Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-08-18

simpleton rye beenl-aa Thomas called me. Hew
| hope mamma has not got homel"
The mist seemed to grow more dense every
minute, and Allsoa really found her own gate
with some difnculty9 Her bonnet had not been
put away above minute when Mrs.. Reece came
| In. H. -
"suoh a dreadful mistm she observed to Ali
came on suddenly after the most lovely sunset.
It, child"
Thomas watky1 tocs care should do that,
mamma He called It divine"
Indeed, 1t looked nothing less, replied Mrs
Reece: II am glad you have had Thomas
| here"
Alison complained Of q headache and went
up to bed; she was afraid Of being questioned
II the evening could come over again she
would treat Thomas Watkyn differently. She
felt q little ashamed Of herself: she felt little
| uneasy.
| "But will make it up to him, " she sighed. as
she laid her head upon her pillow "He will be
truly"
Alison awoke betimes and to a vague sense
OF uneasiness. 1t was fine morning, the mist
all cleared away. AS she stood at the window.
the rising sun, lifting himself majestically in
| the east tinted her cheeks with rose-red finish
and threw down on the green meadows floods
Of golden glowing light, while the songs Of
thrushes and larks broke out from every hedge
and coppice.
eve must make the damson jam to-day" OBJ
served Mrs Reece to her as they rose from break
fast. "And If you would only wash up these
breakfast things, Alison, while Patty goes about
her other work, should soon have the kitchen
table clear and might begin it''
for she had been taking herself to task for her
past behavior, and meant to turn over new
leaf "You shall have the table clear directly,
mother"
She was busy in the kitchen when she heard
her mother open the front door and some one
come in. cit is that chattering Mrs. Bennett, i"
thought she, as she dried the teaspoons.
"A'ison! come here" called her mother, in a
quick voice.
She went to the parlor just as she washer
sleeves turned back at the wrists, a large brown
holland apron on. Very pretty she looked with
| It all. But it was not Mrs. Bennett who sat with
her mother; it was venerable. white-haired old
gentleman-Mr. Watkyn the elder
81 am come to ask about Thomas. said he. IT
believe he came here last night, Miss Alison! at
what time did he leave you?''
| A provision struck her, with q sort of terror,
that something was wrong. HE left quite ear
| ly," she faltered.
| "Well, he has never come home"
"Not come home!" she said, with whitening
| face.
81 sat up till one o'clock, and then thought
the mist must have kept him, that he had stayed
at some friends house, knew not what to
| this morning. But we have not seen him. and
| cannot hear of him."
Mrs. Reece was impressed with the fright
! ened, guilty look that Alison could not keep out
| OF her countenance; and began to feel uneasy.
| ''Cannot you tell what time it was when he left
| you?" she demanded. sternly.
ut was before dusk; it was just after sunset,
| before the mist came on. 1t must have been
| near O'Clock.
(Which road did he take?" pursued Mrs
Rocco roll NIL
| for she foresaw it would bring on further ques-
| tiOning.
b"The long way-around by the hill"
Round by the ,hilli" echoed Mr.. Watkyn, in
alarmed surprise 'Why did he take that
way?''
Alison flushed and paled alternately. her lips
weretrembling. The fear creeping upon her was
that he and young vavasour had met and quar-
relied. Perhaps fought-and injured one
another fatally. In these dread moments OF
suspense the mind is apt to conjure up tar
fetched and unlikely thoughts.
II asked him to go around that way" she re-
piled, in timid tone; 81 wanted him to leave
| note for me at the dressmaker's"
Old Mr. Watkyn sank into chair, putting I'D
his hands before his troubled face. 81 see it
ALL" he breathed, family; che must have fallen
down the Scar
Alison uttered scream of horror
Deceived by the mist, he must have walked
too near its edge" continued the old man.
'.Heayen grant that it may not be so! but 1 fear
it, Was he mad?-to attempt to cross the
plateau on such a night"
Catching up his hat Mr.. Watkyn went out
swiftly. Mrs Reece grasped her daughters
hands. They were icy-cold.
"Alison, what passed between you and
Thomas last night?'
Don't ask me, mother Let me follow Mr.
Watkyn; l cannot rest indoors. Oh, it cannot,
cannot be as he fears'
"Not one step until you tell me what passed. :"
said the mother, firmly. 'There's more in all
this than meets the eye"
"He asked me to-give up talking to Mr..
VavasOur."
"And you refused. Well?"
"He told me must choose between them"
continued Alison, bursting into tears. "Oh,
mother, it was all folly all my temper; he could
not see that. and when he went away he said
he went for good"
Mrs. Reece drew in her thin lips sternly. She
stood thinking.
"And what does it mean about your giving
him note for the dressmaker? do not under
stand You had nothing to write about
The girl got her hands free and flung them
before her face to deaden the sobs. But Mrs.
Reece was resOfute mother at times, and she
eXtOrted the confession. Alison had improvised
the note and sent Thomas around the long way to
deliver it, and so keep him from passing by the
willow walk.
''Oh, child. child" moaned the dismayed
woman. cit he has indeed fallen ever the
Scar it is you who will have given him his
death.
And it proved to be so. In taking the two
| miles around between the cottage and the farm
q high and perpendicular precipice. called the
Scar, had to be passed. The table-land, or
plateau, on the top was wide and perfectly
safe road by daylight since traveller could
keep as far from the unprotected edge as he
pleased. But on dark night or in thick fog
it was most dangerous. Deceived by the mist
on the previous night Thomas Watkyn must
have drawn near the edge unwittingly and
fallen over it. There he lay, on the sharp rocks,
when the poor father and others went to look
for him, his death-like face upturned to the blue
sky.
Speak to me, Thomas! speak to mel" walled
Alison, quite beside herself with remorse and
grief, as she knelt by him, wringing her hands.
"Oh, Thomas, speak to me! loved you all the
While.''
But Thomas neither spoke nor moved The
voice that had nothing but tender words for
her was sienced now; the heart she had so
grieved might never beat in joy or sorrow
again.
No person had seen or spoken with him after
quitting her the previous night, save the dress
maker, little industrious Miss Ford. She had
| answered his knock herself, she related, and he
put the note into her hands. saying Miss Reece
had asked him tO1eave At in passing ''What
thick mist it ia thar had come on " he roma ad