The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-03-01
"We will spend the summer ses

in some of the lake cities, if you like,
he said tc Hester, "but during the
winter | must be at the head Of my
lum bermen; and indeed life is not so
dull, for nearly every man has some
woman relative there, and it is a
brothers privilege to provide home
for his sister,"
With a pain at her heart which she
felt would never be entirely stilled,
Hester went with Harvey to the pine
ries, where she was installed as house
keeper in little cottage which had
long needed mistress, and that need,
if she had only thought of it, was the
selfish motive which had been at the
bottow of Harvey's antipathy to Burt
Lyon.
1t was early in November when the
brother and sister reached the pine
ries, where the bracing air, the sing
ing trees and carpet of dead pine
needles under their feet all had their
charm for Hester. Although the
training of her former life embracing
her dramatic reading, was of course a
thing which she was expected to for
get, often when her brother was away
gathering his lumbermen together for
the winters work in the forest she
amused herself by going out under the
fragrant pines and listening to their
music, and sometimes reciting as she
walked along.
One day she had wandered farther
than usual, when suddenly she was
joined by two large dogs, which trot-
ted along sociably, yet shyly, with
greatred tongues lolling from between
their white teeth.
Hester was not cowardly girl, and
she extended a caressing hand toward
one of the ours; no stretch of imagin-
alton could have made them respect
able CANNES. The larger of the two
turned upon her with a snarl which
frightened her, and brought to her
mind instantly certain piece which
she had one studied, portraying the
rawlings of a madman. She fixed her
eyes on the red-green ones of the ami
NAL and began to recite the piece in
her most frenzied manner.
The brute shrank back, his brush
tightly drawn down, and with his COM
panion skunk out of sight in the under
brush as she finished with the blood
curdling shrek:
Woe to the daughters and sons of men!
Woe to them all when roam again!"
Amused at her success she laugh
ingly pursued her way homeward, un-
molested now by either animals or
men.
She said nothing to her brother of
the occurrence, fearing that he would
blame her for exhibiting her accom-
plishment even to the brutes of the
forest.
Business was not to begin in real
earnest in the pineries until Decem Der,
but Harvey one day put his ak over
his shoulder, telling Hester that he
was about to fell "a giant hemlock
which she herself had visited and
which was about two miles from their
cottage.
81 shall be back at noon," were his
parting words.
But when the little clock on the
shelf struck II he was not there, nor
at /, nor at 2, nor at 3, and then Hes
ter decided to go and look for him.
She found him at the foot of tree,
about mile from their cottage, whittier
he had dragged himself. He had cut
his foot badly and had been obliged to
sit down on account of weakness
caused by loss of blood.
at is fortunate thing for me that
you came," he said. "You must go
back and get men to carry me home.
She hastened to the lumbermen's
cabins, but the men were away, and
it was nearly dark before she could
return to Harvey with two stout
| bearers and one of the lum mbermen's
wives.
just as they stepped into the open
| ing the darkness seemed to fall over
| them like a mantle, and from far off in
the woods came long, low howl OF
hunger and despair.
"Wolves!" said one of the men. awe
must hurry"
They turned the light of their Ian.
terms upon the moss where Harvey
Bond had lain when Hester left him
He was not there, but his torn gar
ments and the few blood-stained bones
cleaning in the lantern light told o1
the fierce fury of the carnivorous beasts
that had attacked him.
He sold his life dearly" said one
of the men, See, here is his ak, witt
the handle broken, and here, too. are
bones of half-dozen wolves which ht
must have killed before they over
powered him."
1t was an awful shock TO Hester
Bond. She understood now the nature
of the animals that had joined her il
the forest. But there was something
more The lum berman's wife came tt
her, saying;
"See. here is his watch, that 1 hav
just picked up"
She took it in her hand. 1t was tn
cold watch with the diamond in tn
case which Harvey Bond had accuse
Burt Lyon of stealing!
Everything was clear to Hester now
She made no revelation to any one
but after her brothers remains wer
buried she returned to her Aun
Martha. One day she showed tn
watch to her, saying:
"See, Aunt Martha, here is the waite
brother Harvey told us Burt Lyon ha
stolen"
"He found it, them" cried Aur
Martha, in great relief
The older lady, who had been lik
, ice to Prof. Lyon for some time, we
coined him most heartily when
, called upon Hester, and there were I
more obstacles in the way of tt
+ young couple who had been so cruel
4 parted.
The story in its entirety was n
t told until long after Hester was tt
happy wife of Prof. Lyon, when t
: gether they reflected upon tho fulfill
of the wickedness of which Harv'
: Bond had been guilty when he was,
he thought, gaining his end WG0er
: Magazine.
NV EafR.