Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-12-05

Dack IN neI CHAIR, WeuL tOiileutcuiv Oh
with her knitting, while the cricket again
became the uppermost sound in her world,
| like homely accompaniment TO the single
| music of her thoughts.
MANY more minutes than five went by
uncounted, when suddenly, from the direc-
tion of the gateway, Annie again came run
ming but not as she had run before. Very
direct and straight she came. Her arms
| were outstretched as one who runs blindly;
her face, that had been so rosy, wos white as
death and strangely set, and she flung her.
self into the old woman's arms with a
great. sharp cry.
40, nurse o, nurse! The train is moi
in. There has been an accident A man
going by told me. And there has been one
killed. Just light accident! But there
was one killed. Only one killed, the man
said o, nurse, it is Fred. l know it is
| Fred As certainly as that | am alive now
know that it is my darling who is dead p
And the girl burst into passion Of
stormy weeping and would neither be COM
forted, nor listen to anything that her old
friend said.
Il tell YOU | kaow it is he - she cried
with an agony of conviction in her voice
that almost carried certainty with it. 1T
was like knife through my heart the
moment the man spoke. At the word acct
dent felt that Fred was dead, even before
he said anything more. | tell you | know
that it is he as surely as if | saw him lying
here before my eyes
Nay, nay, my pet my darling, my
hearts dearie!" cried the old nurse, clasp
ing the girl to her breast and rocking back
and forth with her as if she was babe SO
quickly does grief make children of US all
How can We know? Why borrow SO sore
a trouble as this? Wait till the good Lord
brings it to We Himself, and eases the
weight of it by lending His own blessed
hand to the burden. What should start We
beforehand to fear it?'
oh don't you see ?n Annie m0aned.
Don't you see? 1t is because | am so
happy that dread it. l am too happy. l
have never had sorrow in all my life.
Not one. l have everything l want.
haven't wish left to wish. My life is as
bright as the year is long. And the happi-
ness has got to stop sometime. Aren't We
always being told we must expect sorrow?
That every one has TO suffer? 1t isn't
natural to be SO happy as | am. Sorrow
has got to come to me, too; and know ii
is coming TO me now-in this way-this
most terrible way of ALL l am to lose my
very dearest. | am to lose Fred forever.
And we were so happy together-oh so
| happy | loved him SOL o, nurse, nurse
| can't bear il y
Whist, whist, my bairniel Don't We
go to think the Lord begrudges We your
happiness in the blessings Himself has
give We to enjoy. Don't ye go to misjudge
| Him so"
oh if He has taken Fred from me-it
| He has-I shall hate Him, | shall hate
Him y cried Annie, wildly, clenching her
! slender hands. oh if God is so cruel,
so pitiless as that / will never love Him,
never pray to Him again, never, while l
| liver
Annie, Annie, God help We, We don t
know what We are sayingm exclaimed the
poor woman, with tears dropping over her
withered cheeks. How dare We call Him
cruel. If he bids We let 90 your hearts
! dearest. what right have we even so to set
| your will against Him as made We, and as
works all things together for your good?
! My Jem says there's 4 reason in all the
| Lords doings; its only our eyes as is weak
and don't always see plain. It's wicked of
we to talk so, Annie, and | couldn't a-bear
| il, only Jem says he is sure the Lord don
! listen when we speak that we don't mean !;
and We don't mean what We are saying
now. Why, we've Just said there's no
| blessing in the world as has been denied
| We your life long and yet now We couldn't
| take one sorrow from Him even if He
! sent it yer
Only not this one?" sobbed Annie, her
face hidden in the old woman's dress
Only not this | could bear anything
else; but only not this -
90, Annie its not for us to say what
/ shall be of the Lords sending. What He
! sends, good or bad, that must we take, and
! it's not for US to choose the what or the
when. If one poor soul lies dead yonder,
: then there's sorrow come into the world
somewhere by reason of it. It's so that
someone must bear the grief We say We can
not, nor will not, bear. is others stronger
! than We, then, that We should be spared,
and your pain put on them? What right
! have We, Annie, to claim to be spared, and
take no part in the worlds trouble? The
very trees has storms sent them, and stands
up against them whilst they can. So them
! that God sends this sorrow to the day, who
ever they chance to be, must even submit
their wills to it, and, as my Jem would say,
may the gracious Lord tighten it to the
heart He fixes it upon"
The old woman bowed her head reve-
rently as she spoke, and Annie looked up at
her, half awed, though with cheeks still
wet with rebellious tears And just there,
some one stopped over them and lifted the
young girl to her feet, softly saying her
name. All what voice of all living could
say it save one? 1t was as if her lover had
been given back to her from the very re-
| RlOliS Vi lllG Nttltlf anu, dlNSA
frightened glance at him. Annie threw
herself upon his breast, with an articulate
cry Of relief and rapture. Perhaps when
souls first meet in heaven they feel some
what as she felt in that moment.
But the young man gently unclapsed heI
clinging arms, and, holding her hands in
one of his went nearer the old nurse. anG
stood looking down at her without speak,
ing.
"Oh, Mr. Fred ~ the old woman cried
catching his hand, while look of such I'M
selfish delight irradiated her wrinkled face
as absolutely TRANSPORTED it. The Lord
be thanked that it is not We who have been
taken ~
''No, not l" Fred said slowly, while she
in the relief that seemed to set all hei
senses free again, heard the cricket chirp
and saw how the golden needle of light had
slipped away from her lip, and felt it where
it lay bright and warm across her foot
Not |, ;" he said, % but another" And there
he paused again, finding speech difficult
and laid his hand on her shoulder as if tC
steady her and then, in despair at his OWL
cowardice in breaking the news to her, ht
turned abruptly to Annie. Help her i
you can, Annie he said. TELL her Jen
was on the train, too. II is her Jem who
was killed
The old nurse spoke never a word. Die
she understand? She felt trembling; bu
she did not weep or moan or move by {
hairs breadth only sat with her hand,
dropped helplessly in her lap, looking I'M
seeingly up at him who had brought the
news. 1t seemed as if the silence could bt
felt. Annie had flung herself on her knee:
by the old woman's side again, and wa.
covering the poor old hand with vain kisse:
and vainer tears. Her heart was full of al
intolerable pity, that took almost the shap,
of self-reproach. What words of comfor
could she dare to speak to one who wa.
old, and weak, and poor, and helpless, anC
who had lost not one gift out of many, bu
the one only blessing she had p?
For few moments the striker woman
sat there specifies, aging visibly befor,
their eyes in the first awful shock of III,
bereavement. She was as if she had gont