The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1885-05-06
THE LOST LETTER.

D
Yet Sylvia stood there. in ..tht
silence that could be felt, with thai
dreamy far-oif look IN her large ewes
that might SO often be seen there oI
/ late
She stood there, not. perhaps, feel
/ ing the spell of the place and the late
hour but the spell of past houl
/ that had been replete with sweetness
/ Here we sat together, only few
short months ago, she soliloquised
land 1t seems as though years had
/ passed since then. Whereof where
/ Is he now?''
It was this question that had been
4 reiterating itself through her mind ever
since the sudden departure of Valen-
tine Holcamp
He had meant nothing when he had
/ pretended so much during those linger.
! ing summer rambles?
/ Sylvia sometimes dreamed, it is true,
! Of this man whose compauionship had
! been so agreeable, but she had not
pined away into shadow Of her for
mer self; she had not so far lost heI
heart as to either feel or appear
! crushed. She was real pleasure-lover.
was little Sylvia, and boarded UP like
a miser the few enjoyments that had
| penetrated her secluded life. Always
| a dreamer, why should she not now
! dream of last summer and last sum
| mer's visitor?
Yet, in the very midst of her tender
reminiscence, the spirited eyebrows
/ would GO up, the little straight nose
become tilted, and the curved lip be-
/ come the sauCiest in the world. Then
/ she would almost dance with glee that
she had never been so weak rs to wear
/ her heart on her sleeve while her alb
sent cavalier had bestowed upon hen
/ his gallantries.
Let him come or stay as he lsteth, -
/ she would conclude, and homeward
wend her way, warbling some gay
/ little song.
To-day, with the grim bare old trees
around her, the grey glimpse of sky
! overhead, she is silent and almost as
/ pensive as the departing day.
As she steps lightly along this
/ gloomy yet favorite haunt of hers, she
/ hears a sudden sound over her head,
and looking up she sees an urchin o1
/ about six years crouched on the broad
/ limb of tree, and making prodigiou>
/ efforts for one so young, to hold a rifle
/ ard aim at the same time at some
small game which he had espied.
Failing in this, it had been his utter
ance OF disappointment that had at
/ tracted Sylvia's attention.
''Bothering gunH'
And the tidgeting little finger sslipped
at last, the tired unaccustomed muscles
yielded, and the "bothering gun" came
rafting to the earth, while the child
made a grand scramble to regain his
balance.
Had the article been anything other
than a piece of firearms, all had been
well. As it CHANGED, however, in fall
ing. the weapon struck heavily against
a lower iutting limb of the tree, and
discharged as it fell.
Sylvia had sprung aside, yet not in
time to escape the shot. The content:
of the rifle lodged in her right shoulder,
and she fell to the ground with moan.
She lay there white and insensible
the blood from the wound oozino
through her gown over the fair neck.
The boy, trembling with terror al
this result of his daring escapade
sprang to the side of the PROSTATE
form. Though such baby in years, il
had been manly courage that had lee
the little fellow into such a venture.
He had a spirited handsome face
and as he laid tiny hand upon Sylvia:
pale brow, a soft light of tenderness:
grew in the dark eyes, and with a quicl
childish gesture he stopped anC
| smoothed her check with his own.
Then he sprang to his feet again
and ran swiftly away in the direction
of Lyndermere Lodge.
For ten years Lyndermere Lodge hat
been occupied by Mr.. Arthur Powell
an old man whose book love seemed t.
supply the place of every other attach
ment, for, save for the occasional pres
ence of two domestics, he had live,
there quite alone.
The domestics lived also by them
selves in a separate habitation.
During the past year the hermitage
had been entirely deserted, for, mucl
to the astonishment of interested neigh
bors, Mr.. Powell had suddenly left ant
gone abroad.
A few weeks previous to the openin!
of our story, news came of the oil,
mans death, and only the day befor
the occurrence we have described, th
new owner, a nephew of Mr.. Powell :
had arrived and taken possession. /
was he who now fastened to the assist
ance of Sylvia Devine.
He blanehed and shuddered at tn
sight before him His step faltered
and he almost fell to the ground besid
the wounded girl as he stopped to rails
her in his arms.
Run, Jem-run as fast as your leg
can take you. to the nearest phys
cian!''
Jem needed no second bidding II
was off ike the wind, for in his guard
ian's eyes he saw an expression he ha
never before seen there.
Would she, then. die? Had he bee
the means of killing the most beautifr
lady he had ever looked upon in hi
short life?
To Jem she had seemed like fairy
as through the interstices of the tree
branches he had caught that brie
| glimpse of the small ridRte face an
curling. elose-cut fiaxen hair.
/ Meanwhile Sylvia was borne by th
stranger into the warm freight of tn
COSY library of Lyndermere Lodge.
She opened her ewes before the arr
val of the doctor, but she appeared b
wildered and hardly conscious.
When the surgeon had examined th
wound. he said nothing could be don
further until the young lady was take
to her home and placed in bed
She revived under the restorative
administered. but was in such pain 8
to take no notice of her surrounding
Together they bore her to carriae
and conveyed her home
Once there, the stranger RENAME
until the shot had been extracted an
she was pronounced out of immedia
danger.
Sylvia's home was very simple on
She and her mother had always live
by themselves in a small cottage sins
the death of Mr.. Devine-
1t was two days before Sylvia ".
able to speak of the accident. and h
mother had briefly informed her tn
the lad whose gun had worked sue
mischief was the nephew of the gentl
man owning Lyndermere Lodge.
But as the days passed. and Sylvi
: becoming conyalescent. received bas
, cts of fruit and flowers. and numerol
books, always emanating from Il
: Lodge, and having always for the
conveyor the culprit Jem. she grew j
! Z terested to learn the name Of Jem
I uncle
1 Really / cannot tell you," replit
her mother. ssYou know, was in sus