St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-08-12

casting long shadows from the maple
trees, and marking broad shafts of red
through the dust which filled the air,
when across the ray which fell in a
broad space between the two trees be-
hind me came shadow. l turned in
some surprise, and saw before me a
Young man in whom | recognized one OF
the Northern guests.
'sCan You tell me, my little man." he
said, resting his hand on my shoulder
who that lady is?'
'sThat is Miss Mary" 1 answered,
''but she must not be spoken to now."
"And why?" he asked.
because she is alone with her dead"
I replied, for she used to say those
words to me when would want to help
her in her work. mo, dear" she
would say, sit is my own work, and l
would rather be left alone with my
dead"
AT this, with look of sadness and
pity on his face, he stepped softly past
me and walked across the lawn to
where she was sitting, with the soft
light of the setting sun touching her
golden hair and Illuminating her sweet,
fair face.
She did hot see him until he spoke to
her; and then, with quick glance, she
half rose, but sank down again and
bowed her head.
could hear him speaking rapidly as
he bent over her, but she only held her
head against the railing and would not
look up. | saw him take her hand,
and, raising her up, look into her face.
Then she broke down, and, resting her
head on his shoulder, cried as ii her
heart would break.
And q ctnOd with hic arms around
her, sadly, but with the happiest eX-
preston OH his face, somehow, L felt as
if ali was well, so | went down to them
and softly touched her hand.
At my touch she raised her head
from his shoulder, and oh, such sweet
smile she gave me. Then turning to
him, she said:
This is my little sweetheart, Paul.
Are you jealous?"
He laughed, and then bent over and
kissed her, and she stopped and kissed
me. And so we walked home together
she between us, and he holding one
hand and the other.
The wedding was held at the old
home place, and all the school was
invited. In her plain white dress she
looked as pure and unsullied as a.
flower. and never had | seen her face so
U6dulllul. L HG LldC6S VI luC lOdj . VI
care were there, but the contrast only
heightened the effect.
And after the ceremony was over, and
she had told us all goodbye, she bent
over and kissed me, saying, with tears
in her eyes: "But | love you best, my
little knight, and will remember you
always"
But this was all many years ago, and
] love to hear of her, more matronly
now, and bearing on her face the SYM
pathetic touches of a mothers love, as
she moves III the world which surrounds
her, and making it brighter to those
across whose pathway her life lines
have fallen.
The graves on the slope are still green
in the spring, and every Memorial day,
as the years run on their course, when
the crowd. which is less reverent and
more noisy now than of old, has
celebrated the day with speeches
and salvos of guns, and has fol-
lowed the band back to the city
of the living, now a city indeed, L
love to watch the same hands, still deft
and nimble, train the vines up the shaft
which has supplanted the small head
stones, the setting sun still falls with
its alchemic light on her hair, now
streaked with gray, as she prays to the
same God who sustained her through
her years of sorrow, to bring her at last,
with her loved ones. to the same goal of
all her earthly hopes, whittier the spirit
of those over whose graves she bent
her head have preceded her.
And by her side, as she bends her
head in prayer, stands one who bears
her name, and on whose face her old
expression rests. In that resemblance
lies for me the realization Of one, at
least,of my childhood's sweetest dreams.
MAX HALIFAX.