The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-08-02
CHAPTER XIV.
At the brooke Home.

dentially, the girl leaped from the buggy,
the horse started with fright, dashed
down the road and over the hill. killing
himself and crippling his master, but
why providence should have panther
leap upon a defenseless woman, throw
her over the steep, craggy wall of rocks
and wound her in a like manner, is
more than human ken can penetrate.
Perhaps it was to bring the beast within
reach of its slayers, and thus prevent
its further depreciation that it had been
committing in their fiocks.
The benefit of these providential
things is only seen in their translation.
The death of his fine horse, of course,
had very strange moral effect, as the
minister said on Sunday, 1T was a
severe blow to vanity" A stiff-kneed,
old farm horse could not. would not.
have dashed over the cliff and been
killed, but then, when we come to think
of it, the girl had she not jumped,
would have been dashed over the cliff
and would have been morally dead. So
after all. the good men concluded that
providence had to have fast horse
right there to kill himself and wreck
fast man. The good minister explained,
too. how providential 1t was that one
of their converts, that they had inn
mersed in the Recovered water, had
died from lung fever from cold taken
at IDaL time, Tor In all
judging from the number of times he
had "backslidden," and fallen FROM
grace" he would have been back to the
world next summer and probably have
died in his sins, as a scourge of typhoid
fever had decimated the whole region
round about at that time.
Carl Brandons faithful companion
proved to be as magnanimous in soul as
she was virtuous in heart. She was as
forgiving and patient as that purest
personification of unselfishness.
The Divine Gallileean, when on the
cross, raised his kind, sad eyes to
heaven and in a voice that will be
echoed and reechoed as long as the
waves of the sea wash the shore.
Father. forgive them, they know not
what they do So thought Sparkle
Brooke. That terrible. deceitful, inhu-
man man was daily crucifying her on
the cross of her own admiration, and
yet she could truly say, 81 forgive you,
you know not what you do
Alas, if we always knew the end from
the beginning, how different would our
lives be ordered.
Though like Caesars wife, Sparkle
Brooke was above Suspicion" yet her
was the bright sun and the refreshing
showers that grew such a great crop Of
weeds. Could she cultivate them until
they would bear flowers. or would they
be but nettles, where the kissing snakes
would sting the loving virgin to death?
Carl Brandon had no relatives, no
friends, nor had he made acquaintance
in Cedar Dell, excepting one, who would
care for him. If he was taken to the
clearinghouse Sparkle could be there
always, and without her she felt he
would not recover.
There are times in the hours of af-
Fiction when the loving word Of some
lii Itch f,,~
the sufferer than all the medicine and
all the wisdom of doctors. The soul
being the fountain of all life, receives
its portion direct from the fountain of
all love.
Taking the whole situation into con-
sense that belongs to the sensitive and
logical nature of a woman. Sparkle de-
cided that Carl Brandon should be
taken to her mothers house, and
there she would nurse him back to life.
if that could be done, and if not, she
would gently soothe him back into the
dreamless sleep that awaits the night
less dawn. She directed the men to take
him there: he, more dead than alive,
neither spoke nor understood. Upon
the arrival at the house the mother was
quite willing that the crippled man
should have home there until he re-
covered, or was buried, and bent every
energy to make him as comfortable as
possible. Had the mother known all
how differently she would nave acted.
We are all like Turks cropping under a
veil, neither sees the face of the other
nor knows his intentions.
When at rest in a good bed and re-
ceiving every attention from the very
one whose utter and hopeless ruin he
had sought, he realized what it meant
by "heaping Goals of fire upon an enc
my's head" AS he lay there, day after
doubling whether he would see another
sun rise or set. now racked by excruci-
ating pains, now depressed by that
worse than pain, a pang of conscience.
Sinking into the hopeless gloom and
melancholy that visits all suffering from
severe wounds and again dragged TO the
verge of insanity, and again tortured
into grief and wearied out of patience,
and all the while that smiling, beauti-
full angel, the bright wings of whose
soul he had tried to stain, came and
went, at all hours of the day and all
hours of the night helpful and cheerful,
anticipating every want and soothing
all the anguish. thus continuously heap
ing more Goals of fire upon his head.
At times his grief, when Sparkle was
not present, would become convulsive,
and again he would be so vexed at
himself he poured curses and impreca-
ton upon himself and many times
thought he could endure his suffering
much better and with less complaint if
Sparkle Brooke had turned her back
upon him and resorted in every posi-
BILE way to resent the wrongs offered
her, then he would regret less deeply
any of his acts; but for her to come to
him continuously with some kindness,
day after day. almost unconscious that
he was the worst enemy that she or
any other girl could have on earth, was
beyond human endurance
He observed also as the days wore on
that she was rapidly showing the eff
feet of care and worry. The rosy
cheeks had paled and faded, that full
voluptuous life that had dubbed over
like a fountain and flowed like a river
was wearied and failing. Those bright
eyes, that cleaned and burned like arc
tic stars, with a ceaseless Joy of living
fire. grew languid and heavy. Though
he had never seen tears in her eyes,
her tell-tale face said she cried often
Several times when he had attempted
some explanation and apology for his
acts, she would gently lay her hand
upon his mouth and hush him by say
ing, do not worry; ii is all right now"
Those whom we love we always for
give When woman's heart is filed
with kindness there is no room or even
remembrance in il of one wrong. Once
when he attempted to upbraid himself,
she said:
mo, tits l who is the cause of this,
and L have fretted and cried end prayed
that you would forgive me. 1t was
who frightened your horse, had l not
forgotten that the greatest power al
woman had. that honesty of her own
heart, by which / could have silenced
the flame of your own destruction"
Looking steadily at the face of the