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

cruel rs that OF the arch fiend himself.
The brief, bright. happy summer was
soon W and he proposed to take his
departure to his distant post of duty.
The lovers parted with many VOWS and
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 her
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 a 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 came. Day after day she watt
ed, hopeful and patient, until her very
soul grew sick wit fear. Day after 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 a 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
of a midday sun. Her parents guard.
ed her with tender care,.but' to- no
avail. To their e~ntreaties to arouse
from her deep despair and forget her
false and tr%eacherous lover She replied
only with a mournful smile.
1.-The young gentlen,en-her former
suitors-were furious at her treatment
and vowed vengeance on the scuundrel
who had so tritied with het pure affecs
tions. Woe betide the lieutenant had
he ever returned to the scene IL his
dallying. He would have been tori
limb from limb.
Gas time progressed her mind secm-
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
Sad been their favorite trysting-p1ace,
and through. this she had been seen to
walk swiftly, wringing her hands and
utteringg 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
n%eighbors. Her brother asked her if
she did not want some one to accom-
pany her; but she declined tho offer
and rode away Her horse came home
at noon, riderless, ffecked 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 wo-
men tried to comfort the frantic moth
er. 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
on the gray shadows Of death: Ten
derly. her father gathered her in his
arms. Her mind was entirely restor-
ed. "Do you know me, darlingfn', 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
..H 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 rights parties have seea.her
slender, figure clothed in spotless white
passing swiftly through the grove
moaning and wringing Its hands. I
have never seen it myself, for I,have
no partiality for spirits. Is there any
wine left in that bottle?" e.ai. :
There was q g mist in my eyes-it
might have been the cigar smoke, as /
replied kindly but firmly: mo. doc
tor, there is not, and it is now 1850"
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, / 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.
lowed at such uncanny hours to revisit
~ n