Milford chronicle., 1888-02-03

den parting Of the lips. Hayward ex
claimed In subdued triumph, See there
/ told your but Jordan shook his head
1T is only muscular; she does moi
breathe"
The sun seemed to rise more slowly
than usual over the Round Top and Old
Foggy and Mount Moriah on that still,
hot October morning Then, instead OF
darting long CLEANS of radiance into the
recesses Of Red Cliff and Rattlesnake Val
ley and the Raven Rocks, and lighting
the steep slopes Of the hills into blaze
OF splendid color, it hung, great red
ball, in the purple vapor over Old Foggy.
A girl, carrying pail Of water up a
steep hillside road, paused to rest upon a
stone at the roadside and fan herself with
her sunbonnet. A horseman on q fine
chestnut mare, with a silver gray name
and tafl, drew rein to ask:
"Can you tell me, my girl, the shortest
way to the Raven Rocksy'
She told him in the vernacular Of the
hill and with much redundancy, Gnd he
deduced: "Then I follow this road and
then up, until take trail through the
woods to the left, on the farther side Of
the next hillt''
"Ya-as, that's the wa-ay-ah," drawled
the girl.
"And how far is itY''
Il reckon ez the road runs, hits about
five miles.
Hayward dropped his bride to put his
right hand into his pocket, and the mare,
taking advantage of the liberty, stepped
forward and plunged her nose into the
pail Of water.
"Hellor' cried her master, ruefully,
jerking her back. IF you will wait till
We get to the spring, You shall have some
water, Jett. Here, my girl" and he
threw her a silver dollar. She threw
back her calico sunbonnet and turned a
pale face with scarlet cheeks and flashing
gray eyes TO him.
whats thet fer, mister2' she said,
angrily.
"For your trouble and kindness, and
the mischief my horse has done,n replied
the man watching her curiously.
"Thet amt wuth no dollar, and talk
aud water is both cheap in these yer hills, "
and she put it into his loose side pocket.
finding that his hand would not receive it.
"Then / shall bring you another pail Of
water for you look sick, and it is Il long
hill" So saying, he dismOunted and took
dusty road and scrambled down the hill
As lie rounded the curve by the bowldera
sudden memory flashed into his face. Il
thought she looked familiar, but she has
changed so much, :" he said. Well, / am
glad for Johns sake. But / thought she
was gone that day sure, especially after
she had revived, and the laundering doc
tor gave her that dose. 1t was a wonder. -
Returning, he found that she had fol-
lowed him to take tho pail She was
looking at tho spot where she was picking
up her split blackberries on that July
morning when the riders came down the
hill
do you know If jordan went over to
the Raven Rocks this mo-ning?'' he
asked, giving her the pail at the top of
the hill
"Ya-as; he's powerful sot up over them
bird trucks an leaves an sich in the
rocks. Hes wrote to heap Of folks that
he knows to come an sec 'em an make
pictures of 'em, but 1 dunno what use
there is"
''Thank you. I am going over myself
to see them. lie considers them a valu-
able discovery. Good morning." And
lifting his hat to her, he rode gnyly OF
The girl stood looking after him, the
color quite gone from her face again.
''IIe thinks dunno him, - she uttered, as
she picked up her pail and went on, print
Ing her bare feet in the dust.
The sun rose high in the soft, purple
haze, thin, silvery mist folded itself
away from the valleys as the sunshine
came down; a cool, fragrant breath came
up from ferny glcns and dripping rock.
The clear whistle Of the quail echoed
from crag on crag, and the rustling sheen
IF gorgeous color on the slope as fringed |
by the somber green Of the henllocks upon |
The tops Of the hills.
There had been long drought, and the |
autumn came early this year, but came |
with such pomp and splendor that even !
.hc dull eyes of the hill people were lifted |
10 the hills in their glory. There were |
soft, pure clouds furling and unfurling |
heir snowy folds over Mount Moriah to 1
he southward, but after q time the blue |
laze grew denser and Yeiled them from |
light. It crept down the valleys and |
jettled in impenetrable thickness, until |
Hank GhormleY, looking from his door,
'emarkcd to his wife:
Il reckon them hills along the creek is
i burnin' yet. They was a peddler come
'lOng the road last night said they'd been
| burnin' fur n week, and the fire wuz a
yittin' down to the creek farms an doini
! heap of hurt"
"IIit smells closeter N that, " remarked
his daughter Nancy, raising her fine gray
yes to the top of Mount Moriah.
Then she, too, went to the door and
ooked long and searchingly. Her keen
yes were trained to measuring distance
md to piercing wells of vapor When she
al nnfcboI I,av. c,4,.,-,.- f,,,.,,oI
Hit is closeter. Hits the t'tother side
f Moriah, and it's comm this way like
IL possessed" ."
"A Lord have mercy-weu alp
''No, no; it can't cross the creek and
ne plowed ground. Their hain't no dan
,er for we 'uns, but there's them ez will
ufer, and white anguish settled over
Ter delicate face-still pale from Ler long
llness.
Jordan and Hayward were sitting in
he dark recess Of the Raven Rocks.
hey had examined critically the rich dis
overy of geological history, but their
cientific interest being satisfied they
Tere drifting into another channel of
ak. The last three months had passed
turning point in the life of each.
1t had impressed Jordan with deep
AtAuolu9AA AoA HIS WoIh-- pcIudllS u lllOQ- l
rnized type of the martyred spirit which
as led in all ages to self immolation upon
acrificial altars. The great throbbing
TOrld held nothing now which could lure
i'm from his rocky hills And in the ST. !
mt majesty of the great eternal rocks !
Hayward was touched by the sublimity of
he day and place, until he told his story
18th brief pathos to his friend.
1T is lie to say am not hurt and
ont care, for do care, and it hurts de-
dedly, You see it the first time in my
fe that l have been well enough fixed in
usiness to think OF such a thing, and
'as in dead earnest, and she knew it from
le first. She couldn't help knowing
ou wouldn't believe that girl with an
lgels face and the simplicity of a child
,uld be so full Of vanity and treachery as
} make a jest Of mans highest feelings.
lie is as heartless as stone; she has no
inception Of feeling. don't mean
Thy, what on earthg'