The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1885-10-02

! our small One-StOried cottage stood by
! itself in solitary part of the beach
| How well l remember myself sitting
with the pen IN my hand, uncertain
| how to begin; for l felt awkward. ney
eT having written to him since | was a
| child.
At first I almost forgot what l had to
| write about. While musing, | was
startled by a noise like the opening of
a window. Now, as | explained our
| house was all one fiat, and we could
easily step from any window to the
! beach. In considerable alarm | hurried
into Zillah'S room. There, by the dim
night-light, | saw her bed was empty.
She had apparently dressed herSelf-fOr
l saw none of her clOthes-aud crept out
at the window. Terrified inexpressibly,
| was about TO follow her. when | saw
/ the hutter of a shawl outside, and heard
her voice speaking.
NO, cOuSIn-uO, dear cousin! Don't
! ask me. l can go away with YOU to-
night. 1t would he very wrong when
Miss Pryor knows nothing about it. If
she had found us out or threatened, and
we were obliged to run away" Um-
medlately l saw that, with a girl of I'll
llah fierce Obstinacy, discovery would
be most dangerous. l put out the light
and kept quite still.
L can't, indeed l can't, " pursued Zil-
/ lah S voice, in answer to some urging
Nllhbl W do llldutlDlt. d(lllnU. with a
childish laugh. y on know Cousin An
/ gustus, it would never do for me to 90
ana be married In a cotton dressing
/ gown; and Miss Pryor keeps all NV best
clothes. Dear Miss PryOrl I wOuId
much rather have told her, only YOU say
she would be so much the more sur
prISed and pleased when [ came back
marTIed: And you are quite sure that
she shall always live with us. and never
I return to Yorkshire again?7
Iier words, so childish, so unconscious
OF the wrong she was doing. perfectly
startled me. Allmy romantic notions
OF glrlish passion following its own wild
will were put to flight. Here was a
mere child led away by the dazzle of a
new toy to the brink of a precipice.
She evidently knew no more Of love and
/ marriage than a baby,
or a little time longer, the wicked
lover | cannot call him-suitor. urged
ms SUIT, playing with her simplicity in
manner that he must inwaTdly have
laughed at all the time lie lured her
70 lnaJrmOny by pueTile pet names.
such as My angel by idle rhapsOdies
and. promises of fine houses and
clothes.
i don't mind these things at all "
sald poor Zlllah, innOcently; Il would
not go with You, only you say that when
L am married l shall have NOTHING to
do, and you will never scold me. and I
shall have Miss Pryor always near me.
PTOmise.'
Here was a pause. until the cbiId's
simple voice was heard again: Il don't
like that, cousin. | won't kiss Won
again. Miss Pryor once said we ought
never to kiss anybody unless we love
them very uj,cn.
And don't you love me. my adorable
creature?"
Tin not quite sure; sometimes I
love you and sometimes not; but | SUD-
pose shall always when we are mar
Tied.'
That blissfuI day must be very
soon, Sald the lieutenant; and I
thought l heard him irving to suppress
a yaWn. Let us settle it at once. nv
dear, for 1t grows late. If you will not
come tonight, let me have the happi
ness, the entire felicity, of fetching YOU
tomorrow"
NO, no." ZilIah answered.; 'sMiss
Pryor viii want me to help her to pack.
We leave this day week; let me stav till
Ihe night before, then come for me. and
III have my best frOck on. and we can
be married IN time to meet them all he
fore the boat sails the next dav."
In other circumstances / should have
smiled at this child's idea of MARRIAGE.
buJ now the crisis was far too real and
awful: and the more her Ignorance
hghtened her own error. the more if in
creased the crime of that bad man who
was about to ruin her peace forever.
a little he tried to reverse her plan
and make the marriage earlier. but I'll
IAN was too steady. In the ObStinacy
of her character-in the little influence
which, lover as he was. he seemed to
nave over her-l found her safeguard
past and present. 1t would lust allow
me to save her in the only way she
could be saved.
listened till heard her say good
bye TO her cousin, creep back into the
dark room through the open window.
and faSten it securely as before Then
stole away to the parlOr, and support
ed by the strong excitement of the mo-
ment, wrote my letter to Mr.. Suther-
land.
There would be in the six davs lust
time for the arrival of an answer. or
himself. | left everything to him.
merely stating the facts, knowing he
would do right. At midnight | went to
bed. ZIllah was fast asleep. AsI Law
awake, hour after hour. 1 thanked
Heaven that the poor child. deluded as
she has been, knew nothing of what
love was in its reality. She was at least
spared that sorrow.
During all the week 1 contrived to
keep Zillah as near me as was possible,
consistent with the necessity of not
awaking her suspicious. This was the
more practicable. as she seemed to
cling to me with an unwOnted and even
painful tenderness. The other girls
grUmbled sadly at our departure; but
luckily all had been definitely ar
ranged by their father. who had even,
strange TO say, given me money for the
journey. He had likewise gracefully
apOlOgiZed for being obliged to let us
wOmen-kind travel alone. d. he had
himself some business engageuI. Dts,
while his son had lately TejOined NE
regiment. | really think the deceiving
and deceived father fully credited the
latter fact. Certainly they were a
worthy pairl
l made all my plans secure, and
screwed up my courage as well as [
could; but | own on the evening preVi-
Gus to our jOuTney-the evening which,
from several atteSting proofs, l knew
was still fixed for the elOpement-I be-
gan to feel a good deal alarmed. OF
Mr.. Sutherland there was no tidings. At
twilight l saw plainly that the sole
hope must lie in my own presence of
mind. my influence over Zillah. and my
appeal to her sense of honor and affec-
tiOn. l sent the children early to bed,
saying had letters to write, and pre-
pared myself for whatever was to hap
pen.
Now many may think me foolish,
and at times ! thought myself so like
wise, for not going tOZillah and telling
her all | had discovered; but l knew
her character better than that. The
idea of being betrayed, waylaid, con-
trOlled, would drive her fierce Eastern
nature into the very commission of the
madness she contemplated In every