Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1892-06-29

ing his whole formidable length IN des-
perate effort 20 capture the ''siry fairy"
thing. By the help of Hugh and his
father the restless boat was steadied
long enough to secure two of the love-
ly lilies and the vocabulary of the
Northerners was exhausted in excla-
nations of delight.
Tom Ringgold, pushing his boat
close to the trees, succeeded in gath
ering not only number of the spider
lilies, but also great punches of blue
irises and scarlet cardinals.
Eve received them with a scream of
delight and soon called in her most
gleeful torres:
"look at meI'
With her slender form half buried
in ferns and branches of magnolias,
her dark curly head encircled by gar
lands of cardinal blooms, with the
Spider lily cleaning star OF pearl
on her pretty forehead, her fingers
clasping against the pale pink dress a
spray of FAINT blue irIses, her eyes,
like wells of deep blue fire, bubblIng
with roguish laughter, she was indeed
a picture well worthy the time and
place.
"What exquisite artistic sense that
child possesses" said Mrs. Gsaeme.
''Is she an elf on an Undine?"
All eyes were fixed on this image OF
mirth and beauty behind them, when
Tom Ringgold's brown face suddenly
turned a Rhastly white; and as quick as
light he seized Eve, lifted her high in
his arms, and with lips curled from the
shining teeth as if in agony, leaped
with her into the river.
'ls the boy mad?" exclaimed Mr..
Hillson, as Hugh sprang to the rescue
OF his little sister, and taking her from
the relaxing arms of Tom RinggoId,
handed, her, dripping from the brown
waters of the Ocklawaha and pale from
fright but otherwise unframed, to the
keeping of his father.
In the excitement of the moment,
Grace was the one to call attention to
poor Tom, who lay quiet in a tangle of
reeds and water plants. Pushing to-
ward him the boat, they lifted into it
his senseless form.
The slender white maiden drew
with gentle touch the helpless
head, regardless of its ugly color, on her
snowy lap, and pointed to the little
boat floating near them. What did
they see? In tie midst of the beauti-
ful ferns and flowers, lay the deadly
moccasin. All was now clear. The
snake had fallen into the boat from an
ov rhanging tree, and TOm, careless
of self, intent only on saving his little
playmate, had, as was seen, snatched
her from her perilous position.
The boat was quickly overturned,
throwing into the sparkling waters its
treasures of life and death, and taking
the oar, Peter followed with 1t, the
now saddened pleasure party back to
their home.
Tom remained unconscious, and al
though, strange to say, no evidence of
a snakebite could be found on his
person, he never spoke again.
In a few days his sturdy form and un-
face were hidden from sight
in a quiet burying ground on the bank
of the Ocklawaha.
In some of those blessed hours when
Earth and Heaven stand silent, hand in
hand, tho the perfumed air is yet
pulsing with memories of the last song
OF the music-mal mocking- bird, Grace
ana little Eve sit in sisterly commun-
ion. And they talk of the wondrous
Hereafter and the holy angels; but
ever and always the eyes of the fHirest
angel,-the sweetest singer nearest
the Throne. are blue and bright and
sunny, like those of their dead hero,
Tom Ringgold.