Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1885-10-15

3. She lifted her boys head and laid
hsreold hps on his burning forehead.
's1'tC Charley" she said, fsintly, ~ think
you would do ii for me. I will save
you. my darling. When will he-".
= The boy spfsng up with cry Of
bitterness. li'''I I1''- 90 81 i-'-.''
z 81 win not stand i'll Twill kin him
frstt| he cried, But she drew him
back and cslmed him. .isfsg ,e.J
".He will come tonight Charley
told her presently, through meeting
teeth. f.He gave me little time, sis.
ter. VIZ .units- ,tnflBa rid lo e-aait,o
IL will see him when he comes, +"
assall she sald and then she bade her
brother leave her. lioL 9, .'sr, ri '.nH
4 Who can understand the agony of
the next two hours TO Jessie Dale7
They left q shadow in her blue eyes
forever after. '' s' ~. ...i.''- --...- y.
But when her brothers tampIer
came she gave her answer calmly and
clearly, and when he had gone she
placed the forged check in the flames
and turned faint and cold when her
eyes caught the glitter of a gem upon
her finger. He had trusted her
enough to give the paper to her in re-
turn for her promise to be his wife,
knowing we'll that she would die be-
fore she would break il. r.r
Three weeks went by, and then the
poor girl had another thing to think
of besides the great numb pain at her
heart, the new horror of her life. ','" ;
There had been Eve days and nights
Of heavy rain, and the village below
them was hourly threatened by the
steadily rising water. Many had left
their homes and flown to higher lands
for safety. One cottage had been
swept away in the night, and a babe
and mother had been drowned in it.
Watching the sufferers about her, Jes-
sic almost forgot that she was miser-
able, and she like an angel of mercy
to the poor frightened creatures who
fed from danger. She went among
them with gentle words and soft
touches, comforting and encouraging,
not needing the falling rain. III N. -
Then at the close Of a darkened day,
the waters had their own mad way,
and was but seething tossing mass
of merciless water, filed with frag-
ments of cherished homes, and wall
ing cry went from the many drenched
people who watched it from the
heights. li. '. .n n,..f.s las. aH. losn'rF
When night came down, dark and
terrible, Bob Vennor, who scarcely
left her since their betrothal, and who
strove for more than toleratlon from
her, watched her long in silence avg
"You are thinking of the river, and
all it destroyed" he said. "But it has
spared al. but two lives. One might
be thankful for that"
""Oh," she cried, in sudden wild
chasing against the chain that bound
her lips, chow merciful it would be
had it taken minel''' lH.- ga 81 ...r.a
-a He paled a little. ~ "a ,... t -. q. .rn
"You hate me SOP" he asked, below
his breath. isrua,,a ,.,q,. % n.t Ista 81
1'I am so miserable, she faltered.
And he turned silently away. When
she looked for him again he had gone,
whittier she knew not, but out IN the
terrible darkness of the stormy night.
In the morning came perfect
calm. The sun came down on the
sullen water and the void, with all
its scars, looked fresh and fair. !,
"But my life has lost its sunlight
forever" Jessie thought, watching the
rain washed earth. IN In ....-s1.r~s,
She aid not heed the crowd or silent
people, with something born in their
midst, halted at her fathers door, but
when her eyes at last fell on them
some impulse forced her from aer room
and down to their very midst.
They made way for her, and pres
emily she saw what their burden was.
In all her sickening horror and wo-
manly pity and great regret that she
had no kind word to him at the last,
she realized that they had brought
her-freedom! ..,, ........-.....r..
"We found him in the river some
body said, at was bad night to be
out in, and the gentleman must have
been without light; OF all the falss
step But she heard no more; of
all the false steps of reckless life had
this been last and worst ,g
But God had sent her freedom and
her brother safety, and-the month
had not yet gone by.
She was Lees wife almost year
" hen her brother came to her one day
with white face and trembling hands
and laid paper on her kee. 1t was
from one of Bob Vennor's old com
panlons, who had died and left this
brief note for Charley: ao sf.aa
d''It was all a hoax about that forged
check" it ran. ''Bob and I did it
while you slept. He was in love with
your sister, and knew he'd never win
her, so he did that to scare you both.
But you had no hand in the forgery
and these things trouble dying man.
Bob was not a bad fellow, but he
would have risked his soul for vollr sis-