Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1888-02-24

and she pushed the bed clothes against her
mouth to prevent the sound of it penetrating
tn, partition walls and reaching John Niel's
ears, for his room was next to hers. Even in
the midst Of her suffering the thought Of the
irony Of the thing forced itself into her mind.
There, separated from her only by few
inches of lath and plaster and some four or
five feet Of space. was the man for whom she
mourned thus, and yet he was as ignorant of
it as though he were thousands of miles away
Sometimes, at such acute crises in our lives,
the limitations Of our physical nature do
strike US in this sort Of way. It is strange to
be so near and yet so far, and it brings the
absolute and utter loneliness of every created
being home to mind in q manner that is
forcible and at times almost terrible. John
Mel going composedly to sleep, his mind
happy with the recollection of those two right
and left shots, and jess lying on her bed, six
feet away, and sobbing out her stormy heart
over him, are after all but types Of what is
continually going on in this remarka-
BILE world. How often do we understand one
another's grief! and, when VIC do, by what
standard can we measure it, More especially
is comprehension rare if we happen to be the
original cause Of the trouble. Do We think
of the feelings of the beetles it is our painful
duty to crush into nothingnessl Not at all.
If We have any compunctions, they are
quickly absorbed in the pride Of our capture
And more often still, as in the present case,
we set our foot upon the poor victim by pure
accident OF venal carelessness.
Suffering. mental suffering, is q prerogative
Of greatness and even here there lies an ex-
quisite joy at its core. For everything has its
compensations. Nerves such as these can
thrill with high happiness that will sweep
unfelt over the mass of men. Thus he who is
stricken with grief at the sight of the worlds
misery-as all great and good men must be
is at times lifted up with joy by catching some
faint CLEAN Of the almighty purpose that
underlies it ALL So it was with the Son of
Man in his darkest hours; the spirit that
enabled him to compass out the measure OF
the worlds suffering and sin enabled him also,
knowing ther purposes, to gaze beyond them
and thus it is, too, with those deep hearted
children of his race, who partake, however
dimly. of his divinity.
And SO, even in this hour of her darkest
bitterness and grief, CLEAN of comfort strug
gled to jess breast just as the first ray OF
dawn was struggling through tho stormy
night. She would sacrifice herself to her
sister-that she had determined on: and hence
came that cold CLEAN of happiness, for there
Is happiness in self sacrifice, whatever the
cynical may say. At first her woman's nature
had risen in rebellion against the thought
Why should she throw her life away! She
had as good right to him as Bessie, and she
knew that by the strength Of her own hand
she could hold him against Bessie in all her
beauty, however far things had gone between
them; and she believed, as a jealous woman
is prone to do, that they had gone much
farther than they had.
But by and by her better self rose up and
mastered the promptings Of her heart Bessie
loved him, and Bessie was weaker than she
and less suited to bear pain, and she had
sworn to her dying mother-for Bessie had
been her mothers darling-to promote her
happiness, and, come what would, to comfort
and protect her by every means in her power.
1t was wide oath, and she was only q child
when she took it, but it bound her conscience
none the less, and surely it covered this Be
sides, she dearly loved her-far, far more than
she loved herself. No, Bessie should have her
lover, and she should never know what it had
cost her to give him up; and as for herself,
well, she must go away like wounded buck,
and hide till she got well-or died.
She laughed drear little laugh, and went
and brushed her hair just as the broad lights
Of the dawn came streaming across the misty
veldt But she did not look at her face again
In the glass; she cared no more about it now,
Then she threw herself down to sleep the
sleep OF utter exhaustion before it was time
to 60 out again and face tho world and her
new sorrow. .
Poor jess! loves young dream had not
overshadowed her for long. 1t had tarried
just three hours. But it had left other
dreams behind.
"Uncle, said jess that morning to old Silas
Croft as he stood by the kraal gate, where he
had been counting out the sheep-an opera
ton requiring great quickness Of eye, and on
the accurate performance Of which he greatly
prided himself.
"Yes, yes, my dear, know what you are
going to say. 1t was very neatly done; it
isn't everybody who can count out COO run.
ming, hungry sheep without mistake But,
then, oughtnt to say too much, for you see
/ have been at it for fifty years, in the Old
Colony and here. Now, many a man would
get fifty sheep wrong. There's Mel now
"Uncle," said she, wincing a little ut the
name, as a horse with a sore back winces at
the touch Of the saddle. ut wasn't about the
sheep that was going to speak to YOU l
want you to do me favorn
"A favorl Why, God bless the girl, how
pale You look!-not but what you are always
pale. Well. what Is it nowl"
u want to 60 up to Pretoria by the post
cart that leaves Wakkerstroom to.mor-
row afternoon, and to stop for o couple Of
months with my schoolfellow Jane Neville.
have often promised to 60, and have never
gone"
"Well, / never" said the old man. INV
stay at homo jess wanting to 20 away, and
without Bessie, tool What is the matter
with yous"
II want a change, uncle, do, indeed. /
hope you won't thwart me in this"
Her uncle looked at her steadily with his
keen, gray eyes.
"Humph!" he said, you want to 20 away,
and there's an end of it. Best not ask too
many questions where maid il concerned.
Very well, my dear. 60 il You like, though
shall miss you"
"Thank you. uncle" she said, and kissed
him, and then turned and went
Old Croft took of his broad hat and pol-
Hsned his bald head with a red pocket hand
kerchief
"Theres something up with that girl" he
said aloud to a lizard that had crcpt out Of
the crevices OF the stone wall to bask in the
sun. u am not such a fool as I look, and
say that there is something wrong with her.
She is odder than ever" and be hit viciously
at the lizard with his stick, whereon It
promptly bolted into its crack, returning
presently to see il the irate ''humann had de-
parted.
However" he soliloquized, as he made his
way up to the house, Il am glad that it was
not Bessie couldn't bear, at my time Of
life, to part with Bessie even for a couple of
months"
To Cor unued.