The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1898-07-01
mothers wedding ring. She put it upon

mothers wedding ring. She put it upon
my hand almost the last thing before
she died, exacting a promise from me
that I would never be guilty of any
thing which I should be ashamed to
have her know. l have always tried to
keep that promise. but l believe l could
keep it better if l knew that you, too,
had worn the ring
Mildred looked up. There We're tears
in the beautiful, pleading eyes. They
effaced in an instant the lines which
fractional feeling had drawn between
them; and, impelled by kindred sorrow,
she stretched forth her slender right
hand.
"Not that me- he whispered, and,
lingering long over the task, he placed
the ring upon the third finger of her
left hand.
Captain Crawford came morning and
evening to have his hand dressed. |
was never far way en- these occas-
ions, and, although his words were not
always audible, l could see how earnest
his face was, and l also noted the an
swering emotion in Mildred's own ex-
presSiVe cOuntenance.
THE evening before Averill left Bu-
chanan he came again, n they stood
together in the moonlight in this very
spot. I was sitting just inside the hall
door holding Margaret, who a fallen
ooiSSP III hS zap, oiu waiting LII d
servant to put her to bed, for she was
too heavy for me to carry.
ct have come heard Crawford say,
to bid you good bye. We leave early in
the morning, and l can scarcely nope to
see you again. .0
Something followed which l did not
catch; then I heard him speak again,
this time with pleading ea~rnestness.
"'But you will wear it as a token Of
fOrgiVpneSS-aS an assurance that Won
10 not despise me as l despise myself
for a course which,, under the circum-
stances, would seem base and unmanly.
Believe me- he continued, his voice
growing more and more tender should
never have revealed the feeling which l
have for you a I possessed the
strength to conceal it,
Il could e how Mildred's voice
trembled in reply to him, but her words
escaped me. A brief silence followed,
in which Margaret's regular breathing
and my own heart throbs were distinct
ly audible. Then there was a tremu-
lous God bless your from Crawford
and I heard him turn from her and go
down the brick walk and out through
the gate.
When the union troops had left Blu
chanan I observed that CraWford's ring
was still On Mildred's finger, but it had
never been my way to seek her conf
dence, n I made no comment upon it.
Letters, too, which I was sure were
from him, continued to come to her for
months after their departure. I could
see how pleased she looked as she read
them, and then how angry with herself
that she was pleased.
cit was when her father was brought
home, shot through the heart in one Of
the battles around Richmond, and laid
in hat room yonder, dressed for his
last journey in his worn suit of gray,
that she first spoke of the ring.
Was I wrong to promise to wear
it, Kittie?' she said, clinging to me and
weeping:
"'No,' I answered, putting my arms
about her. He deplored this cruel blood
shed as much as any of us, but he re-
sponded to the call of his native state
as h%e-pointing to the darkened cham
Der where lay the silent sleeper-did to
his. Each was actuated by a sense of
duty. Neither could have done other
WISE
1.-The termination of the war follow
ed close upon Colonel Carrington's
death, ushering in a period of death
and depression far harder to bear thar
the actual hostilities themselves, and
for a time only Mildred's little school
KEPT the gaunt wolf Of want from our
door.
Fifteen years went by. We had been
to our baby Margaret's wedding, and,
waving our adieus to her, a seen her
drive away, a happy laughing bride.
1T was in the early autumn, and 1t
had grown chilly as the evening ad-
vanced, out I think it was more for the
sake of cheeriness han the warmth
that we had lighted a wood fire in the
library on our return, n drawn our
chairs in front of it. The break in our
little circle had saddened us, and we
were sitting there absorbed in our own
thoughts when a ring at the bell was
followed by the entrance Of a visitor.
"It was the village postmaster, who
seating himself in the chair we had
wheeled forward for his reception, drew
, a letter from his pocket and handed II
to Mildred.
Tread that he said, 'and tell me il
you can tell what it means
She drew nearer to the light and as
she scanned the contents the blood re.
trated from her very lips. I led the ole
bit Of gossip that she might recover
herself, for I knew, as if by intuition
/ who the letter was from.
LAS she retored it to him she turneC
| % me, saying with a laugh. It's som
one making inquiries about me, Kittie
We are to come into possession of {
fortune, after all. Who knows?'
do you remember, she asked aftel
3 our guest had n General Averill':
7, aid, who was go inc to us during thu
l war;
Remember him. I repeated, %
course I do
THAT letter was from him. she sait
> softly. He wanted to know if I wer'
, still here, and if a letter addressed tt
. me by my old name would reach me
or if I a exchanged it for another
"'And that second letter. I said, If i
p is what I think, o will not steel you
heart against him-promise me that
o Mildred"
MShe WAS silent but read the an