Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1890-01-17

echo of distant song. or the pulsing of
the summer air, thrilled the twilight ST.
lence.
"Don't you heart" she cried, in ter
ror. Come awayf
And, half in awe myself, as I looked
back at the gray rui ms, over which the
summer darkness was falling, l fol-
lowed her across the green copse,
through the moaning pine ridges and
up the low doorway of her little hut.
There was light within, and we could
see her daughter busy preparing our
evening meal.
The old woman sat down upon the
stone sill, and wiped the perspiratlon
from her brow.
We've run risk" she said; ''if
we'd ha' fingered another half hour,
'twould ha' been the last O us. No
one ever lives as once sees the bride.
One man was foolhardy enough to try
it long ago; he waited and watched to
see her come, and he was ne'er heard
of again"
'She must be terrible bride, then,
l answer ed, sitting down beside her;
won't you tell me about hcr9 Tell
me the story from beginning to end.
There is a story, isn't there?"
"Oh, yes; I've told it hundreds of
times in my day. Listen, and you
shall hear it. 1t all happened centuries
ago, when the old church yonder was
being built"
Then she continued: "a great gen.
tleman come across the sea from Eng
landlord Cuiross by name. He
lived in a great house down among the
hills below there, and had no end O
servants, and dishes o gold and silver
to eat out of, and fine carriages to ride
in; and his daughter was the grandest
lady in the whole country, and the
handsomest. She had skin like the
snow, and cheeks like primroses, and
eyes like stars, and she wore gowns o
the finest silk ever worn.
"Well, Lord Culross meant to marry
her to some great man who was to come
across from England; but the Lady
Diana--that was her name-what should
she do but fall in love with the head
architect, who was a. building the old
church down yonder.
"He was fine young fellow, but he
come o the people and WASH over rich,
and he daren't show himself at Lord
Culross's great house; so every evening
at twilight the Lady Diana she comes
down to the church to meet him, and
they walks up and down-talking o
their love, till the midnight stars were
a-shining overhead.
Lord Culross knows nothing about
it, and he sends to England for the fine
gentleman to come over and marry his
daughter. And he comes, and puts
glittering ring on Lady Diana's finger,
and the wedding day is fixed aud the
wedding finery a-making up-white
silks and satins and laces, such as never
was seen afore under the sun.
"And Lady Diana is afraid to say
word, but she goes on a-meeting her
lover. Every evening at twilight she
goes down to the church; and if he isn't
there the falls to singing in her soft,
sweet voice, and he hears her, and
comes, and they walk up and down to-
gcther.
''But at last the wedding-day comes,
and the wedding feast is cooked, and
all the grand wedding guests invited.
And the wedding finery is all in readi-
ness, and Lord Culross commands his
daughter to get ready for her marriage.
And she dare not disobey or open her
mouth to tell him word about the man
she loves. So she sits white and still,
like ghost, while they robe her in the
white silks and laces, and jewels, and
then they lead her down the great stair
case, and put her in the carriage, and
the grand wedding party drives down
to the new church. They are to be
married there--the very first marriage
before the new altar.
"a groom gallops ahead, to bid the
head. architect to have the bells in
readiness to ring for the wedding, and
he goes up on the dizzy steeple in
great hurry, to see for himself that al
is right. He has heard nothing of the
marriage, and has no dream tn at Lady
Culross is to be the bride.
But presently he looks down, just
as the grand party comes dashing up;
and he sees Lady Diana come walking
nm tn the stems all in her white silks