Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1890-06-19

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And Beatrice, her gray eyes fixed steadily
on the closing eyes beneath, whispered back,
50 that no other soul could hear except thedy
I'M, child:
Eyes, will come presently"
But Jane heard and understood
promise, said the child
"Yes, promise, answered Beatrice, in the
zane inaudible whisper. ''Sleep dear, sleep;
will join you very soon"
And the child looked up. shivered, smiled
and sleptl
Beatrice gave her back to the weeping par
ents and went her way what a splendid
creaturel" said the doctor to himself, as he
looked after her "She has eyes like Fate,
and the face of motherhood incarnate A
great woman, if ever | saw one but different
from other women
Meanwhile Beatrice made her way to old
Edwards boatshed As she expected, there
was nobody there, and nobody on the beach.
Old Edward and his son were at tea, with the
rest of Bryngelly. They would come back
after dark and lock up the boathouse.
She looked at the sea- There were no waves,
but the breeze freshened every minute, and
there was long low swell upon the water.
The rollers would be running beyond the
sDtiltT VI DhlHbdii AOiffts iift hbAttS ava
The tide was high; amounted to within ten
yards of the end of the boathouse. She opened
the door, and dragged out her canoe, closing
the door again after her The craft was light,
and She was strong for woman. Close TO
the boathouse one Of the timber breakwaters
which are common at seaside places ran down
INTO the water. She dragged the canoe TO its
side, and then pushed it down the beach TILL
q. ffszrr on
breakwater, she caught hold OF the little
,hain in the bow, and walking along the tim
Der balks pulled with all her force till the
canoe was quite afioat. On she went, drag
ying it after her, till the waves washing over
the breakwater wetted her shoes.
Then she brought the canoe quite close,
and, watching her opportunity, stepped into
it, nearly falling into the water as she did so.
But she recovered her balance and sat down.
In another minute she was padding out to
sea with all her strength
For twenty minutes or more she padded
increasingly Then she rested awhile, only
keeping the canoe head on TO the sea, which,
without being rough was running more and
more freshly. There, some miles away, was
the dark mass of Rumballs point She must
be off 1t before the night closed in. There
would be sea enough there; no such craft az
hers could live in il for five minutes, and the
tide was on the turn. Anything sinking in
those waters would be carried far away and
never come back TO the shores OF Wales.
She turned her head and looked 1t Bryn-
gelly and the long familiar stretch Of cliH.
How fair it seemed, bathed in the quiet lights
of summer afternoon Oh, was there any
afternoon where the child had gone, and
where she was following fastior was it all
night, black eternal night, unbroken by the
dream Of dear remenbe' fhingsi
There were the Dog Rocks where she had
stood ON that misty autumn day, and seen
the vision OF her coi.ined mothers face
Surely it was a presags of her fate There
beyond was the Bell Rock, where in that
same hour Godfrey and she had met, and
there behind him was the Amphtheatre.
where they had told th,ir love. Hank what
was that sound pe....Le. family at Intervals
across the deep! 1t was the great ships bell
that, stirred from time 10 time by the wash Of
tue high tide. solemnly tolled her passing soull
She padded on; the sound OF that death
knell shook her nerves, aud made her feel
faint and weak. Oh, it would have been
easier had she been as She was year ago; be-
fore she learned TO love, and, hand in hand,
had seen faith and hope rearise from the
depths OF her stirred soul Then, being but
heather, she could nave met her end with all
a heathen's strength, knowing what she lost,
and believing, too, that she would find but
sleep And now lt was otherwise, for in her
heart she did not believe that she was about
utterly to perish. What could the body live
on in a thousand forms. changed indeed, but
indestructible and immortal, while the spirit
ual part with all its hopes and loves and
fears, melted into nothingnessl Ii could not
be; surely on some new shore she should once
again greet her love And il it was not, how
would they meet her in that under world,
coming self murdered, her life blood on her
haudsi Would her mother turn away from
herl and tue little brother, whom she had
loved, would lac reject herl And what voice
Of doom might strike her into everlasting
hopelessnessl
But, be the sin what it might, yet would
she sin il for the sake o. Geotfrey-ay, even
il she must reap harvest Of eternal woe
She bent her head ami prayed. "oh, Power
that art above, from whom ! come, TO whom
go, have mercy on mel Oh, Spirit, II in
deed thy name is Love, weigh my love in thy
balance, and let it lift the scale of sin. Oh,
God OF Sacrifice, be not wroth at my deed OF
sacrifice, and give me pardon, give me life
and peace that IN time 10 come may win
the sight OF him for whom die.
A somewhat heathenish prayer, indeed,
and far too full of human passion for one
about to leave the human shores. But, then
we'll, it was Beatrice who prayed-Beatrice,
who could realize no heaven beyond the limits
of her passion. who still thought more Of
her love than OF saving her own soul alive.
Perhaps it found home-perhaps, like her
who prayed it, it was lost upon the pitiless
deep.
Then Beatrice prayed no more Short was
her time See, there sunk the sun in glory /;
and there the great rollers swept along past
the sullen, desolate headland, where the I'M
dertow met wind aud tide. She would think
no more of self-it was, 1t seemed to her, 50
small, this mendcant calling on the Unseen.
not for others, but for self; aid for self, well
being for self, salvation for self-this doing
of good that good might come to self. She
had made her prayer, and If She prayed again
it should be for Godfrey that he might pros
per and be happy; that he might forgive the
trouble her love had brought into his life. She
had prayed her prayer and said her say, and