Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1888-05-24

use VI HUME snDHll come TINS serpent
Shame, 10 writhe about me, neither thou
nor | could escape its sting" She heard
and knew his resolve was taken. Her lips
grew cold and tremulous. and lay still and
u~nresponsive beneath his kiss. Carl"
she whispered, presently, when do you
leave met' Tomorrow he said:
"To-morrOwl' She echoed his words az
IL they measured the whole span Of re-
manning life.
All through that summer night they sat
together hand in hand. Seldom they spoke.
and then but of the trifes Of the minute; Of
the midnight stiffness or the morning hill.
They kept such vigil as wife and husband
might keep beside the cofiincd form Of a
hrst-born child. Something new had come
into life rather than something gone out OF
it. Their cup was fuller by one bitter drop,
and all the draught was saddcr aud swceter
for the fulness.
At dawn they parted, and for ever. There
came a time when letters ceased, when
days and weeks Of nxiou waiting would
have rendered any news acceptable. But
Carl disappeared utterly and left no trace,
For long she lived on the hope that he
might come back when the prisons
opened their doors. The war ended.
life began to flow back into the old
long dried channels, but word OF Carl
there was none. \ slow and subtle
change began to be wrought in Kate. by
disappointment. She who had loved all
things, came TO hate with bitter hate the
very name of the South. That name was 10
her the name OF the murderess who had
slain her love. The turbulence of m un-
quiet spirit made the oldcn divine whis-
perings less and less audible. God seemed
remote; prayer. the useless wall Of a neg
iected child. So passed nearly fifteen
years. Aunt Ruth died and Kate lived on
alone with the old servant whose conncc-
ton with the household a~ntedated her earli-
est recollection. II was toward the close Of
this period that Kate Wilton became
attracted to Spiritism. \ stranger had be-
come resident in the village and with all the
zeal of "A ~propagandist she had sowu the
seeds of her ism" in every promising
soil. To Kate the possibility of hearing a
voice from beyond, above all his voice.
was enough 10 stir her nature to its depths.
She became an easy convert, and was the
hrst member OF the growing circle that
held its weekly gatherings AZ the houses Of
those who befriended the new doctrine and
its disciples. Many messages came to her.
and, In time, these left her altogether IN
different to the loss OF the Quieter voices
E N"a oN'A NNl W hfaE ait ntNt. she
experienced strange extremes Of feeling
Now she would be in ecstasy az the thought
of Carl's %aearness; again the nearness.
would seem a. hooking. as unreal, as intan-
glble' as tho materialixed form she some.
times gazed ON. But an idea was slowly
taking form in her mind. She had
80 longed To stand by his grave. 20 b. able
70 raise some memorial BETTING her love.
Here was something real and definite to
seek and work for. Why might not these
spirit power guide her in a quest for his
resting place. Tbs burden Of all her aues-
tons Of the oracle grew 10 ur. sTelI me
where they have lain him" At last. an
answer seemed to come back which. with
out being definite. a. she desired. gave her
assurance that, when she stood by her
lovers grave, she should grow conscious
OF the nearness of the precious dust whose
shrine she sought. 80 IL came 10 pass that
in her thirty fourth year. she turned her
race To the Ian Of the people she
loathed and wen on "a pilgrimage 20 seek the
sepulcher Of the man she loved. AT the
first a strange excitement filed her. She
felt as II she was going to keep an appointed
tryst with her over. But. in time. her ex
itement wore away her step grew heavier
and her frame more langutd, in those long
months OF pilgrimage. Many an eye fol
lowed her furtively, as she walked among
the graves that rolled like sea pillows
ABOUT her. Many a sympathetic wish hoy
cred, uurecognized, above her, as she
stopped 10 lay a handful Of flowers on some
unnamed grave. From place To place she
lourneyed seeking the sign that never
came. She grew nervous; sleep aud anne
tlte failed her, but not her courage. She
was IN Virginia now, and took the train at
length 10 come TO fredericksburg. The
spring was here; the air was full Of il.
She vaguely wondered il it was this
that gave her such a feeling Of ~languor and
made her so drowsy Occasionally, as she
Iited her heavy lid she became conscious
OF the watehfnl gaze Of a pair of keen,
dark eyes. She wondered vaguely II any
thing was amiss In her attire to attract at
%tention, and lapsed again into drowslness.
the nush OF fever deepening on her cheek.
Presently the conductor passed through
the car, and the owner OF the dark ewes.
who was also the owner OF an empty sleeve.
touched his arm and engaged him in a
whispered conversation, which, from their
Chances, concerned the sleeping lady. In
a moment or two the conductor took the
vacant seat at her side, aud, after address
mgh her twice without response, shook her
her arm gently, with the result only
OF causing her to open. for q moment, eyes
that seemed already too duh for seeing.
Another whispered conversation with the
dark-eyed gentleman, whom the conductor
courteously addressed as Colonel. and a lit
Tie later, when the train stopped at Holly
springs, Colonel and conductor together
half led and half lifted the fevered trav-
eler from the train. into a waiting carriage
winch presently rolled away into the Gasx