Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1895-05-16
No. )

OF an approaching football but the
murn1urs of the night seemed to fall
arousd him like veil of sound. and q
Her delay was both relief
terror to him.
Must it be? Must it be-? His mind
stumbled again and again over the same
dark thought. There were other ways
-one other way. A mans strength
against woman's-and in this lonely
spot.
His clothes were dark with moisture,
and his limbs trembled beneath him.
Still she did not come.
Hour after hour passed. and he knew
that day was at hand. 1t was more a
feeling than an appearance. First the
whippoorwill forebore to cry. There
was hush in the air, peculiar damp,
cold smell; every spear of grass stood
motionless, Acknowledgements its weight
of dew.
The chill wind Of dawn began to rise,
bearing fresh scent of ear tn and flow.
ers. He heard an uneasy Cow bell here
and there and knew the COWS were get.
ting on their feet. A calf bleated
hundred cocks began to cali each other
from the neighborirg farm houses. Colin
looked at the sky. A moment before 1t
had been trembling with stars sudden.
ly, as if pail had been drawn acrossit
every star had vanished. Then came
the first bird voice-a high shrill cry Of
two syllables. far overhead, that seemed
to fall from the upper air. After few
waking notes, harsh and queruIous, the
mocking- bird started off into a clear,
whistling cadence. Then all the birds
began to sing at once and above them
all could be heard the thrush saying
over and over again sweetly what be had
sail before the close Of day.
There was a growing brightness in
the east.
Colin looked about him with eyes that
smarted and felt filmy. A sudden sense
of weakness and emptiness had come
oyer him. He felt that he must 60 home;
that he no longer cared what scheme
Annette's malice might be devising.
All that he wanted Was to get back to
his warm nest of love and happiness.
When he reached the house he could
hardly walk, and his feet stumbled on
the threshold. He knoched again and
again. The windows were close barred
and voiceless. Suppose that the judg-'
ment OF God had struck his home, and
that Lucy and the child had died in
the night. A groan welled up from his
heart. He hammered frantically upon
the door.
At length timorous voice cried OUT
Who's there?'
Volin-let me in quick
Lucy opened the door and he stag
gered in
why, Colin,' she cried, your clothes
feel damp and your hands are as cold as
ice. I am afraid you are going to be
sick
Yves, I'm sick,' said Colin, with chat.
tering teeth. 'Let me go to bed
1t was late in the day when he awoke,
with start, from his heavy s'umber.
He heard Jacky on the front pOrch,roll'
ing oyer in a playful scuffle with the
puppy. Lucy was sewing beside the
window. She greeted his open eyes with
smile. but did not speak, hoping he
might fall asleep again.
Lucy he said, raising himself on his
elbow, HAS any one been here to- day%
No one, DEAR she replied, i'll her
quiet little voice.
He sank back upon the pillow with u
momentary feeling Of relief.
No blight had fallen as yet upon his
house.
For the next two days Colin lived like
man under sentence of death, but on
the third day, while he sat at breakfast
one of the field hands came to tell him
that the body Of woman had been
picked up in the river not far from the
house.
When Colin looked upon the dead
face he recognized Annette. An eddy
had brought her almost to his door.
He faacied that she must haye missed
her footing in the dark, and SO fallen
into the water on her way to meet him.
He could never guess that, In the sud-
den revulsion of the moment and the
agonizing rush of recollection, she had
drowned herself. If she had waited,t the
swell of emotion would have ebbed, but
she had been impatient, and, in its >iull
of tide it had swept her to her death.
Colin arranged that she should re-
ceiye decent burial. He did not curse
her memory, for he reJoiced with tremb-
ling at the thought of all that he had
heen shared