The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-08-15

hO ShooI bCt"OVu bhShu, uO pudulO0
of his love for Lola2
She had not taken the usual path.
1t seemed she was in haste to part
from him, for she had chosen the
steep and difficult way up the sheer
quarry side, dangerous way, as he
felt suddenly. No. he could not let
her go, not go that way. The quar-
ry side rose sharply above her He
made a step forward and found the
words:
Edith he cried, "come back,
come DOWN.
She started and turned her head
Her eyes were half closed. They were
dim with tears which she could not
stay.
Take care" he cried and ran to-
ward her through the furze bushes
Then suddenly-neither never knew
how it happened-her feet slipped
and he saw her falling, falling. She
fell with a sickening thud on the
wet clay. He bounded over the rocks
and bushes and reached her side
She lay quite still, with one arm
doubled under her. Her hat had fall
en- off. and her head lay on a cushion
Of thick mud, so that at first he
thought she was not hurt much, not
SO very much. But then he saw that
her face was perfectly colorless and
that from one corner of her mouth
drop Of bright red blood was slowly
trickling down her cheek and her
white neck.
Then he cried aloud and flung him
self on the ground beside her. He
got her in his arms, and at the touch
of her, Lola, his disappointment,
everything in the world, faded, and
he and she were left, and she was
dead. He would never hear her
speak again, never see her eyes
turned his way or see her face light
up at his approach. He felt that she
was dead, and then he knew sudden
ly, surely, that the light of his life
had gone out with hers
Edith, my life, my love, my
heart, come back 1t is you love-"
But there came no answer. If he
had known his heart but five min
utes before, she would still have been
his to try for. Now there was moth
ing, nothing left. He kissed her cold
face all over. He felt with strong,
sudden rush of hope if her heart yet
beat. He could not tell. He thought
not.
"Oh, my love, come backp
He knelt beside her Her head
dropped back over his arm as he
clasped her to him and called through
the growing darkness Of despair,
Come back, my love, come back"
One brown, bare hand, feebly
raised, touched his face for an in
slant and fell again.
Edith, Edith, speak to me-" he
murmured hoarsely, sick with the
mingling of hope and despair.
Her lips moved. He laid his ear to
them and caught the low, faint whis-
per:
"Goodby, my love, my dear. Moth
Ing else matters now. never loved
anybody but you"
The snow was thick on the ground,
and the brave sun above touched it to
million diamond points of light as
the bride came out of church leaning
on her husbands arm. Her soft,
white, fur trimmed gown swept over
the crimson carpet laid from church
porch to lychgate. When the car
mage door had shut on the two and
the coachman had whipped up the
white favored horses, the bride
groom's arms went round the bride.
'Mine" he said Mine own, have
you nothing to say to me2"
And the bride laid her pale face to
his and said, so softly that but for
the snow on the ground the carriage
wheels would not have let him hear:
Nothing else matters now. Inev-
er loved anybody bnt you."-St. Louis
Globe Democrat.