Nevada County picayune. (Prescott, Nev. County, Ark.) 1885-1???, 1891-06-04


gone away again. He may only b'
hungry. God help the poor Great
ures-they are that often enough
only they are such demons that one
feels like saying, Serves them right!
Perhaps if white men"
There was nothing more, not an
other word, so the letter ended
Genie was terrified at first, hut the
letter was enclosed in an envelope
directed in Ralph's well-known hand
and she could but fancy it mistake
of some sort. However, as time went
on her anxiety increased. No other
letter followed this. Vainly she
wrote, there was no answer. Mean
while the family had hidden a paper
from her. in which was given a full
description of foul Indian massa-
ere in ''Lonely Village Twenty
bodies, mutlated and unrecogniza-
BILE, had been buried when the SOL
diers at last put the redskins to
| flight.
At last Gene wrote to an old cler-
gyman of whom she knew, who,
though he did not reside at Lonely
Village, sometimes preached there.
The answer that came confirmed
her worst fears. Lonely Village, the
old man wrote, was no more, those
residents who had not been murder
ed had moved away.
Ralph Meredith had been seen in
the thick of the fight. A girl, one
of the widows daughters, the only
one living Of her family, had told
him that Ralph had asked her, if she
escaped, to post a letter she would
find upon his table; she had done
so.
A garment, marked with Ralph's S
name, had been found on one of the
mutilated bodies, and so, with kind
and pious words, the letter ended.
When she actually realized that
Ralph was dead, lost to her forever,
Genie felt that all happiness was gone
from her life.
She thought at first that she should
not live, but grief rarely kills the
young. After awhile she began to
90 about little, still dressed in the
mourning she wore for Ralph, and
one day she put bunch of violets
in her belt, and in two years she left
her black off altogether. Time has
healing power, say what we will,
and Ben Brander began to follow
Genie Bell about again. He was a
handsome fellow, and had a charm
about him.
At first she was very cold to him,
but in time he changed all that. She
could never love him as she had
loved Ralph, she knew; it was he
whom she hoped to meet in heaven.
But she might have years to live !;
her friends besought her to take the
good that was offered.
After awhile she had began to feel
that it would be best to marry Ben, ,
and so she said Eyes" to him one
day, and their wcdding-day was set.
From that day Bcr was happy and
she was wretched. Her conscience
reproached her. She did not dare to
look at the little photograph of her
lost lover which she kept in her
room and had hitherto kissed every
morning and every night. Its eyes
seemed to reproach her.
Il have been false to him." she
repeated. False, falsel false !"
But she had not the courage to
break her promise with Ben, and so
the day before that of the wedding
day came.
BY this time Genie's conflict with
her emotions had become too dread
full to endure and she had formed a
terrible resolution.
1t was that she would not marry
Ben Brander, but would join her on
~ true love in the other world, She
had procured some poison, at once
fatal and painless, and it was her IN
tention to 90 to the old fountain in
the forest, swallow the poison, pledge
her faith to Ralph in life or in death
in draught from the ''lover's cup,
and then lie down to sleep the sleep
that knows no waking. Then all
would be over no one would blame
her, and she believed that heaven
would forgive her.
You must not come this even.
ing" she said gravely to Ben Bran
der. II cannot see you If you do. >
TOO busy with the fal-lahs and
fxtures?" he said. "Very well, I'll