The Penn's Grove record., 1884-01-26
; hands. They were icy

AOdlbE
MOT 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?"
Gle told me / must choose between
them" continued Alison, bursting into
tears. "Oh, mother, it was all my
folly, all my temper; be could not see
that, and when he went away he said
be went for good"
Mrs. Reece drew in her thin lips
sternly. She was thinking.
'.And what does it mean about your
giving him a note for the dressmakert
/ do not understand. You had nothing
to write about"
The girl had got her hands free and
flung them before her face to deaden
the sobs. But Mrs. Reece was a reso-
Lutte 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 dis
mayed woman. eff he has indeed
fallen over the Scar it is you who have
vixra, hin, bio .1aath -
And it proved to be so. In taking
the two miles round between the cot
tage and the farm a high and perpen-
dicular precipice, called the Scar, had
to be passed. The tableland, or pla-
teau on the top was wide and a per-
fectly safe road by daylight, since a
traveller could keep as far from the
unprotected edge as he pleased, but on
a dark night, or in a thick fog it was
most dangerous. Thomas Watkyn
must have drawn near the edge un-
Willingly and fallen I'VE 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
meln walled Alison quite beside herself
with remorse and grief, as she knelt by
him, wringing her hands. "Oh,
Thomas, speak to mel I loved you all
the while"
But Thomas neither spokenor 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 ave the d~ressmaker, little in
dustrious Miss Ford. She had an
swered 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 a thick
mist it is that has come on" he re-
marked to her in his pleasant, chatty
way. faye, 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 il was
thu that made her i'll and took
der 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, and the schem.
ing to send him on the route that led to
his accident, that had well nigh killed
her. But the young are strong in theiI
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 the porch.
She was very feeble yet. 1t was the
first she had sat there since that mem
orable evening with her Inflated lover.
There she remained thinking and
dreaming. They could not persuade
her to come in. and so wrapped her IN
a warm shawl.
Sunset came on, and was almost as
beautiful, curious, perhaps, that II
should be so, as the m he and she had
watched together more than six months
before. The brilliant beams shone like
molten gold in the glowing west, the
blue sky around was 1ecked with pink
and amethyst. Alison's eyes were
fixed on the lovely scene with an en-
raptured gaze, her lips slightly parting
with emotions,
"Alison, what are you thinking OFF,
"Of him, mother. OF his happiness.
He is living in all that glorious beauty.
l think there must have been an I'M
conscious provision in his mind by
what he said that evening as we
watched it, that he should soon be
there. Oh, mother, l wish l was going
to himl l wish i could be with him
tomorrow.
The mother paused; she felt Inclined
to say something, but she feared the
agitation it might cause.
well, well, child, you are getting
BETTER" she presently answered.
Eyes, 1 do get better" sighed the
girl. 81 suppose it pleased God that
| should"
"Time smoolhes all things, Alison.
In time you will be strong again and
able to fulfil life's various duties with
a zest. Trials are good--oh so very
goodl for the soul. But for meeting
with them we might never learn the
way to heaven"
Alison did not answer. Her feeble
hands were clasped in silent prayer.
her face was lifted to the glories of the
evening sky.
1t was at the same sunset hour, al
evening or two later, that Alison, who
WAS ickin IN otranuth doi1y otrol1oI