The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-04-08

bracket and cornice, with all the hide
BUSINESS and medieval carving; the stairs,
flight by flight, growing Trailer beneath
her young feet; now but n slender net.
work between her and the outer world;
but still up.
Her breath was coming short and
gasping. She saw through an open
space old Jasper cross the road at the
foot of the tower. Oh, how far. The
seconds were treasures which Cromwell,
with all his blood-bought common
wealth, could not, purchase from her
Up-ah-there, just above her, with its
great brazen mouth and wicked tongue,
the bell hung. A worm-eaten block for
clasped itself about the clapper-the
other prepared, at the tremble, to rise
and clasp its mate, ana the feet to
swing off-and thus she waited Jasper
was old and slow, but he was sure and
it came at last. A faint culver, and the
young feet swung from their rest, and
the tender hands clasped for more than
their precious life the writhing thing.
There was groaning and creaRing of
the rude pulleys above, and then the
stroke came heavy and strong. Jasper's
hand had not forgot its cunning, nor
his arm its strength. The tender, soft
form was swung and dashed to and fro.
But she chung to and caressed the cold,
cruel thing. Let one stroke come and a
thousand might follow-for its fatal
work would be done. She wreathed
her white arms about it, so that at every
pull of the great rope it crushed into
the flesh. 1t tore her. and wounded
and bruised; but there in the solemn
twilight the brave woman swung and
fought with the curfew, and God gave
her victory.
The old bell-ringer said to himself:
AYE, Huldah, my work is done. The
puneys are getting too heavy for my old
arms; my ears. too, have failed me. |
dinna hear one stroke of the curfew.
! Dear old bell! 1t is my ears that have
gone false, and not thou. Farewell, old
friend
And just beyond the worn pavement
a shadowy form again went fitting past
him. There We're drops of blood upon
| the white garments, and the face was
| like the face of one who walked in her
sleep, and her hands hung wounded and
powerless at her side. Cromwell paused
with his horsemen under the disman-
tied May-pole before the village green.
| He saw the man who was to die at sun
set standing up in the dusky air, tall as
a King and beautiful as Absolom. He
gazed with knitted brow and angry eve,
but his lips did not give utterance tc
the quick command that trembled or
them, for n girl came flying toward
him. Pikeman and archer stepped
aside to let her pass. She threw her.
self upon the turf at his horses feet; she
lifted her bleeding and tortured hands
to his gaze, and once more poured out
her prayer for the life of her lover; with
trembling lips she told him why Richard
still lived-why the curfew had moi
sounded.
Lady Maud, looking out of her latticet
window at the castle, saw the great
Protector dismount, lift the faintine
form in his arms and bear her to hel
lover. She saw the guards release theil
| prisoner, and she heard the shouts o
| Joy at his deliverance; then she wei
coined the night that shut the scene on
from her enviOus eye and sculptured hel
in its gloom.
At the next matin bell old Jasper
died, and at curfew toll he was laid be
side his wife who had died in his youth
but the memory of whom had been witt
him always -HdpcrMW Mass. Balle
| Tin