New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1882-08-16

III TIC awful suUOCHClO0. 8 @ @
Mrs. Oliver, reused from her novel by
the NnwOnted excitement--that strange.
subtle magnetism that spreads and
reaches just where it is sent-was wild
with deathly fear and agony, suspense
which only ended when, after ! long,
long hour of waiting, carriage drove
up to her door, aud strange, kindly
hands brought May to her-never again
the blooming, beautiful girl in. ali the
flush and glory Of dawning womankood
but a scorched, suffering, affrighted
creature, trampled and torn in that fear
full stampede for precious life-May
alive, in all probability not dangerously
burned or hurt, but-oh, SO pitiful, so
pitiful.
For days and weeks after the holo-
caust she lay in her bed, burning in few
er and raving in deliriun,, living over
and over again the terrible minutes in
the theatre after the panic and the
flames began calling agonizedly on
Mr.. Selwyn not to desert her, not to
leave her-reycaling a story of despica-
BILE, tiendish cow::rlice and brutal sell
fishness which Mrs. Oliver lad suspect
ed, almost from the very first, when the
death lists published in the papers, she
had not found Vane Selwyn's name
which she knew now, beyond question.
But, by and by, convalescence came,
and then-ah. poor little Mayhem
she knew what that dreadful night had
done for her, and as she looked in the
glass, Mrs. Oliver had kept from her as
long as possible, and saw scarcely
recognising the Scared forehead, the
thin hair over the forehead and temples,
the cruel cut on the cheek-then May
knew she had lost everything every
thing!
II wish / had died, / wish had died,
rather than be like-this, she sobbed,
in agony. II hate myself, and no one
will ever. care for such a hideous Great
ure as l! Oh, Auntie, why didn't you
let me dep
And then Maurice, who had prevailed
upon Mrs. Oliver to admit. him, and
whose solicitude, from the very awful
first of it all, had touched her to the
very soul stepped up to the invalid
chair and took Mays little red, tender
hand carefully in his own-the hand on
which Vane Selwyn's ring was to have
sparkled!
'May, dear. you must not talk like
that!' his broken voice said. with inf
mite tenderness. 'sNo one who ever
loved you in your beauty will love you
less for its loss! Come back to me, lit
tie grille give me the right to love and
cherish you, and comfort you. Will you,
May?'
The tears rushed to her sunken eyes,
and look came to them of almost awe
struck reverence.
''You cannot mean such words-y0u
never, never could want me again
such hideous thing as am! You
could not!'
II love you, darling-I shall always
love you, and there is no other woman
in the world but you who will ever be
my wife. You are dearer to me, so,
than when you were the fairest beauty
| ever saw. Darling, my May, are
you?''
And with his sweet, caressing tones in
her ears, there came revelation, as if
from Heaven to her, already purified by
such stern discipline, and in her heart
sprung up new, beautiful womanhood,
tender and true, with which, in all the
after years, Maurice Cover was more
than content, as he learned to know
more and more of his wife's gentleness
and sweetness of temper and beauty of
character.
Nor, in all their lives, was the name
of Vane Selwyn ever mentioned between
them, while that gentleman, for all his
position and wealth, never recovered
from the blot cast upon his manliness in
the matter of the awful disaster which
was q SAVIOR of life unto life to May
Cover.