Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1886-05-26

follow Mr.. Watkyn. 1 cannot rest in.
doors. Oh, it cannot, cannot he as he
fears?"
Not one step until you tell me what
passed, said the mother firmly. There's
more IN all this than meets the eye."
HE asked me to-give up talking to
Mr.. Vavasour."
"And you refused. Well?n
HE told me l must choose between
them," continued ALISON, bursting
into tears. ''Oh, mother, it was all my
folly, all nay temper; he could not see
that, and when he went away he said
he went for good"
Mrs. Reece drew in her thin lips
sternly. She was thinking.
And what does it mean about your
giving him a note for the dressmakerf
l do not understand. You had moth.
ing to write about"
The girl had got her hands free and
flung them before her face to deaden
the sobs. But Mrs. Reece was a reso-
Lutte mother at times, and she extorted
the confession. Alison lad improvised
the note and sent Thomas around the
long way to deliver it, and so keep him
from passing by the willow walk,
''Oh, child, child." moaned the dis.
mayed woman. ''If he has indeed
fallen over the Scar it is you who have
given him his death"
And it proved TO be so. In taking
the two miles round between the cot
tage and the farm a high and perpen-
dicular precipice. called the Scar, had
n ha noSS91 frhn tnhfalan1 ra1a
teau on the top, was wide and perfectly
safe road by daylight, since a traveller
could keep as far from the unprotected
edge rs he pleased, but on dark night
or in thick fog it was most dangerous.
Deceived by the mist of the previous
night, Thomas Watkyn must have
drawn near the edge unwittlngly and
fallen over it. There he lay, on the
sharp rock, when the poor father and
others went to look for him, his death
ike face upturned toward the blue sky.
''Speak to me, Thomas, speak to
mel" walled Alison quite beside her,
Ielf with remorse and grief, as she knelt
oy him, wrlnging her hands. ''Oh,
Thomas, speak to me! i loved you all
he while"
But Thomas neither spoke nor
moved. The voice that had nothing
put tender words was silent now; the
leart she had so grieved might never
Oeat in sOrrow or JOY again.
No person had seen. or spoken with
lin after quitting her the previous
light, save the dressmaker, little in
iustrious Miss Ford. She had an
,wered his knock herself, she related,
md he put the note into her hands,
saying, Miss Rsece had asked him to
cave 1t in passing. What a thick mist
t is that has come onl" he remarked
5oher in his pleasant chatty way. AYE,
t is indeed, SIR" she answered, and
.hut her door as he walked away.
For many weeks Alison Reece lay
very i'll with brain fever, hoyering be-
.ween life and death. Some people said
t was the shock that made her i'll and
took her senses away; others thought
hat she must have loved the poor
young man to Distraction; no one. save
.er mother, knew 1t was the memory
of her last interview with him, and the
scheming to send him on the route that
ed to his accident, that had well nigh
killed her. But the young are strong
in their tenacity of life, and she grew
better by slow degrees.
One warm April afternoon, when the
winter months had given place to
spring. Alison, leaning on the arm of
her mother, went to sit on the porch.
She was very feeble yet. 1t was the
irst she had sat there since that mem
orable evening with her il,-fated lover.
There she remained thinking and
dreaming. They could not persuade
her to come IN, and so wrapped her in a
warm shawl.
Sunset came on, and was almost as
beautiful, curious, perhaps, that It
should be so, as the one he and she had
watched together more than six months
before. The brilliant beams shone like
molten gold in the glowing west, the
blue sky around was fiecked with PINK
and amethyst. Allson's eyes were liked
on the lovely scene with an enraptured
gaze, her lips slightly parting with emo
ton.
ALLISON, what are you thinking OFF"
ssOf him, mother. Of his happiness.
He is living IN all that glorious beauty.
/ think there must have been an uncon-
scious provision in his mind by what
he SAID that evening as we watched 1t,
that he should soon be there. On,
mother, | wish l was going to himl L
wish | could be with him tomorrow. "
Tie mother paused; sne felt inclined
to say something, but she feared the
agitation it might cause.
"Well, well, child, you are getting
better" she presently answered.
YES, 1 do get BETTER" sighed the
girl. 81 suppose it pleased God that l
should"
Time smoothes all things, Alison.
In time you will be strong again and
able to fulfil life's various duties with
a zest. Trials are good-oh so very
goodl-for the soul. But for meeting
with them we might never learn the
way to Heaven"
Alison did not answer. Her feeble
hands were clasped in silent prayer, her
face was lifted to the glories OF the
evening sky.
II was at the same sunset hour, an
evening or two later, that Alison, who
was picking up strength daily, strolied
away to the churchyard, She wanted
to look for a newly made grave In that
conner where so many of the Watkyns
lay buried.
She could not see it; the same grave
stones that were there before were
there now; there was no fresh one.
perhaps they opened the old vault
for him. thought Alison, as she sat
down on bench Just inside the gate,
for she was too weak to walk back
again without rest.
The sun was going down tonight
without any loneliness, just crimson
ball, which seemed to give red light TO
the atmosphere, and to light up really
the face of a pale, tottering man VINO
was coming up to the gate by the help
of a stick. He halted when he reached
1t. Alison turned sick and faint with
all manner of emotions as she gazed at