Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1884-01-26

Alison what passed between You
and Thomas last night"
Don't ask me, mother. Let mo
follow Nh. Watkyn. | cannot rest In
doors. 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. ooh, mother. it was allmy folly,
all my temper; he ould not see that,
and when he we away he said no
went for good"
Mrs. Reece drew in her thin lips
sternly. She was thinking.
"And what does it mean about your
giving him note for the dressmaker?
I do not understand. You had nothing
to write about"
The girl had got her hands FREQ and
flung them before her face to dcaden
the sobs. But Mrs. Reece was a
resoluto mother at times, and she ex-
torted the confession. Alison had i'm
provised the note ind sent Thomas
around the long way to deliver it, and
SO keep him from passing by the willow
walk.
"Oh, child, child" moaned the dis
mayed woman. "If he has indeed
fallen over the Scar it is yoA who have
given him his DEATH"
And it proved to be so. In taking
the two miles round between the cot
tage and the farm high and perpen-
dicular precipice, called the Scar, had
to be passed. The lakeland, or p!a-
teau on the top was wide and perfectly
safe road by daylight, since traveller
could keep as far from the unpro-
tected edge as he pleased, but on dark
night, or in thick fog it was most dam
gerous. Thomas Watkyn must have
drawn near the edge unwittingly and
fallen over it. There he lay, on the
sharp rock, when the poor father and
others went to look for him, his death
like face upturned toward the blue sky
Speak to me, Thomas, speak to
me!' walled Alison quite beside herself
with remose and grief, as she knelt by
him, wringing her hands. ooh, Thomas,
speak to me! L loved you all the
while"
But Thomas neither spoke nor moved.
The voice that had nothing but tender
words was silent now; the heart she
had so grieved might never beat in sor
row or joy again.
No person had seen or spoken with
him after quitting her the previous night,
save the dressmaker, little industrious
Miss Ford. She had answered the
knock herself, she related, and he put
the note into her hands, saying, Miss
Reece had asked him to leave it in
passing. What thick mist it is that
has come on" he remarked to her in
his pleasant, chatty way. "Aye, it is
indeed, sir" she answered, and shut her
door as he walked away.
For many weeks Alison Reece lay i'll
with brain fever, lowering between life
and death. Some people said it was
the shock that made her i'll and took
her senses away; others thought that
she must have loved the poor young
man to distraction; no one, save her
mother, knew it was the memory OF her
last interview with him, andthe schcm
ing to send him on the route that led to
his accident, that had we'll nigh killed
her, But the young are strong in their
tenacity OF life, and she grew better by
| SLOW degrees.
One warm April afternoon, when the
winter months had given place to
spring. Alison, leaning on the arm Of
her mother, went to sit on tho porch.
She was very feeble yet. 1t was the
first she had sat there since that mem
( orable evening with her ill-fated lover.
There she remained thinking and
| dreaming. They could not persuade
her to come i'll, and 50 wrapped her in
q warm shawl.
| Sunset came on, and was almost rs
beautiful curious, perhaps, that it
| should be so, as the one he and she had
! watched together more than six months
before The brilliant beams shono like
molten gold in the glowing west, the
blue sky around vas Hecbed with pink
and amethyst Alison's eyes were
fixed on the lovely scene With an en-
raptured gaze, her lips slightly parting
with emotion.
ALISON, what are you thinking OF"
"Of him, mother. Of his happiness
| He is living in al that glorious beauty.
! think there must have been an H.
conscious provision in his mind by
what he said that evening as We
watched it, that he should soon be
there. oh, mother, [ wish was goin4
70 hiai wish ! could be with him
| tomorrow"
The ,aot4cr paused; she felt inclined
to say something, bnb she frarrd tie
agitation it might cause
"Neli, we'll, child, you are getting
bctter." she presently answered.
''Yes, do get better" sighed the
girl. f suppose 1t pleased God ti"t
I should
'Fi.no smoothes all things Alison.
Il. t,me yen viii be strong again and
able . fulfill illc's various duties with
q cost. Trials are good-oh so very
good! for the soul. But for meeting
With them we might never learn the
way 20 i,ealeu."
Alison dbl not answer Her feeble
laud9 We're claspcd in silent prayer,
her face Was lifted to the glories OF
the evening sky.
It was at the same sunset hour, an
evening or two later, that Alison. who
was picking up strength daily, stroiled
away to the churchyard. She wanted
to look for a newly-made grave in that
corner where 50 many of the Watkyns