St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-03-09

1 Wv elAS ohJ Noo dOidLC Wlbu X
| For this she was rather grateful, as it
| lighted up the path before her. Reach
ing the opening some unknown force
| seemed to impel her forward. ard she
started to run. Hardly had she passed
the entrance when the light died out of
the sky; then the wind whiStled as If in
fiendiSh glee, and from her left came
| the sob and moan of the sea like
| the, .wailings of the damned in ever
lasting torment. Suddenly. shrill
| and clear above it all, now
rising, now falling. in weird cadence,
something filled the air and echoed
from the hills all about. That some
| thing sent the blood in on her heart and
numbed her limbs with a sickening
sensation. "Oh, Mother of Christ"
she shrieked, 1.-THE wrath of the
| Mo0res," and the now frantic
woman fled headlong through the
pass, and down the steep dsSS3,ivity
upon the other side. while from her
| lips Drc.ao, alternately, incoherent bits
orprayer and strange, wild mutterings
about the baby and JOhn-wOuld she
live toreach home and see them both
once more? For the uucanny cry she
| had heard up there above the sea was
the wall of the Banshee of the Moore
| family, that dread spirit whose sum-
mons had always been the death knell
| of the nearer.
| That night John Lovett was awakened
| from sound slumber by the mOurnful
| bowling OF his dog, Knowing that the
animal would not make alarm unneces-
| sarily, he arose, opened the door, and
| then started back with a cry of horror.
| What was that Withholding dripping
| thing that stared him through and
through? Before he could move it had
Ir.nI h rlNsxr avn
| of the arms, and voice, we'll known
but strangely altered, spoke his name
| historically.
He aroused his mother, who changed
Kate's soaked garments and prepared a
| hot drink for her, all the while re-
| preaching her for not having stayed all
night at Mrs. Delaney's, as she aud
| John thought she would do. AS soon as
| her dress was changed, Kate took the
| baby from the bed in the adjoining
room and, indifferent to everything else,
| sat mutely before the fire.
Suddenly the baby cried as if in pain.
''Kate, dear, you are hurting the little
| one," said John, and then with a quick
motion he snatched the half-smothered
boy from his mothers arms. Looking
at Kate, he noticed that the pupils of
her eyes were fearfully dilated, and
| there was drawn strained look on her
face. HAS anything happened?" he
asked anxlously.
The look of agony increased. Rates
| inward struggle was terrible. Which
| would be most merciful? To tell him
of what had happened, and thus pre-
pare him for the inevitable separation.
or to conceal it. AS his kindly face
bent over her and his fond eyes looked
| into hers. all her strength left her.
IOhp ;, a urildl,r hoard If
as came through the pass"
Heard what?' he answered, some
| what roughly.
And then there pealed from her lips
the unearthly cry that had RUG in
her fathers ears three nights before bis
death; that cry whose every note had
been beating ON her brain until she
| thought she must lose all reason.
As it ceased, Mrs. LOvett dropped the
cup she held in her hand and shrunk
covering in corner, while John tot
breath like a dying man. How happy
they had been, and nOw--it was all
| over. She was as surely lost to him as
if she always lay wrapped in her
shrOud. If it was only some other
danger that menaced, something that
the strong man could go out into the
night and grapple with, he might yet
save her, even by the sacrifice of his
own life.
But there was no such alternative;
that was beyond human power; one
sacrifice, and that only, would prOpiti-
ate it.
oh God! if he could only die in her
stead: aud then, half mad with grief.
he crept along to where his mother
crouched and asked her to give some
explanation for this horrible thing. Ex-
planation-what mOckary it sounded.
There was no explanation.
John" said his mother solemnly,
THAT never cries in vain.''
sis theke no escape?'' he cried; ''has
it never missed its vietim?"
"Never," she replied, unless to take
another"
"Ah, another" he said eagerly, but
his mother, reading his thoughts, killed
his last hope.
another of the same blood" she
said. You are no nearer to Kate than
am TO the queen.''
And so these three comforted them
selves as best they could with the con-
viction within them that the shadow of
the dark angel lowered about their
dwelling, and that the dread stroke
might fall at any moment.
Kate, exhausted with terror and
fatigue, had sunk int fitful slumber.
John took her tenderly in his arms and
laid her upon the bed in the next
room, and then ne advised his
mother to retire. Somehow or
other, after the first overwhelming fear
he had gathered hope, and kneeling. he
prayed long and fervently. Then
throwing himself across the threshold
of the chamber door. as if to shield with
his life the dear one within, he grad
ually dropped Off to sleep.
And then Con Regain. who had lain
unnUticed through all the past excite
ment, slowly rose and went to the chair
before the fire; the chair that she had
occupied. Leaning his elbows on,
his knees, and dropping his
face in his hands he sat mOtionless like
one in a dream. Only his God knew the
thoughts and mad regrets that surged
through his brain. When he rose his
haggard face was set in stern resolve.
Going to where John lay, he silently
pressed his hand and then started to the
door. Here he hesitated a moment, and
stepping swiftly back he entered the
room where Katie was sleeping.
For one moment be stood be-
side the bed, and then hastily
STOPPING, kissed her. Closing the outer
door behind him, he turned his face,
upon which the rain beat pitilessly. to
the sky and breathed, "Thank God, l
am of the same blood"
Next morning when the villagers
came out upon the sea wall to watch
the heaving swell they found Con Re
gan in the paSS-dead.