap. Consequently, when they sec
oud time reached the cairn at the top, they
were in very different frame of mind.
The young fellow groaned as he looked at
his watch, and found it was nearly o'clock
and the mist thicker than ever. But not
word of reproach did the brave little maid
utter to him.
In the mean time the party assembled in