Griggs courier., 1888-08-31

was q narrow DeGcn OF land stretching be-
tween the hills and the tide-lands, and there
beside the brook she had gathered early
spring violets since childhood If she
walked quickly she could easily get there
and back again before the night had closed
down.
TO reach the place she had to pass through
the business portion of the town. Walking
| swiftly along. looking to neither right nor
| left, sh.. was surprised to have some one ac-
| cost her:
Miss Vanderpool"'
| 1t was John Ashton, whom she had not
seen since the day that she had found her
fathers name dishonored and herself beg
CARED and homeless He had asked her to
be his wife and she had refused. Was it
| because she had known him as poor boy,
| born in the lowest walks of society, while
| the Vanderpools had inherited the wealth
and high standing of many generationsi Or
was it because she elected to bear her
poverty and disgrace asc3s! She flushed
now as she recognized him,
zone minute" he said.
mot now. l can not watt" she insisted,
and he stepped back without word.
| What could he wish to see her fore She
remembered wRat he had said that time
"If you We're nch and honored should have
been too proud to address you" She had
resented the speech then. Recalling it now
she could not help admitting that 1t did
honor to John Ashton. She was thinking
of John Ashton the boy, the little ragged
| fellow who used to do chores about her
fathers house, picking up an education at
the public schools. devoting himself to her
! service on holidays, John Ashton the man
Was separate entity, and shc had never
trusted herself to analyze her impressions
of him. He was liked and trusted by all
men. and very probably admired BIZ women
She knew his errand to the place. He was
a celebrated engineer now. and had come
down to take charge of Il great project ior
reclalming the tide lands. People called .nc
enterprise ''the march of improvements "
bat Miss Nanderpool hated the march of
Improvement and did not care for benefits
to commerce, but liked best the wide stretch
of salt marshes with their rusty vegetation,
their black pools and fitting fogs. She
was coming to them now. for her path lay
along their border. and soon she was
beside them, and drew long breath, in
haling the fresh ocean air with it's briny
smell. She looked out to sea- where lumi-
nous glow along the horizon commemOrated
the going down of the sun, and sullen
clouds above presaged the gathering of a
storm. She hoped. with a feeling of pity
new 10 her, that it might be clear for an
hour or two on the morrow, that the burial
of the little child might not be made drear-
ier by clouded skies and driving rain.
Not far away on the marsh, surrounded by
broad pools which reflected the distant glow
in the sky, she saw the tall chimney of a
| steam derrick and low. barge-lke shape
that seemed to be anchored in the mud.
She did not give herself much time to specu-
l,<~ ysx.l%
little ahead she saw the tiny brook she
sought. But think a moment Was it the
right place2 She hesitated for an instant in
doubt and perplex1y. then looked quickly
about to determine her bearings by some
| familiar landmarks. There on the bluff
We're the square outlines of her old home,
| just visible against the sky, and there. off 10
| the right. far beyond, We're the harborlights
Just little further on, then sharp turn to
! the left, a climb up the rocks to the little
bench that lay between the bluffs and shore.
and she should find the flowers. She pressed
hurriedly on to gain the place before it
should be wholly dark. She knew way up
the bluffs, a steep and winding path, by
which she could gain the lighted upper
street when she was done. If only she
could once find the flowers. the dewy,
spring flowers. with their faint, sweet odor
and their fresh, sle!tering leaves! All
worldly thoughts seemed TO fall away from
her, the weight of disappointment and care
was lifted from her heart. and she felt like
an eager child, bent on her innocent quest.
But what was this-the solid ground Civ
ing way beneath her feet. every step taking
her deeper and deeper into Il bottomless
ooze her feet drawn down and held as if by
| leaden weights! This was not the way it
| used to be along the banks of the little
| brook. Ina moment the full horror of the
| situation flashed upon her. Deceived by the
light or rendered careless by her own wan
| dering thoughts, she had strayed further
from the town than She had supposed. and
what she had mistaken for the little brook
was really AL estuary of the sea. bordcred
by treacherous bogs, portion of the great
| waste of tide-land which the company were
| seeking to reclaim Quick and sharp came
other recollections. She remembered that
children had been lost there when at play
She remembered that every now and then
| some man or woman had mysterously dis
| appeared from sight and knowledge. and it
had been whispered about that they had
been last seen walking along the border of
the tide-lands. But these were people OF
| the lower classes, about whom the Wander
| pools had given themselves little concern
| She remembered now-ah how sharply i
| that she had read with il curling lip that por-
tion of the young engineers argument be
| fore the harbor commissioners. when he
was pleading for permission to 60 on with
his work. wherein he had advanced, as one
of his strongest pleas. that many lives
would be saved by the completion of the en-
terprise. And now she. Judith Vanderpool
the last Of her name. was about to- succumb
to this most unheroic destiny. 1t was bet
ter 50. She would have chosen this very
way of death, if she might She had been
tortured by one dread. over and over again
during these years of poverty and privation,
and she gave Il little hysterical laugh as she
| remembered it now. If she should have
broken down and died in the midst of her
unsuccessful struggle she had not the where
withal to buy her funeral shroud Now nc
| one would know, no one would care.
| .. the terror of it. Not death. Many
| were there who would know her and greet
! her gladly: father, mother brother: friends
of her childhood-the only friends she had
kept But that last thought. To drop out
and never be missed, to leave behind her
not a human being who would care Why
should she Srieve over it now: She had, of
her own will. separated herself from all
| IN irtnr no h,I r.,