Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1884-08-21
LIZ OF THE PINES

and bend their stately heads, as If
they whispered ominously; the sky
was black, without single star, and
heavy, drenching rain was falling
drearily.
| stood at the open door of the rude,
tumble-down shanty which Liz-"Liz
of the Pines" / called her had APP
pointed as our place Of rendezvous;
and as / watched the threatening as
pect of the night, my mind caught
something of its gloom.
And that was quite unnecessary. |
was unsettled, and dissa istied, and
miserable enough without any such
external influence Here had Ned
Gray. a bachelor of leisure, and edu-
cation, and wealth, a man OF thirty,
who ought to have been superior to
any such nonsense-here had | come,
stealing through the lonely pine woods
long after was supposed to be asleep,
to keep an extremely risky appoint
ment with an ignorant, half-wild
beautiful creature, who bore among
her relatives and familiar associates
the elegantappellation of "Rockwoods
Liz
As waited and particularly as |
specuIated upon the possibility Of her
making a still more egregious fool of
me by not coming at all alternately
cursed the feminine within and love of
power which had induced her to sum
mon me hither, and my own mad,
foolish infatUation for her beauty
which had compelled me, as it were,
to obey.
Her beauty While waiting for her
living, breathing presence 20 gladden.
my bodily eyes, | conjured before my
mental vision a fair picture of her
matchless charms. Matchless2 Yes.
Nature unaided had done her best,
and Liz was altogether beautiful.
| despair of describing her The
Slight, 1.-the, graceful, exquisitely
rounded figure, whose every move
ment and attitude was full of uncon.
scious and unstudied grace. The
darkly brilliant and expressive face,
sun kissed to softest rose or VIVID
crimson on the lips and cheeks; the
large grey eyes, with their long ebony
lashes; and the wealth OF splendid
hair-the>c were but physical charas.
| knew that the fair casket held a
worthy gem that the ignorant girl,
who could not read nor write, pos
sessed mind of more than common
intelligence, and pure and lovely
soul
And | was in love with her-rtally
in lOve-with u serious passion that
was more than half made up of pain,
and which | experienced for the first
time in my life. 1t was strange
madness; alternately yielded to it or
struggled against it, well knowing
that only misery could come of it all
the time.
She had told me that. She was
simple and straightforward as truth
itself, and knew nothing OF double
dealing.
What use is love between you and
me7' she said sorrowfully. Il am no
mate for such as you"
Personally she might have mated
with a king. Surely King Cophetua's
beggarmaid was never fairer. But
she had relatives lived ruffians
of the coarsest mould. Could | ally
myself-my family-with them?
And if you could and would, you
should not, she said, resolutely.
you must go-for my sake and your
own-go, and forget me ~
And had promised to comply
mau's love IS so much more selfish
than womans Although IN my
anxiety and pain | scarcely realized
the Illuminating fact, know now that
it was less of her interest or happiness
/ thought than Of my own
/ had left England some three
months before this present stormy
night ON IA hunting expedition in the
wilds of Canada. An enthusiast in
the sport, no woman, until met LIZ
of the Pines, had ever proved rival
to my gun. But it was different
now.
started as the sound of her light,
swift footsteps fell upon my ear at
last; aud as drew her into the for
saken hut, and touched her for mo
ment as l took the dripping cloak
from her head and shoulders, my
pdlSeS thrilled with sweet, half-de-
lirious joy, and the heretofore gloomy.
desolate place seemed changed to an
earthly heaven.
She was trembling and very pale.
She had kept me at terrible distance
always, this bacKwSods beauty. who
now summoned me to a rendezvous at
night; but when | saw her shaking
50 that she seemed likely to fall, l
suddenly threw my arms around her.
What was my surprise when, instead
of gravely repulsing me, she chung al
most convulsively to me for an in
slant and burst into a passion Of
tears.
For moment only. Almost inn
mediately she had recovered her self
control, and drew a little away from
me, though not quite out of my arms,
looking up earnestly into my face.
1--WE come at the risk of my life, "
she whispered, 'to warn you that
yours is in danger"
We were standingin the doorway of
the hut. The rain had ceased, and
the wind had lulled, and pale sickly
moon stole out timidly. BY its faint