The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1895-09-03
CHAPTER u.

Iwonder if many married couples ara
quite as happy as we found ourselves.
Cynics, growing class, declare thatfew
illusions can survive honeymoon.
Well, do not know about it, for only
married once, and can but speak from
nv limited experience. But certainly
our illusion, or rather the great truth
Of which 1t is the shadow, did survive,
as to this day it survives in my heart
across all the years Of utter separation,
and across the unanswerable gulf OF
| doom.
But complete happiness is notallowed
in this world, even for an hour. AS our
marriage day had been shadowcd by tho
scene which has been described, so our
married life was shadowed by its own
| sorrow.
Three days after our wedding MIR. Car
son had a stroke. It had been long i'm
nendinc. now it fell. We came into the
center hut to dinner and found him ~
inr speechless on the couch. At first l
thought that he was dying, but this was
not SO. On the contrary, within folr
pUWcr - n;c7c,ilcIt s.S i3:1
covered his memory, though he still
knew Stella, and sometimes myself.
| Curiously enough he remembered little
Tota the best CT all three, though occa-
sionally he thought that She was his
own daughter in her childhood, and
would ask her where her mother was.
This state Of affairs lasted ior some
seven months. The Old man G'raGIa!ly y
grew weaker, but he did not die. OF
course his condition quite prccludcd the
idea OF cur leaving Babyan kraal till all
was over. This was the ft:or2 distress
ing to me, because I had a nervous TT'e- T9e.
sentiment that Stella was ircunring
danger by staying there. and also be-
cause the state Of her health rendered
It desirable that We should reach @ civ
ilized region as soon as possible. How
ever, it could not be helped.
Atlength the end came very suddenly.
We were sitting one evening by Mr. Car
sons bedside in his hat, when to Our as
tonishment he sat up and spoke in
strong, full voice:
81 hear you," he said. eyes, yes [
forgive you. Poor woman! you, too,
have suffered" and he fell hack dead.
I have little doubt that he vas I'll.
dressing his lost wife, some vision OF
whom had flashed across lis dying
senses. Stella, OF course, was over
whelmsd with grief at her loss. Till
came her father had been her sole coIn-
panion, and therefore, as may &c mag
ined, the tie between them was much
closer than is usual even in the case Of
father and daughter. SO deeply did she
mourn that began to fear 3or the ef-
feet upon her health. Nor were we the
only o"rs 10 cr:cy1; all the natives on
the settlement called Mr. Carson ia
thcr," and IA: :. father thcy lalncH:cd
him. The ar resoln3ed with tho vail
ing Of won:"n. ;.i.d the iI"n went about
with bowed heads. saying that the sun
had SGT II the heavens. now only the
Star (Stclia; rc:na;ned.' InGaha-z;mbi
alone did not mourn. lie said that u
was best that the lnsoos should die, for
what was lie wo-:h whcr Cne lay like q
log?-moroC"cr, 3ha- it would have been
we'll for all if he mad died sooner.
On the following day We buried him il
the little graveyard near the waterfall.
1t was sad business, and Stella cried
very much, in spite of all I could do to
comfort her.
That night as l sat outside the nus
snokins-for the weather was hot and