Sharp County record., 1885-07-30

and, settling herself back in her chair,
went contentedly on with her knitting,
while the cricket again became the up
permost sound in her world, like a
homely accompaniment to the single
music of her thoughts.
Many more minutes than five went by
uncounted, when, suddenly, from the
direction of the gateway, Annie again
came running, 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, was white as death and
strangely set, and she flung herself
into the old woman's arms with a
great, sharp cry.
80, Nurse! o, Nurse! The train is
not 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. 0, Nurse! it is
Fred. know it is Fred! As certainly
as that | am alive now, | know that it
is my darling who is dead!'
And the girl burst into passion of
stormy weeping, and would neither be
comforted, nor listen to anything that
her old friend said.
Il tell you l ktaoU it is he!" she
cried, with an agony of conviction in
her voice that almost carried certainty
with it. 1T was like knife through
nv heart the moment the man spoke.
At the word accident, | 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 be-
fore my eyes!
NAY, nay, my pet, my darling, my
hearts dearie!" cried the old nurse,
clasping the girl to her breast and rock
ing back and forth with her as if she
were 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 ye
Himself and eases the weight of it by
lending His own blessed hand to the
burden. What should start ye before
hand to fear 1t?
ooh! don't you see?' Annie moaned.
Don't you see? 1t is because | am so
happy that | dread it, | am too hap
py. | have never had a sorrow in all
my life. Not one. have everything
| want. haven't wish left to wish.
Ny life is as bright as the year is long.
And the happiness 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 it
is coming now-in this way-this most
terrible way of all. | am to lose my
very dearest. / am to lose Fred for
ever. And we were so happy together
oh! so happy! loved him SO! O.,
Nurse, Nurse! l can't bear it!
"Whist, whist, my bairnie! Don't
We 90 to think the Lord begrudges ye
your happiness in the blessings Him
self has give We to enjoy. Don't ye 60
to misiudge Him so.
"Oh! if He has taken Fred from me
if He has-I shall hate Him, | shall
hate Him." cried Annie, wildly, clench-
ing her slender hands. "Oh! if God is
so cruel, so pitiless as that, | will never
love Him, never pray to Him again,
never. while | live"
"Annie, Annie! God help We, we
don't know what We are saying" ex-
claimed the poor old 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 ye 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 reason
in all the Lords doings; it's only our
eyes as is weak and don't always see
plain. It's wicked of ye to talk so,
Annie, and | couldn't a-bear it, only
Jem says he is sure the Lord don't t
listen when we speak that we don't
mean; and We don't mean what ye are
saying now. Why, ye've just said
there's no blessing in the world as has
been denied ye your life long, and yet
now We couldn't take one sorrow from
Him even if He sent it ye!"
"Only not this one?' sobbed Annie,
her face hidden in the old woman S
dress. "Only not this! I could bear
anything else; but only not this"'
80, Annie! it's no for us to say
what shall be of the Lords sending.
What He sends, good or bad, that must
we take; and it's no 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 rea-
son of it. It's so that some one must
bear the grief ye say ye can not, nor
will not, bear Is others stronger than
Ia 4l,n,, tLnt ,-o rhnnld hn Snnrod and