Evening journal., 1892-09-08

-
But she is mostly thine"
"No, mol Not mostlyw answered the |
mother, with tender SMILE. "a little |
longer and thou modest not to be afraid
to trace whose child she is. But how
strangely beautiful she looks, with those
wild flowers in her HART 1t is aa if one
of the fairies, whom we left in our dear
old England, had decked her out TO
meet us"
1t was with q feeling which neither Of
them had ever before experienced that
they sat and watched Pearls slow adj
vance. In her was visible the tie that
united them. She had been offered TO
the world these seven years past as the
living hieroglyphic, in which was re-
vealcd the secret they so darkly sought
to hide-all written in this symbol-all
plainly manifcst-had there been q
prophet or magician skilled to read tho
character of flannel And Pearl was tho
oneness Of their being. BE the foregono
evil what it might how could they
doubt that their earthly lives and future
destinies were conjoined, when they be-
held at once the material union and the
spiritual idea in whom they met and
were 10 dwell Immortality together
Thoughts like these-and perhaps othsr
thoughts, which they did not acknovi-
edge or deiine-threw an awe about the
child as she came onward.
"Lot her see nothing strange-no pas
sion nor oagerness-in thy way Of ac-
costing her" whispered Hester. "Ou
Pearl is q ntful and fantastic little olf
sometimes. Especially, she is seldom
tolerant of emotion, when she docs not
fully comprehend the why and whore
fore. But the child hath strong aiiec-
tons! She loves me and will love theer
Thou canst not think, said the min
ister glancing aside at Hester Prynne.
chow my heart breads this interview
and yearns for i'll But in truth, as l al
ready told thee, children arc not readily
won 20 be familiar with me They will
not climb my knee, nor prattle in my
ear, nor answer TO my smile; but stand
apart and eye mo strangely Even lit
tie babes, when / take them in my arms.
weep bitterly. Yet Pearl twice in her
little lifetime hath been kind TO mel
The first time-thou knowest it we'll
/ ] LIE Atat WIS NlAfiA AAAAAA ANNAHN AA"A MANA
thee to the house OF youdor stern old
) governor
9 'And thou didst plead so bravely IN
} her behalf and mino" answered Tho
B mother. Il remember it, and so shall
= little Pearl. Fear nothingl She may
s DO strange and shy at first, but viii sooI
p learn to love thee!"
O By this time Pearl had reached tht
y margin Of the brook, and stood on th0
5 farther side, gazing silently at heste
q and the clergyman, who still sat to
gcther on the messy tree trunk, waiting
o. to receive her. Just where she hal
3. paused tho brook CHANGED TO form
+ pool, so smooth and quiet that it re
d Elected n perfect image of her little iig
" ure, with all the brilliant picturesque
@ ness Of her beauty, in its adonmont O
;. flowers and wreathed foliage, but NOR
4 refined and spiritualized than tho rcal
1. ity.
II This image, so nearly identical wit
5, the living Pearl, seemed to c0mmunicai
somewhat of its own shadOwy and il
Il tangible quality TO the child herself
was strange, the way in which Pea
EAUNAf AANAAAAa ~ hANAANAAttNAAN NA AAAN
- through the dim medium Of the forcl
n gloom; herself, meanwhile, all glorihe
.e with a ray OF sunshine that was attrac
It ed thitherward as by certain sympath.
d In the brook beneath stood anoth,
child-anothcr and the same-with Tx
,e wise its ray of golden light Hester fe
II herself, in some indistinct and tantalr
II ing manner, ostranged from Pearl; as
IA the child, in her lonely ramblo throug
20 tho forest, had aged out of the sphei
N inwhich she and her mother dwelt &
gethor, and was now vainly seeking
,e return TO it.
IL There was both truth and error in Il
II | impression; the child and mother wei
ostranged, but through Hester's faul
s. not PEARLS. Since the latter rambl,
* from her side another inmate had bee
sr admitted within the circle of the mot
ne er's feelings, and so modified tho aspo
Of them all that Pearl, the rcturniI
to wanderer, could not lind her wont'
e, place. and hardly knew where she was
zo 81 have a strange fancy" observed Il
n, sensitive minister, "that this brook
~ the boundary between two worlds, al
to thou canst never meet thy Pearl agai
IS Or is she an elfsh spirit, who, as q
q legends Of our childhood taught us,
Id forbidden TO cross q running streal
rs Pray hasten her, for this delay has
yh ready impaired a tremor TO my nerves
Come, dearest childw said Hester G
ss couragingly, and stretching out DO
k her arms. "IIow slow thou artl VIII
at hast thou been so sluggish before no
TO Here is q friend Of mine, who must
les thy friend also. Thou wilt have twi
he as much love henceforward as 4
as mother alone could give thee! lie
ut across the brook and come TO as. Tn
ne canst leap like a young deer"
Pearl, without responding in any ma
no ner to these honey sweet expressions,
le- manned on the other side of tho broC
no Now she fixed her bright, wild eyes
N her mother. now on the minister, a
in now included them both in the san
ID; glance, as if to detect and explain
use herself the relation which they bore
in- one another For some unaccountal
gs reason. as Arthur Dimmesdale felt {
. a. A.