Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1897-12-10

Sou, { ne had yves aud rhl'
dr~n If their own At homo. anu
'ea,s S.r,ng TO eyes which had
K "a unisinr. fhr years
THIS is no place fI Su' h aS she.
gr.w rd TORN one DAu, Indicating
The chl'd with ii glAnc', nut l'hn
ansa ertd not without dignity.
etp ACE is by my side. Sine
knows no olIer friend. Her uotbeI
il in Heaven
So no more was said, aud John
Hubert's claim was marked ont
with the rest. aud the IltIle girl
was soon as much at home as
! though she had Known no other
Ihte. But the leelIug with which
she had Impressed the men never
died away. To then she seemed
more angel tn III child, and when
her yellow halr came foatlng IN
tbe breezr and sue would sudden
Ilv dance up to anv group the
coafse lest about to be- uttered
wouId be silencrd- the mutterei
curse be sent back to Its fountain
head.
So the years went 10y until Meta
grew from childhood to glrlhoOd'
almost to wOmanhOod, a pure,
flower. IL this tar.cff wild. No
better lack tell To JOhn ii lbert'S
share. Tne nugget which Tonld
nave made his fortune he passed
b.. while those on rIsbt aud lett ot
him gathered 1t. B At the sml'e'
the old, accomplishing honesty
made him a general favorlte, ana
no one felt even pang OF envy
when at last, after five patient
Years of toll, the rumOf spread
through the cAmp that success
had crowned his efforts that J1hn
Hilbert had struck gold, and car
RED enough to his little cottage to
enable him to go back rich man
70 his home again. They had ao
bolts no locks in this rude district
Each mau was to the other a
brother-a brother marked, per
haps. with the Dread of a QUICK
word. a momtntary anger, hu'
never a blow I'D the dark or the
assassin's hidden steel. SO great
thrill of horror and amaze shook
the little community to its center
when the day after John Huberts
Ines had come te him he was founc
cold and Iifeless in his ted, smiling
as though he had no time to awak-
en- from some happy dream, bu'
with the cold steel through hi'
heart.
Who had done this thingY
No need to ask why it had beer
done. The missing gold proclaim
ed the motive. The murderer haC
been thief as we'll. No strange
entered the camp; none OF their
F number were missing, El man
feared to look In the others lace
Silently, sadly, they laid the poo
body in the ground. A rudt
burial; bat few, whAte'er the out
ward pomp, receive such silent
a Dttu VI y BtlCl'
SIX months later, and Meli
Hubert aud young Roger Rollin
walked side by side OIL the out
. skirts Of the camp. Her face wa
pale, her eyes had in them an e1
e preston born there since be
r iather's cruel death, and she llstet
2 ed with resolution already forme
to The young mans words
e will you not marry me, Meta
I Have | not loved you ever sine
< you came among us little cir
True, darling, the wealth for whlc
f | have so patiently 'Oiled has No
I yet come to me, but 1t will com
I Meta. know it, feel it, and the
: | will take you away from a
a these sad associations, but Will
# YOU must be here, let my loV
= cheer aud comfort you.'
D 1T does, Roger, it does. l wi
k coufess to you 10 night what l hay
S never before acknowledged. l d
d love you, or rather, would had
ie room for loye in my heart-roo
70 for any other feeling than the d
{ termlnatio to bring my father
e murderer to justice. How do
d know but that you, speaking wit
T. sudden impetuoslty, 'are the mai
,r Roger Rollins face grew ghas
/. ly pale as he almost whispered:
is Metal
Ia Forgive me-Oh, forgive M
he she cried, noting his pallor. i d
y not mean that, Roger except tn
70 and 1 am almost maddened wi
suspense aud grief. Poor fath'