The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1886-02-27

tive town, who had never used {
weapon but his tongue. And now his
Ruth, the beloved and only child left
to his exiled age, had told her love fol
Ezra Winthrop's son They had been
boy and girl, pretty maiden and bright
STRIPPING together, without the Squire
suspecting-he could not even now
conceive clearly SO wild thing as
their affection The confession burned
IN his heart like veritable fire-a raging
anguish of mingled loathing and love.
He stood now gazing at Ruth, dumbly
his hands Clenched, head sometimes
mechanically quivering, anger, hate,
love, grief, tumultous in his soul.
Ruth glanced up-her father seemed
about to speak-she bowed again,
shuddering as though the coming
words might kill Still there was sill
ence-a long silence. Bedell stood
motlonless, poised, breathing hard
the silence oppressed the sirl-each
moment her terror increased-expec-
tant attention became suffering that
demanded his voice-and still was sill
enCe-save for the dull roar OF Ma
CARA, that more and more pervaded the
air. The torture of waiting for the
words-a curse against her, she feared
-overbore Ruth's endurance. She
looked up again suddenly, and John
Bedell saw in hers the beloved eyes OF
his dead wife, shrinking with intolerable
fear. He groaned heavily, flung up his
hands despairingly and strobe out to-
ward the river.
How crafty smooth the green Ma
CARA sweeps toward the plunge be-
meath that perpetual white cloud above
the Falls From Bedell's clearing, be-
low Navy Island, he could see the
swaying and rolling of the mist, ever
rushing up to expand and ovelhang
The terrible stream had a profound
fascination for him, with its racing ed
dies eating at the shore, its long weeds
visible through the clear water, trailing
close down to the bottom; its inexor-
able, eternal onward pouring. Because
it was SO mighty and SO threatening his
stern soul rejoiced grimly in the awful
river. To float, watching cracks and
| lodges of its fiat bOttom-rOCk drift
quickly upward; to bend to his oa.s
only when white crests of the rapids
yelled for his life, to win escape by
sheer strength from points SO low down
that he sometimes doubted but the
greedy forces had been tempted too
long to stake his life, watching tree
tops for a sign that he could yet save
it, was the dreadful pastime by which
Bedell sometimes quelled passionate
promptings to revenge his exile. "The
Falls is bound to get the Squire some
day said the banlshed settlers. But
the 'Squire's skift' was clean built as a
pickercl and his old arms iron strong.
Now when he had gone forth from the
beloved child, who seemed to him SO
traitorous to his love and all loyalty, he
went instinctively to spend his passion
upon the river.
Ruth Bedell, gazing at the loaded
rifle, shuddered. Her filial love seemed
to have died with those threats. Hel
fears were deep, but she had not told
ALL George Winthrop himself, having
made his way secretly through the
forest from Lake Ontario, had given
her his own letter asking leave from the
Squire to visit his newly made cabin
| From the moment of arrival her lover
had implored her to fly with him. But
fllial love was strong in Ruth to give
hope that her father would yield to the
yet stronger affection freshened in hel
heart Believing their union might be
permitted, she had pledged herself tc
escape with her lover if it were for
hidden. Now he waited by the hick
DRY wood for signal to conceal HIM
self or come forward.
When Ruth saw her father far dowr
the river she stepped to the flagstaff he
had raised before building the cabin
his first duty being to hoist the Unior
Jack. 1t was the largest flag he coulc
procure he could see it flying def
antly all day long at night he coult
hear its glorious folds whipping in the
wind ; the old Loyalist loved to fancy
his foemen cursing at it from the othel
side, nearly three miles away. Ruth
hauled the flag down little, then raj
it up to the masthead again.
At that q tall young fellow cam,
springing into the clearing, jumpins
exultantly over brush heaps and ret
trunks, his queue waggling, his eye
bright-glad under his three
hat. Toying that her father had yielded
he ran forward till he saw Ruth's tears
"What, sweetheart , crying? 1t wa
the signal to come on, cried he.
"Yes, to see you sooner, George
Father is out yonder. But no, he vii
never, never consent.
Then you vii! come with me, love,
he said, taking her hands.
"No, no, dare not" sobbed Ruth
Father would overtake us. He swear
to shoot you on sight Go, George
Escape while you can Oh, if he SHOULD
find you here -
"But, darling love, we need not fear
We can escape easily. | know tn
forest path. But''-then he though
how weak her pace-''we might eros
here before he could come up - erie,