The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1893-05-04
MY L0RENA.
By Mary Kyle Dallas.

Hdu seen IOfela. IL was very nara u
r. believe it. 1 had but to close my eyes
n we sat together Oh the bench that
encircled the old oak tree again, her
head upon my shoulder, my arm about
her waist.
Up in the sky the moon slone, and
the light filtered down through the
leaves and touched her milk-white
hands, and the lace upon her muslin
F%iecvcs- kissed her cheek or her brow
or her soft, fair ha1r. Lorena was SO
sweet so lovely
Blu were her eyes as the fairy flax,
Her cheek like the dawn Of day
Lengfellow describes her better than
! could, though the 'Skipper's Little
Daughter was Il child, and Lorena was
seventeen. My LOrena [ had called her
then-mine.
And yet, IN the day when news came
from Fort Crimson, telling Of ghost
dances and threatened uprising amongst
the Indians, | went away without a
gOOd-by from LOrena.
we had had a Qlarrel-the cause: a
KISS Lorena had given a cousin.
she declared that a cousin was like a
brother, that h had always kissed
Tom. and always would. l said that
she should not. Had I not seen Tom
Allison's a when he took the kiss?
But h would not promise never to
give him her lips again, and had de-
clared that 1 ought to apologize, and
that must not come to see her until
did.
> VIhnv, 41o@ 1:,>,+1J, r -a,sI11o1
a hurried note:
go: You know the Indians may scalp
me. I have only four hours to stay
here"
II | had sent it by Mrs. Fleets boy,
telling him to wait for an answer. I
saw him run away in the right direc-
ton. He was a willing little fellow.
Besides, [ had paid him we'll to make
haste. But he brought no nsWer back.
And so ] rode out to the fort with all
aching heart. LOrena did not write tc
me. She sent me no message. 1t was
months before | came to Bluff Village
again. had been wounded and had
been cry neal to death. And then ]
heard that LOrena was married to Tom
Allison. and away with him ''some.
where in the Eastern states. where
A'i pCOpAC IlFt, IcI SEduuulOJlcl
told me. And the old lady predicted
that they would not be happy. and
could not see why Lorena married aim.
COUSIN though he is, we know nothing
at all about him." she said. "And now
he has separated us, and the house is
K IL desert" The poor old soul was
very unhappy, and, soon died, whitening
away us the aged sometimes do when
the young desert them.
L seldom went to Bluff Village in
those days, and after Il time I resigned
from the army.
Business interests took me to New
York. and l spoke of that city as my
home-but what real home had I?
'ved at Il fine hotel. I knew plenty of
people. | met lovely women-many far
more regularly beautiful than Lorena,
nut lone whose charms touched nv
heart. Parted us we We're, her pres
pnce had not flown; she seemed ALWAYS
near me.
Nearer than ever. somehow. that
night as l sat ut my hotel window.
smoking a cigar and looking down on
broadway, busy even at this late hour
1T was past IL O~'clock-bright with
electric lights, echoing with the tread
OF the throng returning from the the
aters, with their voices, their light
EItlSlltoT.
Up above them all I sat. as utterly
ISOLATED as though I had been in the
heart OF q forest; never had I been
more completely alone.
1T was n of those moments when
we become aware that wealth and
fame are nothing compared with the
sympathy of one true heart.
Were there tears in my ewes? fancy
80. Men thought me lucky, envied me.
Each heart knoweth it's own bitter
ness"
twelve ~o'clock-the throng was less
-one-lt had drifted away, the res
tlurants were closed. now and then q
little party Sauntered by. OF n man
hurried past, as lonely men ALWAYS
seem to hasten ut night.
A policeman appeared and vanished.
a wagon full Of empty milk cans rat
lied by. a space Of silence followed.
till sat beside my window, thinking of
the past.
Some spell seemed to bind me there
thinking, thinking, thinking.
But suddenly my waking dreams
were dissipated, the past vanished. The
present became reality again, as the
cry Of Murder" reached my car. 1t
was uttered by a woman's voice
Observation-Disclosures - mur-der!!,
And with that last utterance ending
with a wall, silence fell. -
Opposite the hotel was a druggists
shop, over the store We're artists stu
dos.
Some of these artists I knew were
ONE Some'lived as well as painted
there. ..'. g. .
AIT this moment all the house WAS
dark save where a light shone in a
window of the third floor.
A moment more, and the iron door
which was let down at night, opened.
A mantle %janitor of the building.
[ fancied-ran out into the street, half
clad, and evidently bewildered with
horror. ae
He shouted for help-no inc seemed
TO hear him but myself.
In a moment / had seized my hat
md a pistol that I generally kept un-
der my pillow, and soon found myself
II the side Of the %janitor.