Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1892-01-14

on rne fallen post by the sids, nalf con-
cealed from view by tall ciump Of will
low herb, waiting patiently for Netts's
coming. How he listened for that light
football. His heart was full, indeed. of
gall and bitterness. He loved her so dear
ly, and she had treated him so i'll. VINO
would ever have believed that Meta,
his Meta, would have thrown him over
like that for such ridiculous trihe?
Who, indeed? And least of all Netta
herself, sitting alone on the stile with
her pretty face bowed deep in her hands,
and her poor heart wondering how Ugh
tired, her Ughtred, could so easily de-
sert her.
In such strange ways is the feminine
variety of the human heart constructed.
To be sure, she had of course dismissed
him in the most peremptory fashion, de
claring with all the vows propriety per-
mits to the British maiden that sh,
needed no escort of any sort home, anl
| that she would ten Thousand times rather
go alone than have him accompany her.
But of course, also, she didn't mean
| it. What woman does? She counted
| upon a prompt and unconditional sur
render. Ughtred would go to the cor
ner, as in duty bound, and then come
back to her with profuse expressions of
penitence for the wrong he had never
! done, to make it all up again in the ortho-
! dox fashion. She never intended the real
| tragedy that was so soon to follow. She
was only playing with her victim-only
trying, womanlike, her power over
| Ughtred.
So she sat there still, and cried and
cried on, minute after minute, in an
ecstacy of misery, till the sunset began
to glow deeper red in the western sky
and the bell to ring the curfew in Holm
bury tower. Then it daw ned upon her
slowly, with shock of surprise, that
after all--incrediblel impossiblel- gh-
tired had positively taken her at her
word, and wasn't coming back at all
tonight to her.
At that, the usual womanly terror
seized upon her soul. Her heart turned
faint. This was too terrible. Great
heavens, what had she done? Had she
tried Ughtred too far, and had he really
gone? Was he never going to return to
her at all? Had he said goodby in earn
est to her forever and ever?
Terrified at the thought and weak
with crying, she rose and struggled
4 down the narrow footpath toward the
farther crossing. 1t was getting too late
now, and Netta by this time was really
frightened. She wished with all her
heart she hadn't sent away Ughtred-if
it were only for the tramps-a man is
such a comfort. And then there was
that dreadful dog at Milton court to
pass. And Ughtred was gone, and all
the world was desolate.
Thinking these things in tumult of
fear to herself, she staggered along the
J path, feeling tired at heart and POSITIVE
ly i'll with remorse and terror. The
color had faded now out of her pretty
red cheeks. Her eyes were dim and
J swollen with crying She was almost
half glad Ughtred couldn't see her just
then, she was such a fright with her
long spell of brooding. Even her bright
print dress and her straw hat with the
poppies in it couldn't redeem, she felt
J, sure, her pallor and her wretchedness.
But Ughtred was gone and the world
was a wilderness. And he would never
} come back, and the dog at Milton court
was so vicious.
As she walked or rather CROPPED her
way for she couldn't see for crying
down the path by the hedge, at every
step she grew fainter and fainter. Ugh.
tired was gone, the world was a blank
there were tramps and dogs, it was get
! ting dark, she loved him SO much, and
mamma would be so angry.
Turning over which thoughts with a
| whirling brain, for she was but girl
after all, she reached the little swing
gate that led to the railway, and pushed
it aside with vague, numbed hands, and
: stood gazing vacantly at the long curved
line in front Of her.
Suddenly noise rose sharp in the field
behind her. 1t was only colt, to be
sure, disturbed by her approach, dashine
wildly across his paddock, as is the way
with young horsefiesh. But to Meta il
came as an indefinite terror, magnifed
ten thousand fold by her excited feelings
She made a frenzied dash for the other
side of the railway What it was she
knew not, but it was, or might be, any
thing, everything bulls, drunken
men, footpads, vagabonds, murderers.
Oh, how could Ughtred ever have
taken her at her word, and left her like
this, alone, and in the evening? 1t was
cruel, it was wicked of him; she hated
to be disloyal, and yet she felt in her
heart it was almost unmanly.
As she rushed along wildly at the TOP
of her speed her little foot caught on the
first rail. Before she knew what had
happened she had fallen with her body
right across the line. Faint and terrified
already with thousand vague alarms,
the sudden shock stunned and disabled
her. Mad bull or drunken man, they
might do as they liked now. She was
bruised and shaken. She had no thought
left to rise or recover herself. Her eyes
closed heavily. She lost consciousness
at once. It was terrible position. She
had tainted on the line, with the force OF
the situation.
CHAPTER IL.