Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-10-23

cruel as that OF the arch lend himself
The brief, bright, happy summe wa
soon over and lie proposed to take hi
departure to his distant post of duty
The lovers parted with many VOWS anC
many protestations of love and affec.
ton, pure and holy on her part but
false as hell on his.
CATER his departure, light and hap
Ply of heart as any bird that sang in the
groves near by, she went about hel
daily pastimes. There was o bright
color in her fair young checks and The
happy light of trusting love shone in
her eyes. Life had q newer meaning
for her now, and with an eager trust
she waited for the loving letters he had
promised so faithfully to write. They
never anne. Day after day she wait
ed, hopeful and patient, until her very
soul grew sick wit fear. Dayafter day
the color faded from her face and the
sweet true eyes grew dim. Her step
about the house grew ~listless, the mu-
sic of her voice was still. At length,
setting aside all thoughts of maidenly
modesty, she wrote to her. recreant
lover. In reply she received as cruel
and dastardly a letter as the pen of
man ever indited. 1t stated that the
writer was very sorry she had mistaken
his intentions; that he considered the
whole thing q mere Irritation; he had
enjoyed her society very much, espec-
tally the kisses and caresses she had
bestowed upon him; he was to marry
a wealthy and accomplished young la
dy Of New York during the coming
winter, and hoped she would find q
suitable life companion among the ru-
raj beaus of the country.
That letter broke her heart. She
burned beneath it as some tender
plant willis beneath the too fierce rays
of a midday un. Her. parents guard
ed her with tender care but to- no
avail. To their entreaties to arouse
from her deep despair and forget her
false and treacherous lover she replied
only with q mournful smile.
1.-The young gentlen,en-her former
suitors-were furious at her treatment
and vowed vengeance or the scuundrel
who had so tritfed with het pure affecs
tons. Woe betide' the lieutenant had
he aver returned to the scene IL, his
dallying. He would have been tort
limb from limb.
Gas time progressed her mind Seem.
ed to give way. and often in the tender
twilight she would steal away from her
family and betake her to that little
grove you see there to the right. This
Ead been their favorite trysting-p1ace,
and through. this she had been seen to
walk swiftly. wringing her hands and
uttering low, moaning sounds, like q
wounded dove. One bright, beautiful
morning in early November she seemed
to become entirely rational; and order
ed one Of the negroes to saddle her
horse, as she desired to visit one OF the
neighbors. Her. brother asked her if
she did not want some one 70 accom-
pany her; but she declined tho offer
and rode away Her horse came home
at noon, riderless, fecked with foam
and trembling with terror. A search
ing party was at once organized and
started out, the agonized father lead
ing it, while some Of the kindly ~o-
men tried to comfort the frantic moth-
Ell. About five miles from home they
found her under a tall oak tree, prone
upon the ground, her body cruelty
crushed her golden hair dabbled with
blood, her sweet, blue eyes fast taking
derby her father gathered her In his
arms. Her mind was entirely restor-
ed. "Do you know me, darlingf.n' he
said, while the others gathered around.
Eyes, dear papa" she replied; "I'm
happy now; l am going, up there"
pointing to the sky, and then in a low,
plaintive, scarce audible voice she
sang: -
There's nae sorrow there, Jean,
There's neither cauld nor care, Jean.
The'day is aye fair ''''"
~ In the land O. the leal.
''Then in broken accents. she told
them how her, Bride had broken, her
horse run away, and hoy. she was
thrown against the tree whose sturdy
trunk was made sacred by her blood.
''Tenderly her pure young body was
born back to the house of mourning
and buried under the great trees she
loved SO well. They say that her ghost
haunts these parts, and that often on
moonlight nights parties have seea.her
slender figure clothed in spotless white
passing swiftly through the grove
moaning and ,wringing its hands, !
have never seen it. myself, for I,have
no partially for spirits. Is there any
wine left in that bottlep" .n.. .
There was a. mist. in my eyes-is
might have been the cigar smoke, as ]
replied kindly but firmly: ':No, doc
tor, there is not, and it is now 1870"
The doctor retired to his own room.
I lit another cigar and took a seat by
the open window. I could not sleep;
restless and moved out of my usual
cynicism by the doctors story, I invol-
UNFAIRLY glanced toward tho grove.
Surely something, was moving there,
There was a CLEAN of white through
the swaying vista of the trees. My
heart almost stood still. Could it be
possible that departed spirits were al:
lOwad af aI1ch unconnv ho,1ro, <o ,,ou;o;1