Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1892-08-03

feet and approached the bed where her
mother lay. 1 have done what
could" eyes, was the reply; "every-
thing but the right thing. If You had
not been q sentimental fool you would
have done less, perhaps, but the one
thing you might have done would have
saved us all this. If you had
married one of the rich men who
would have taken you from your Uncle
Ned 8 house five years ago we would
erty, when he took it into his head to
make fool of himself and marry
child.''
"Ohl mother" she cried, "we did
not sink into poverty while 1 had my
voice; we were comfortable enough as
long as / could make living by sing
ing. And if we could only hang on a
| little my voice may come back"
"four voice may come backi Say
as well your thin face may round out
and lose its lines, the threads of grey
may leave your hair while you starve
and weep from morning to night" and
the sick woman turned her face wearily
to the wall. "Well, since you have
found that you are not q literary gen.
lus, what do You mean to do nextr she
queried after pause.
Grace was standing with her hands
idly clasped before her.
"Do" she cried. 81 don't know, L
don't know" Then suddenly she
burst forth
81 have done all / can; everything
but beg, and all ls of no avail. 1 shall
take my little story, it is not so very
/ h,H I al toll OH
| why can't 1 write onep-and / will go
to every editor in London and tell him
my tale. Surely some one will pity
mel If that fails, L must tell the pub
lie that you aud are starving, and beg
for their mercy. 1 shall insert para
graph in the Times, as others have
done before me, and l may find help
as others, too. have done. L shall say,
Grace Lambert and her mother are
starving, will no one help her?'
Mrs. Lambert's sole reply was a
mocking laugh, to which her daughter
made no answer; but putting on her
outdoor garments she left the room.
Mad resolution Poor Grace, en-
feebled by illness and want. had not
trudged to many of the offices where
she thought there was a chance of sell
ing her story, when she realized how
utterly unfeasible her scheme WAS.
She turned wearily to seek her home,
and with her heart and mind absorbed
In thought and pain did not realize
that she took q wrong turning in the
maze of streets.
She found herself tired and weary
on the Thames Embankment Just as the
moon WAS beginning to rise slowly,
and to shed its soft rays over the breast
of the quiet waters.
She threw herself on a seat and
watched the rippling moonbeams
dancing and shimmerinR on the river,
making q pathway of molten silver to
peace, she thought, with q stided cry
of anguish. Soon the temptation grew
too strong for her, as 1t has done for so
many before her-the temptation to
seek peace for evermore-and, turning
her head away, she buried her face on
the back of the form on which she was
sitting.
Her past life passed swiftly in review
before her-from the day on which she
parted with Austin Sorel, through sun
ny days of what seemed happiness to
her young mind, to days when suitors
sought her hand, and she realized that
she had no heart to give with it. She
seemed to hear her uncle's and her
mothers threats and reproaches, the
angry words that yet could not move
her now that she had realized what il
meant to love one man and become the
welded wife of another. Clearly there
rose up the day on which her uncle
had announ ced his intention of marry.
ing again, and her mother and she had
found thems elves without home. She
felt again the enthusiasm with which
she had prepared her only gift, hel
.. beautiful voice, to be the means oi
winning living for her mother and
herself. She felt once more her sue
ces ses, her triumphs; smiled even little
bitterly as there arose up before hel
some of the men she might have mar
ried-as she had beheld them again
, seated at concerts where she was sing
, ing, with women by their sides wht
! had not hesitated to take the place the!
! had offered-the position OF wife will
! no question of love, and who were con
! tent to adorn their mansions and veal
, their costly jewels. She did not regret
She never had regretted. She never
would. Not even as she sat there witt
all the misery of failure and hope
q lessness filing her heart, despai
a gnawing at its chords. Her voice ha'
), failed her, and probably she woul
: never recover it, and did not kno,
! where to turn for help. Her incl
= had refused to do anything for her
What could he do? He had sent he
|, a cheaue for fiO, but he could do n
:. more. He was q rich man certainly
: but he was in business, and having
young wife hoped to have faTuiiy.
So she sat half dreaming, all bu
dazed, leaning her tired head On thu
form, Watching the ripping waters
J, The moonbeams came down from tn
. heavens, and one by one they caresse
her hair, Ter hands, her white face ii
4 they made her look young and Lowell
again. They made a ripping pathwa
of molten silver from her to the dar
!, river. Did they IN their infinite pit
" want to render death easy and tempt
ing for her? They danced over he
faded blue grey gown till they made
simmer like the finest silk with tn
. gloveless hand clasping the little whit
packet lying on its sheeny folds lik
= dead marble.
- Then they danced across the com
. monplace street till they made a silve
y pathway to her before the eyes of
= man who was walking along swift.
. He raised his head as they danced an
sb1mmered before him, and he followe
their weaving with his sad eyes.
: He stood still They danced an
= wove like wiil-o'-the-w wisps till Austi
~ Sorel wondered if he were-a-dreamin
10 when he beheld the girl he love
y wearing the blue sslimmering bal
gown, for whose sake she had cast h
heart asidel
y Do such things happen in the:
30 30 common-pla .fn-de-siecte days? Di
Is 70 the moonbeams know as they dance
u and wove that they were weaving
?, pathway of molten silver from one trr
70 heart to another, forging Loves tin
10 chain of shining gold that when it one