Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1894-06-15

away All my 1ear. i ndu seen ~
self-same shoe, white and unsOh,
twenty years before. when vain, vain
Rose danced among her rcapcrs mt the
harvest home And my voice cried out
in ecstasy: Rose. heart Of mine! De
light of all the worlds delights"
She stood before me, wondering,
amazed. Alas, SO changed! The red
and yellow silk shawl still covered her
shoulders; her hair still hung in those
eldritch curls. But the beautiful face
had grown wan and tired, and across
the forehead were drawn lines like
silver threads. She threw her arms
around my neck, and, pressing her
bosom heavily on mine, sobbed so pit
eously that grew afraid for her and
drew back the long masses of hair
which had fallen forward, and kissed
again and again those lips that were
too lovely for smile. Never came n
word of Gliding from them. Love-"
she said, when she had regained her
breath, 1.-THE past struggle was sharp
and tOrturinG-the future struggle will
be crucller still. What n great love
yours was, TO wait and trust for so
long. Would that mine had been so
! powerful! Poor, weak heart that l
could not endure!'
The tones OF wild fear throbbed
through all her speech, strongly, but
yet with insufficient power to prevent
her form feeling the tenderness of
those moments. Often, timOrously rails
ing her head from my shoulder, she
looked around, and then turned with
q soft, inarticulate and glad murmur
TO hide her face on my bosom. / spoke
| feryently; told of the years spent away
| from her; how, when working in the
diamond fields, she had ever been pres
ent in my fancy; how, at night, her
name had fallen from my lips in my
| only prayer; how | had dreamed of
! her among the greatest In the land
! the richest, and, | dare swear, the
| lOvelest woman in the world. l grew
/ warmer still; all the gladneSs which
! had been constrained for so long now
burst wildly from my lips; a myriad
| Of rich ideas resolved into words,
| which. being spoken, wOve one long
and delicious fit of passion. AS we
| stood together the moon frightened
and filled the chamber with light like
the days. The ridges Of the surround
ing moorland stood out in sharp relief.
Rose drank in my declarations thirs-
| tily, but soon interrupted me with n
! heavy sigh. Come away" she said,
softly; Il 10 longer live in this house.
/ You must stay with me tonight. This
: place is SO wrctched now; for time,
that in you and me has only strength
cncd love. has brought much ruin here"
Half leaning on me, she led me from
Cic precincts of Breton Hall. We
walked in silence over the waste that
crowns the valley Cf the Whitelands,
I - . ,.
saw the great pine wood sloping down
wari. lighted near us by the moon, but
soon lost in deliity. Along the mys-
FERROUS line wheie the light changed
into gloom, intricate shadows Of with
cred summer brackcn struck and re-
coded in Il mimic battle BEFORE us lay
the Priests Cliff. The moon was yelled
here by grove of clms, whose ever
swaying branches alternately Increased
and leSSencd her brightness. This was
q place Of nOtOriety-a vCritable Col
gUtha--a haunt fit only for demons.
Murder and theft had been punished
here, and to this day fireside stories
are told of evil women dancing around
that Druids' circle. carrying hearts
/ plucked from gibbcted bodies
Rose" whispered, why have you
brought me here?'
She mad3 no reply, but pressed her
head moro closely to my shoulder.
. Scarcely had my lips closed than
sound like a hiss Of n half-strangled
snake vibratGd among the trees. 1t
/ grew louder and louder a monstrOus
shadow lowered above.
Rose, from my bosom. murmured:
Love is strong as Death! Love is
strong rs Death
/ locked her in my arms so tightly
that she grew brcathless. Hold me!'
she painted. You are strong"
A cold hand touched our foreheads
so that, banumbed. we sank together
to the ground, TO fall instantly into q
dreamless slumber.
When / awoke the clear, gray light
of the early morning had spread over
the country. Beyond the hall garden
the sun was just bursting through the
clouds, and had already spread a long
golden haze along the horizon. The
babbling of the streamlet that runs
down to ETalkton was so distinct that
ii seemed almost at my side. How
sweetly the wild thyme smelt! Filled
with the tender rec0llections Of the
night. without turning | called Rose
Pascal from her sleep
Sweetheart, sweetheart, waken!
waken! waken! See how glad thu
world Iooks-see the omens Of happ5
future"
No answer came. L sat up, and,
looking around me, saw that ] was
alone. a square stone lay near. When
the sun was high l crept to read the
inscription carved thereon: Here, at
four cross-paths. lieth, with a stake
through the bosom, the body of Rose
Pascal who. in her sixteenth year.
wilfully cast away the life God gave"
How Slaves Treated rheumatism.
Every colored man Of the old slavery