Wichita eagle., 1888-04-15

unsynpathetic eyes to witness.
He himself had taken loves fever slightly,
even in youth, and never had maiden tbrobbed
with such delirious ecstasy for the self re-
pressed, Puritanical man as thrilled his
daughter now, and showed in every line of
the yielding figure clasped in Ralph's young
arms
The sight shocked the old farmer terribly.
Not so should modest maiden be wooed by
even the worthiest; and this lad, truly, is
none OF the best, and like as not means no
good by the lass. That thought maddens the
old man. He knows so little OF his own girl,
with all his love for her, that be can couple
SO coarse g thought with one whose nature is
pure as the sunlight though as warm.
He knows himself quite as little probably,
for he mistakes the passionate resentment lie
feels entirely for virtuous Indignation, though
it is more a great deal mere jealous fury.
The worst sting OF al, TO him at the mo-
ment is that the girl is SO happy. She hes
forgotten kindergarten all his troubles, his
loneliness, and his years OF love and care at
the bidding OK this stranger lad!
His voice shakes with emotion, and he
stamps his foot as his words reach Maggy,
startled ear
J
hussy! To think / should have seen my lass
take I'D with one no better nor lazy loon.
Nay. nay; not a word can never trust
We MAR, We deceitful BARN! Get We gone,
Palph Irwin, and never dare to darken an
honest mans door again, ye son Of jail
Bird. Never so long as | live shall We take
my lass in your arms again"
Ralph tried % speak; but the farmer, tax
I. IL. -l,, e,...l
her into the house and slammed the door in
the poor lads face.
Ralph turned away with a heavy heart.
Aaron Wilkinson had stabbed him cruelty.
His fathers brief imprisonment was ever
O ranking wound in the memory of one hon
orable, brave. and fearless as could be the in
heritor Of even the most unSullied name.
H.
The next week or two passed very YEARLY
to Maggy.
Her father was sterner and more unap-
proackable than ever, for his heart ached
with love and care and anxious thought
He had nothing left but his child, and now
another had come between them.
Youth Graves for youth to love again; and
are thirsts for the devotion it cannot win:
and Nature must have Ter way, be the pain
nc'er so great: while at the end of all the
great darl1 shadow waits TO lay its cold fin
gers on every murmuring lip and whisper
silence.
The weather was wet and the girl
could get no excuse to meet her lover,
and escape hey fathers watchful eyes, and
the light faded from her wistful face.
The old man sighed when he saw it. He
L. h. cp1t ba vantp1 hpr
to find her happiness in living for him alone;
and the exacting love he bore her could be
satisfied with nothing less.
The rent day came at last and the farmer
set off alone TO the place appointed
lie had 10 walk, for the old gray mare had
been sold to help to meet that days need
and even his faithful dog was left behind at
home.
Maggy stood gazing after the thin worn
figure regretfully.
4 great dumb pity was in her heart.
She knew all his care, all the bitter humilia-
ton lie felt in prospect Of tue ordeal he had to
go through.
She loved him, poor child; would fain have
taken the poor gray head in her hands, and
kissed the thin stern lips before he left had
she dared; but the barrier that had been
raised between them kept her at distance.
She could not, would not; give up her
love to please him; and, alas! no smaller
sacrifice would content his eXacting nature.
The day wore on YEARLY. She would not
take advantage of his absence to meet with
Ralph.
To her high intuitive sense of honor it
would have seemed mean to do so, when her
father WAS suffering so deeply and had SO
much to bear.
She wandered restlessly from kitchen to
parlor as the lonely hours passed.
The morning had been sunshlny and warm
but toward noon heavy, ominous looking
black clouds rolled up from the west, and ere
long all was dark overhead.
The blackneSs deepened, and a strange op-
preston was on all things, and an appalling
stiffness in the air.
The animals drew near the homestead, as if
from fear; and the desolate girl felt awed
and nervous.
Ere the afternoon was over the darkness
was deep as night; then the storm burst.
Great flashes of fire Illuminated at intervals
all the plain. Purple and blue and crimson,
they flooded the earth with awful radiance,
then suddenly in blazing hieroglyphics darted
across the darkened sky as though some Ii
tanic finger wrote some word of doom upon
the blackened scroll, and the wild fierce
thunder caught the meaning and echoed the
mystic language from side to side of the re-
sounding valley.
Then the clouds broke, and the rain fell in
tremendous torrents, washing past the door
way in food, and binding the girl when
she tried to pierce the darkness for sign of
her fathers approach,
Again and again she looked in vain, and,
coming back, built up the fire and drew his
chair nearer the kindly blaze.
Yet be came not.
As the hours passed Maggy grew strangely
anxious.
The fury of the storm was over, but the
rain continued % fall heavily
She could hear the roar of the brawling
stream that fed the lake, and the moan of the
wind across the plain; but no sound of foot
step nor human voice cheered her anxious
ear
Her father was not wont to linger.
She glanced OF the clock uneasily, and q
great terror seized her and . great remorse
Why, oh why, had she let him go unrecon-
ciled! She might never see him morel
Once again she opened the door and listened
iDtently
1t was night now, and the darkness of it
had succeeded that of the storm.
The rain still fell, and she could hear even
yet no sound but the rush of the rivulets il
had made, and ever, ever the roar of the
stream her father had to cross; the noise of it
beat upon her brain with q sense Of absolute
physical pain.
As she stood looking out into the night, the
light from the brightly Ilumined kitchen
shining behind her, suddenly she started back,
for there was strange, weird SOUND in the
air above her, and rush Us of some winged
creature.