Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1894-02-01
Saint Maru's Beacon


face flushed with shame a. well as grief.
for she knew the reputation Of the Sand
bank" low inn on the shores Of Podunk
POND, where only the bad Of both sexes
congregated. And Harry had gone there.
after his promise to her, and this was the
end Of her hopes. No wonder she grew
sick and faint, and leaned her head upon
her husbands arm moment before clear
ing away the dinner she could not now
taste. She did not ask George il he
was hungry. She knew he was not,
and with a heart which throbbed
with bitter pain, she put awsy her
pretty dishes and carried back to
the cellar the jellies, and pickles,
and sweatmeats brought ont for
Harry, who had deceived her, and
gone to place she blushed to name.
She let the FIRE 90 out on the din
ing-room hearth, and sat with her
husband in the sitting room, but
neither Of them spoke except as
George occasionally said q word to
the cat which had climbed into his
lap, or Nellie remarked about the
storm, which was increasing so rap
idly.
Ten, eleven, twelve struck the
clock, and then Nellie arose, and
taking the Bible from its place,
handed it to George, whose voice
trembled as he read Of the Prodigal
Son, and prayed that in like man.
ner his boy might return to him at
last.
The next morning the snow lay
deep upon the frozen ground, and
the biting cold made Nellie shiver
if size went for only moment from
the warm fires. As she had been
the previous night, so now she was
not hungry. but she forced herself
to drink a little coffee and eat a
piece of roll, while George did the
same, and then he set himself to
the task of clearing the paths to the
well, and the gate, and the out
buildings, while Nellie went again
to the window and watched. Not
that she really expected Harry at
that hour, for she did not. He
had stayed away two or three days
at time; he might do SO now, and
probably would, but for some rea-
son she could not define, though
1t came to her terribly afterward,
there was a difference in her feel
ings this morning, an anxiety she
could not shake off, and she stood
by the window as if fascinated with
the white, unbroken surface of snow
which met her view at every turn.
And as she waited and watched
there came round the'street corner
a crowd of men and boys, all wad.
ing through the snow except one,
who stood upon long sleigh drawn
slowly by two horses. That they
were breaking the road would nat
urally suggest itself to ones mind,
but Nellie seemed at once to know
better, and a nameless terror seized
her as she watched them until they
came so near that she could see
the something upon the sled, which
looked like a human form, wrapped
in buffalo robes, and from which
the crowd of men and boys kept
apart, choosing to walk rather than
ride with IL. For it was that now
"A something which had been, moi
he, not Harry but IT, and Nellie
knew it even before the cortege
reached her door, and the face was
white as ashes which she turned
toward her husband, who had just
come in, and who felt his blood
freeze in his veins when she said to
him:
They have brought Harry home;
he is dead
Yes, he was dead, and the men
lifted him up carefully and carried
him up the path his father had
shoveled for him. and through the
door which Nellie opened for them
never uttering word until they
laid him down just where she pointed
them, on the broad lounge in the
sitting-room. Then her lips noved
but her throat seemed to close mp,
and all she could articulate was one
word 'H-how
As gently as they could they told
her how Dalc's horse had come to
the Blue Wing about five O'Clock
that morning, and neighed until its
cries aroused the hostler, who went
out and found it without driver.
This led at once to an investiga-
tim which rasnltnd In fhn;r and