Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-10-16

| 1 thought I knew the answer-ny arm
| ceased aching as listened.
] 'You do not know herr"
| 'Don't ], really"
"No; you have Lever seen her. sae is 9
! cousin OF my Own"
The pain came throbbing back into my
arm, and darted farther hot and sharp, in
my side. 1 locked at him. He met nv
| gaze with 4 conscious smile, which means
J but one thing in the world. The blood came
J rushing 10 my head. turning me dizzy.
81 do not know herr"
] eyes"
''You only want her?"
"Oniy her..
Again that smile which meant so much
maddened me. L had halted dead; / felt
him pulling at my belt to indace me to
move on.
Leave me alone, cried, struggling TO
free myself. Let me 20. How dare you
touch me, don't want you to save me.
would rather die. Let me go"
As he but held me the closer for nv
struggles, / lost all attempt at self-control;
l wrenched Violently at his restraining
hand, wrenehing myself free.
He made grasp at nv skirt, which
leaped aside to avoid; for the second time
that day MY foot slipped; for the second
rock beneath nothing between me and the
raging sea-nothing between the furious
waves and me.
When L struggled painfully back to Q
painful existence found myself in an un-
known room. Many davs passed before I
had strength to feel interest in the past,
present or future. I lay passive, lulled
into quieseence by the narcotics given me
by the doctor, who haunted my bedside at
this period. But the dreamy indiffererce
was not to last; gradually my faculties re-
awakened. my powers of suffering and
thought returned. L was considered equal
to hear what must be told me, and so the
story was told.
My mother broke the sad part of tina. tale
slowly and CONSIDERABLY to me. But
whether one is lowered gently into the arms
of sorrow Or flung hurriedly thither, pain
wears the same grim aspect face to face.
IT seemed that at the same moment az
fell into the sea the fishermen of whom I
had heard came in sight. They saw me
tall-saw the great wave which engulfed
ME as fell, saw Mr.. Close spring after me,
saw him grasp me by the hair, saw us rolled
over and over in a surging breaker. Saw Q
second wave break upon US and wash us to
their very feet. They caught me by the
skirt and pulled me out upon the rock in
sensible and, so far as they knew, dead.
was saved, but nv comrade, strong AZ
he was, could make no headway in that
wild sea. He was dashed again and again
against the crags, so that when they found
his body some time later in a creek beyond
the bay he was so bruised and hurt, so
torn and battered as to be hardly recognize
able.
THIS was the story they broke to me and
to which L listened. 1t was the kind OF
story which goes drumming on in your ears,
always telling, never told. It drags in all
the hours and days OF life to swell its full
ness. L have not finished hearing it, and
nv hair is grav The winds whisper il in
every storm, and the birds sing it. 1t 10
always near, so that cannot forget.
She has forgotten, that cousin of his. she
wore widows weeds and made a great to-do;
and then she married, and is very happy,
SO 1 hear, and very prosperous.
My sisters, too, are married. see them
but seldom. They are no pleasanter -
matrons than as girls. No one has e1er
wished to marry me. So i have lite to
interest me, and nv memory does not fail.
/ live alone, quite alone, save tor nv SER
want and NV parrot. My neighbors say
chat polly and are the most cross-grained
old people in the parish. This may be
true. tor ] know nothing of the people.
Ther don't conc my way. and certainly
don't wish that they should.
have grown thin, wrinkled and bent
In the winter | feel the cold. have had
more to do with iempers than hearts in my
day; aud tcmpers are cold comfort on the
road downwards after all. ] wear iadsd
neckiie around my neck. The color wss
washed out Of u years aud years ago; but 10
clings together still. II will last out my
time, no doubt. hope II may, for :, 10 tk
only Bit OF warmth feel--sometinsea
lrnE ESp.l