Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-09-19

during those hours when he is free to come
and 60 about the village think he won-
ders at nv persistent friendship, sometimes,
but he says nothing, and is not even disa-
greeable TO me. So l share his pleasures,
if they are pleasures, expecting every day
20 see him run across the Colonel in the
tavern or on the green; but he never does,
perhaps because the Colonel is always with
her now, and we are not nor are ever likely
10 be again.
Do / understand her, or do L understand
Orrin, or do 1 even understand myself?
No but understand my duty, and that is
enough, though it is sometimes hard to do
it, and I would rather be where 1 could
forget, instead of being where L am forced
continually TO remember
Am always with Orrin when he is not at
work or asleep? 1 begin to doubt it. There
are times when there is such change in
him that feel sure he has been near her, or
a. least seen her, but where or how, 1 do not
know snd cannot even suspect. He never
speaks of her, not now, but he watches the
house rising slowly in the forest, as if he
would lay a spell upon it. Not that he Wis
it's it by daylight, or mingles with the men
who are busy laying stone upon stone; no,
10, he goes to it at night, goes when the
moon and stars alone shed light upon its
growing proportions; and standing before it,
seems to count each stone which has been
added through the day. as if he were reck-
oning up the months yet remaining to him
of life and happiness.
never speak to him during these expe-
ditions go with him because he does not
forbid me to do so, but we never exchange
q word till we have left the forest behind
us and stand again within the village
streets. If did speak / might learn some
thing of what is going on in his bitter and
burning heart, but never have the cour-
age to do so, perhaps because 1 had rather
not know what he plans or purposes.
She is not as daintily rounded as she was
once Her cheek is thinner, and there is a
tremulous move to her lip l never saw in
it in the old cOquettish days. Is she not
happy in her betrothal, or are her fears of
Orrin greater than her confidence in me? 1t
must be the latter, for Colonel Schuyler is
a lover in a thousand, and scarcely day
passes without some new evidence of his
passionate devotion. She ought to be happy,
If she is not, and l am sure there is not an
other woman in town but would feel herself
the most favored of her sex if she had the
hsff Of Juhet's prospects before her. But
Juliet was ever wayward; and simply be-
cause she ought to increase in beauty and
joy, she pales and pines and gets delicate,
and makes tn. hearts Of her lovers grow mad
with fear and logging.
Where have beer? What have seen,
and what do tn: events of this night por-
Tend? As Or-1n and myself were returning
from our usual visit to the house in the
woods-it is well up now, and its huge
empty square looms weirdly enough in the
moonlighted forest-we came out upon the
churchyard in front OF the meeting house.
and Orrin said:
You may come with HE or not, do not
care: but l am going in among these graves
] feel like holding companionship with dead
people tonight -
Then so do 1, - said l, for 1 was not de-
ceived by his words. 1t was not to hold
companionship with the dead, but with the
living, that he chose to linger there The
churchyard is in direct line with her house,
and, sitting on the meeting house steps one
can get very good view of the windows of
her room.
Every well," he sighed, and disdained to
say more.
As for myself, 1 felt too keenly the weird
ness OF the whole situation to do more than
Jean my back against tree and wait till his
fancy wesried OF the moonlight and silence.
The stones about us glooming darkly
through the night, were not the most cheer
1ul of companions, and when YOU add to this
the soughing of the willows and the flicker
ing shadows which rose and fell over the
face of the meeting house as the branches
moved in the wind, you can understand WHY
1 rather regretted the hitherto gloomy
enough hour we were accustomed to spend
in the forest.
But Orrin seemed to regret nothing. He
had seated himself where l knew he would,
on the steps of the meeting house, and was
gazing, with chin sunk in his two hands,
down the street where Juliet dwelt 1 do
not think he expected anything TO happen;
! think he was only reckless and sick with
a longing he had not the power to repress,
and ! watched him as long as / could for nv
own inner sickness and longing, and when
l could watch no longer i turned to the
gnolEish grayestones that were 10 more
motionless or silent than he
Suddenly I felt myself shiver and start,
and, turning, behcId him standing erect, a
black shadow against the moonlighted wall
behind him. He was still gazing down the
street, but no longer in apathetic despair
but with quivering emotion visible in everv
line of his trembling form. Reaching his
side, looked where he looked, and saw
JUliet-it must have been Juliet to arouse
him so-standing with some companion
at the gate in the wall that opens
upon the street The next moment she and
the person with her stepped into the street,
and, almost before we realized it, they be-
gan 70 move toward US, as if drawn by
some power in Orrin or myself, straight to
this abode Of death and cold moonbeams.
1t was net late, but the streets were
otherwise deserted, and we four seemed to
be alone in the whole world Breathing
with Orrin and almost clasping his hand in
my oneness with him, / watched and watched
the gliding approach of the two lovers,
and knew not whether TO be startled or sat
ished when l saw them cross to the church
yaru aud enter where We had entered our
selves so snort a time before For us all TO
meet, and meet there, seemed suddenly
strangely natural and / hardly knew what |
OrTia meant when he grasped me forcibly |
by the arm and drew me aside into the |
darkest CT the dark shadows which lay in |
the churcEyard's faTthest corner.
Not until l perceived Juliet and the |
Colonel halt IN the moonlight did 1 realize |
that we were nothing to them, and that it |
vEs not our influence but some purpose or |
passion Of their own which had led them to |
TINS grewsone spot.
The place where thev had chosen to pause |
was at :he grave Of old Patience GOODYEAR
and fccT the corner where we stood we |
could see their faces plainly as they turned |
and looked at each other with the moon
beaI-s pouring over them. Was it fancy |
that made her look like wrath. and he like |
some handsome demon given to haunting |
Or was it only the sternness
cf his air, aad the shrinking timidity of |
hsrs which made him look so dark and she |
SO paid.
Orrin, who stood so close to me that 1 |
could hear his heart beat as loudly as nv |