Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1890-04-03

L
the same young ladys favor.
The strife had been q friendly one
however, until she dismissed Blethen
and the younger one named Masters,
retaining Clarkson, who was fully ter
years her senior.
This of course made the rejected
suitors furious, inasmuch as they fully
believed that Clarkson had played some
sort of "game" to curry favor.
To tell the truth, Blethen, have
always thought you had the inside track
there" Masters said frankly, "but ]
did not mean to yield ill had to; any
way l faucied she almost disliked
! Cl.rkson."
Rolf shook his head gloomily, it was
a matter that he could not talk about.
His love for Pansy Moore was some
thing more than boyish passion, it
was his very life. In his eyes she had
been almost perfection, her one failing
being propensity to firt; but then she
was so young, gay and pretty, and such
q belle.
He had thought that she secretly
favored him.
In less than fortnight after their
dismissal, Paul Masters was found one
morning lying beside the railroad track
with bullet hole in his brain. A few
feet away an ivory handled pocket
knife with Rolfs name inscribed on the
handle, was found.
1t had been o Christmas gift from
Masters himself only the winter before.
Somebody and finally dozen peo-
ple-remGmbered seeing the young men
walking together in that direction Just
before dark. OF course Blethen was
arrested at once, and when his room,
over his uncle's carriage shop, was
searched, several articles spattered
with blood and dust we're found.
Clarksun, too, remembered of having
heard them In loud, angry converse
tiotl evrorol times vf late, aud oOmoIIvw
the rumor spread that they had been
won't to quarrel over their rivalry in re-
gard to Pansy Moore.
Rolfs uncle-who was hard, mar
row-minded man-was one of the first
to forsake him, probably to insure
against any appeal from the youth for
bail or help. But he need not have
feared. Rolf asked no one for bail.
Il am innocent of this crime" he
protested. why, Paul Masters was
my dearest friend"
SO much the worse" cried the ex-
cited populace.
Clarkson offered.to go his bail, but
Rolf refused him, and awaited his trial
in the county Jail.
The result of the trial we already
know. 1t seemed to Ralf that all the
faces that had smiled on him for the
last three years united in one great
leer.
The majority believed him guilty and
tered t Il what the minority
thought, or whether he really was
or not?
After searching the ea of faces for
one and not finding it, he sat in quiet,
Indifferent hopelessne's IS till the end.
She, OF course, believed him guilty,
and had gone with the est Clarkson
alone seemed to really stand by him,
and gave his testimony against him
grudgingly. But he eau afford to-"
thought Ralf bitterly.
He had not look ed on Pansy Moore's
face again until this Easter morn in the
prison CHAPEL. No wonder he was as
tonished at his dream and this message
on the card; no wonder that he wept.
A year passed and he had known no
other ray of light, but he had never
grown quite hopeless again.
Wretched, miserable he was, but
there was ever the remembrance of the
dream, and that little card, soiled and
broken by continual handling and ca
ressing, but still bearing the magic in
scription.
Again they sat in chapel, again the
wheezy old organ ratified off under the
unskillful touch OF the warden's
daughters fingers; but Ralf Blethen
was wide awake and watchful. All
the year he had hoped that she
would come again, hard as it really was
for him to be treated as criminal by
the only woman he loved, and she the
affianced, probably the wife ere this, Of
another. She did not come, however,
and at the end of another year Rail
Blethen had settled down to utter de-
spair and bitterness.
His doggedness made him unpopular
even with his companions, but he did
not care; he was an innocent man aud
would not associate with criminals
though he must company with them a.
long as lie lived.
This Easter morning he walked with
the rest in his usual listless. taciturr
manner.
All unheeded by him the services
proceeded until at the close OF the ser
mon there was a movement at the door,
and quiet, elderly woman, entered
and distributed cards to each.
There was terrible feeling in Ralf'
soul as. taking his ungraciously from he
hand, he waited for her face to b'
turned away and then tore il in pieces
After dinner he lay down and tried Il
sleep. He was a little ashamed o
what he had done, and his mood wa
softened.
II only he could dream that beauti
full dream again
He finally fell asleep, but wa
awakened by the jailers Key in ih'
ponderous lock.