Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1884-11-07

her dark head bent, her whole attitude
showing that at that moment the world
was far from the heart Of the girl.
b Grants voice recalled her, and look
ing UP dreamily at his request for a
song, she bent her head once more and
complied. She sang that peculiar Ger
man legend, "Death and the Nightin-
gale. The lights we're low, owing to
the sociable spiritshown in warm wealth
er by the mosquitoes. Hal drew some.
what apart, sinking into chair neal
an open window, and as she sung the
low and sad words:
Ozark Wac the night
Ano dung the king =
And specters were round him VA
In weird white ring! ~"
a., No one was dear
10 comfort the king;
+ and the moon shone in at the windoW!'
Hal LlscomJs impulsiye heart, i'm.
pulsive still, despite of his seeming
GOODNESS, thrilled warmly All her voice
Il will paint her some time as I see
her now, with tho shadows on her face
and that white drapery about her." he
told himself.
Far below in the meadow, among the
bushes that fringed a stream, whipDoor.
wills began to send forth plaintive calls,
and, the song finished, Miss Allen left
out to the starlight
Come" she called; "let us go out
side; I want to hear the whippoorwills ;
it is q year since have heard them
cousin Alice"
They followed her, all save Mrs.
Lawson, who settled herself for nap
in her chair; and presently Grant
asked his friend to sing. Miss Allen
turned from watching the clouds that
were mingling their feeces above her:
and looked down to where her cousin s
guest sat on q low seat, almost at her
feet. Was it the soft light, he wondered:
that made her eyes so soft and dreamy,
her lips so red and sweet?
"Let it be something plaintive, she
said and he obeved her, singing SCOTS
beautiful gem. "To Mary
''Ihe heath this night must be my bed,
The bracken curtains for my head,
Ny lullaby the warder's tread,
Far, far from love and thee, Mary"
Below, the whippoorwills still sang:
the mans voice echoed softly on the
silent night, and when he had finished
he looked up. Was he again mistaken,
OF had the girls eyes gloomed to mid
night and were her lips tremulous?
Three weeks had gone and Hal Lis
comb wondered why he felt so reluct-
ant to go back to his home He did
not see very much Of Grant, for that
young man was very deeply in love
and spent much of his time with
the girl who was to be his wife,
leaving his friend to idle as he pleased,
knowing that this would please HIM.
He Hal-had made many sketches;
but his pencil was very willingly laid
aside when Ethel would allow him to
be her companion in her walks and
rides, or when she would bid him read
for her on the wide yeranda, or under
the trees Of the lawn. On this particu-
lar day he had failed to find her, and so
had gone aimlessly rambling about.
Suddenly, coming upon cottage
which stood quite alone, nearly mile
from the village, OIL the edge of which
Grants home was, he saw her black
pony at the door.
eth surprise her and walk back
with her through the shadows" he told
himself, not stopping to analyze the
pleasure which this thought gave him !;
and he went swiftly toward the open
door.
On the threshold he paused-paused,
drawing his breath sharply, and barring
his head with sudden reverence.
A woman, bent by time. and shrunk-
en- from suffering, was sitting in large
chair, pillows about her, and ut her
feet, sitting On low stool, was Ethel
Allen in all her glorious beauty. She
had removed her nat, and her dark
hair shone under the sweet touches.
There was an open book on her knees,
and her clear voice foated to him,
touching him as no voice had since 8
child he had SO sat at the knee of his
mother while she read, as Esthel read
now, the word Of God. The voice was
like music-swcet, low, fervent His
heart throbbed, his eyes moistened
while he listened; and all the hardness
that had enveloped his life for half a
dozen years melted from it in that mo-
ment, as though the mother-iland
again lay softly on his hair, the mother
lips whispered him, my son!"
He turned silently away, going back
through the shadows alone; and one
thought went with him, one purpose
grew strong in his bosom-if she was to
be won, he would win this girl for his
wife! What blindness had possessed
him? While dreaming his idle dreams
he had passed this beautiful life by with
it's silent beauty and womanly gentle
ness. While looking for an ideal he
had closed his eyes when the reality
had been met by him. His pulses were
throbbing when he went from his room
that evening to join the others at din
ner. He met her in the corridor above
and went straight to her; she wore a
costume Of thin black, from which arms
and neck shone dazzlingly; she carried
q cluster OF white roses in her hand, and
looked at him with smile as he ap-
preached her.
Miss Allen," he said, his tones Vi
brating, IF man should tell you that
his future lay in your hands, what
would you do?" -.
She looked at him with darkened
eyes, and her lips quivered slightly.
Surely those were the eyes he had
sought for his great picture, those the
delicate, earnest lips!
,"Should man lay his heart at your
feet, what would you do?" he question
ed; and her dark eyes lighted with
womanly strength as she answered him.
II would lift it," she said. softly; II
would tell him that OF the feet of a
woman like myself was not it's place;
and would take it as Gods best bless
ing granted to my life
HIf it were mine ~ he duestinned