The Sentinel. [volume] (Trenton, N.J.) 1880-1882, 1882-03-04

And when she was all the world to
me, all that saved me from misery,
John Hayes asked me to give him
Ruth for his wife. could have struck
him dead wnen he stood before me.
young giant in strength, with his
handsome sun-burnt face, glowing
with health, and wanted to take away
my one blessing. my only home child,
81 will be true son to you, Mr..
Martini" he said earnestly. II will
never take Ruth from here but let me
come and share her life, and lift some
of the burdens from her shoulders"
1 laughed bitterly. I know well
what such sharing would be when
Ruth had husband, and perhaps
children, to take her time and her
love from me. But / was not harsh.
| did not turn this sutton from my
house and bid him never speak to Ruth
again, much as l longed to do it. I
worked more cautiously. / let him go
from me to Ruth and when he left
her and she came to me, all rosy
bushes to tell me, with dropping lids,
and moist eyes, of her new happiness,
worked upon her love and her sense
of duty till she believed herself mon
ster of ungrateful wickedness to think
of leaving me or taking any divided
duty upon her hands.
wept, asked her if she could face
her dead mother after DESERVING her
helpless father. l pointed cut to her
the unceasing round of wifely duty
that would keep her from my side,
and proved to her that the duties of
wife and child must clash, if under
taken under such circumstances as
were proposed.
The loving, tender heart yielded to
me, and John was tearfully dismissed.
Through the warm autumn months,
when the corn rjpened and was gar.
nered-when our crops were blessed
and the little bank fund was increased
by the price of farm produce-Ruth
grew very quiet and subdued. She
was not sad, having always CHEEKY
word, and pleasant smile for me );
but the rose tint left her round cheeks,
and no longer heard her singing at
her work. When read the best pages
in my books to her, l could see her
eyes fixed dreamily on some far away
thought, her work lying idle, till she
woke with start fretful questions.
The winter came in early that yeai
and before Christmas everything was
frozen up tight, and the cold was in
tense. We piled up coal in the stoves,
| listed doors and windows-that is,
Ruth did the work, add l enjoyed the
result; but there came one cold day
one Friday when it seemed no Goals,
no listing conquer the cold.
Children frUAe on the way to school
that day, and were round, stiff and
stark, leaning agains the fences. Food
froze on the tables.
On this cold Friday, Ruth hurried
through her work in the morning,
making nay room the warmest place
in the house, covering my arm chair
with soft woolens, and moving it
near the stove. / would have it face
the window, for my glimpse ofoutdoor
life was too precious to resign, but
was not, as usual, near it, for Ruth
said there might be draught.
When all was done indoors, saw
from my chair Ruth, with scarlet
cloak and hood thrown over her, going
to the well with an empty bucket. She
stepped along quickly over the hard,
frozen ground, and / was admiring
the trim little feet and the dainty fig
ure, when 1 saw her slide to the two
steps that were above the well walls
and fall. She had slipped, and she lay
doubled up between the two wooden
steps and the rough sides of the well
as if she could not rise. Two or three
times her hands clutched the lower
steps, and she raised herself half way
up, onlo to fall back again, as If her
limbs would not support her.
And could only look on, powerless
to move to aid her. Oh, the agony of
it! To know she was hurt, unable to
rise, and helpless as log. I scream
ed and called for help. Silas was
somewhere, could not tell where, and
| called loudly for him. l could see
after time that Ruth, after her fran
tic struggles, was growing drowsy
with the death-sleep of cold. The
scarlet hood dropped more and more,
| till it rested against the well-side and
the blue-veined lids closed ovor her
eyes. The sight called from me such
a cry of agony as | thought must be
heard for miles.
1T was heard. A moment later,
John Hayes, painting and eager-eyed
burst open my door.
What is it? 2" he cried, II heard
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