The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1891-12-25

night, Cousin Margaret" she said, coming
into the drawing room after luncheon.
"Oh, how happy ami am 80 happy that
feel as if something were going to hap
peni But suppose" she added. "that it
is only because don't deserve himl He is
so great and good and fine and noble
and"- And then. with her hands clasped
above her head. she was OF all alone By
herself, swimming down the room in /.
waltz to the tune of her own caroline.
And suddenly strong arm had stolen
around her, a hand had grasped one of
hers, and Hayden Roth, who had been
shown in by the butler, was waltzing down
the room with her.
Then all at once she sprang after some-
thing that rolled away, and cried in
piercing voice: "Oh, Margaret my ringl
my ringl 1t is broken-it has come off
the stone is gonel Oh, what am to
do? Oh, it was his mother'sP' she cried,
forgetting all about Haydon's presence.
HE said it was sacred. mustn't tell
him; he will think l took no care of
it. And l was dancingl' And she was
moving everything, looking everywhere,
searching in vain for the stone and the
broken fragment CT the fragile setting
with it.
1T is Of no use," thought Margaret. 81
won't have the child suffer so for the few
hundred dollars another stone would cost"
And she came down and handed the broken
ring to Hayden Roth, asking him to leave
it at the jewelers. and have it repaired, and
the stone replaced at any price before the
next noon.
Rose descended dressed for the opera
when her lover came that night. There
was time only for Gordon to note singu.
lar agitation and heightened color about
her, while she wept and laughed at the
music in half hysterical way, and trem-
bled as he handed her up the steps at last.
"Oh," she said, Nesting moment in his
embrace as they parted in the din dining
room, nothing could ever let you leave of
loving me7"
"No- power in all the universe" he an
swered her.
Il shall have to tell him tomorrow"
said Rose tearfully after he had gone
'Oh, tomorrow we may find it," said
Cousin Margaret, "aud afford to laugh
about the whole thing"
A half hour afterward, as her maid was
taking down the great coils of hair, some
thing bright as any star was seen to hang
fixed in the meshes. 1t was the diamond
chat her rapid turn of hand and wrist had
torn away from its slight stem of gold
after it had caught in her hair.
"Yes," said Cousin Margaret, 1--WE can
tell the whole story tomorrow, and shall
have a diamond TO spare. You didn't
know l had sent the ring to the jewelers.,
did your"
And tomorrow Gordon Penmore met
Hayden Roth drawing on his glove over
an obstructing ring upon his little finger.
"Where did you come across that ring,
may ask?" he exclaimed, pausing directly
in front of the other.
And moved by that spirit of mischief,
Hayden answered: ''It belongs to lady
with whom l was dancing yesterday after
noon. LIDO not like to take liberties with
names; it is enough that it was given to
me by lady,"
In another moment he would have ex-
planned his poor jest, but Gordon, his face
as white as ashes. had merely bowed and
passed on.
She had danced with another man and
against his wishes, and she had given away
his mothers ring. He left that town that
night without word. Rose waited for
him-waited one year, waited half score
If he were dead, her heart was in the grave
with him, and whether he were dead or
not she could not know.
y =
1t was wintry night in one of those
islands that are the outposts of our north
ern coast, where person still young, still
beautiful, but with strange still sadness
in her beauty, who had CHANGED upon the
place in its summer radiance of smiling
seas, had come again to make home the
year round, to teach the children of the
fishermen and to live the life Of Sister of
Charity among the dweilers in the fishing
huts, half driftwood and half primal rock
She had her dead Cousin Margaret's for
tune, and she spent it, with her own, on
these people, but she gave them more than
money, for she gave them all herself, read
ing to those that could follow, talking to
those that would listen, working with
them and for them, and finding her only
cheer and consolation 30.
1t was the last night Of the year. A
group of the young girls had come down
to Roses cottage to bring her their gifts OF
shells and seaweeds and were lingering
there, when suddenly in one of the awe
struck silences came the sharp report and
rolling echo of gun.
In moment men were running to the
boats, the women thronging to the shore;
the young girls and children, and Rose
with them, were building bonfire on the
cliffs. Dimly could be discerned on dis
tant reef the dark outline of huge steam
ship that had struck the reef with tre-
mendous force, had broken in two, and
with a frightfui rapidity was settling to
her fate. With ropes about them the fish
ers waded and swan out; thrown back
breathless, once again venturing; at length