The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1893-04-14

pres past the huge pillar till he
could slip between the tombstone o
he Hstlonon err and the row of blacl
wooden Sc It's. Once there, he should
see her lace 10 face.
lie turned, indeed, as he stood. anC
he tried to move a few steps. On al
sides curious looks were directed upor
him, bat no one offered 10 make way
al stall the monotonous singing con.
tlnu,d until he felt himself deafenet
as he faced the great congregation.
II am ill.," he said to those neares'
to him. pray let me pass
His ace was white, indeed. anC
those who heard his words believed
him. A mild old man raised his sac
blue eyes, gazed at him, and. while
try ing to draw back, gently shook his
head. A pale woman, whose sickly
features we're half yelled in the fold.
of a torn black shawl moved as far as
she could, shrinking as the very pool
and miserable shrink when they are
expected to make way before the rich
anu strong. A lad Of Is stood upor
tiptoe to make himself even slightel
than he was. and thus to widen the
way, and the Wanderer found himself,
after repeated efforts, as much as two
steps distant from his former position.
he was sti trying to divide the crowd
when the music suddenly ceased, and
the tones of the organ died away far
up under the western window. Ii
was the moment of the elevation,
and at the first silvery tinklina
of the bell, the people swayed a little,
all those kneeling who were able, and
those whose movements were impeded
by the press of the worshippers bend.
ing toward the altar as Il field of grain
before the gale. The Wanderer turned
again and bowed himself with the
rest. devoutly and humbly, with half
closed eyes, as he strove to collect
and control his thoughts in the pres
ence of the chief mystery of his faith.
Three times the tiny bell was rung, a
pause followed, and thrice again the
clear jingle of the metal broke the
solemn stiffness. Then once more the
people stirred, and the soft sound OF
their simultaneous motion was like a
mighty sigh breathed up from the
secret vaults and the deep foundations
of the ancient church.. Again the
pedal note of the organ b1omed
through the LAY and aisles, and again
the thousands of human voices took
up the strain % song.
The Wanderer glanced about him,
measuring the distance he must ira
verse to reach the monument Of the
Danish astronomer, and confronting
it with the short time which now re-
manned before the end of the mass.
He saw that in such Il throng he would
have no chance of gaining the posi-
ton he wished to occupy in less than
half an hour, and he had now but a
scant 10 minutes at his disposal. He
gave up the attempt, therefore, deter
mining that when the celebration
should be over he would move for
ward with the crowd. trusting to his
superior stature and energy to keep
him within sight of the woman he
sought, until both he and she could
meet, either just within or just with
out the narrow entrance of the
church.
Very Don the moment of action
came. The singing died away, the
benediction was given. the second
gospel was read, the priest and the
peoplerepeated the Bohemian prayers,
and all was over. The countless
heads began to move onward, the
shutting of innumerable feet sent
heavy, t~uneless echoes through vaulted
space, broken every moment by the
sharp, painful cough of a suffering
child, whom no one could see in the
multitude, or by the dull thud of some
heavy foot striking against the wooden
seats in the press. The Wanderer
moved forward with the rest. Reach
ing the entrance of the pew where
she had sat he was kept
back during a few seconds by
the half-dozen men and women who
were forcing their way out of it be-
fore him. But at the farthest end a
figure clothed in black was still kneel-
ing. A moment more and he might
enter the pew and be at her side. One
OF the other women dropped some
thing before she was out of the mar
row space. and stopped, fumbling and
searching in the darkness. At the
minute the slight, girlish figure rose
swiftly and passed like a shadow be-
fore the heavy marble monument.
The Wanderer saw that the pew was
open at the other end, and without
needing the woman who stood in his
way, he sprung upon the low seat,
passed her, stepped to the floor upon
the other side and was out in the
aisle in a moment. Many persons had
already left the church, and the space
was comparatively free.
She was before him, gliding quickly
toward the door. Ere he could reach
her he saw her touch the thick ice
which filled the marble basin, cross
herself hurriedly and pass out. But
he had seen her face again, and he
knew that he was not mistaken. The
thin, waxen features were those Of the
dead, but they we're hers, nevertheless,
In ar instant he could be at her side.
But again his progress was momenta-
rily impeded by a number of persons
who wapa apfaripn tho b,i1d;ur boSti