The record-union., 1898-05-01

some one in the siIeighborhood, she
waited in an unconcerred way for the
boy to approach -As he handed it to
her she saw that it was a telegram.
and an icy hand seemed to clutch at
her heart and. drive the blood from
her cheeks. She gave. little cry as
SHE read it. and would have fallen but
for her lover. IT was "a message from
her home saying that her mother had
been taken sick very suddenly. ana that
the worst was feared, and for her to
come home at Cnce.
How different all things looked TO
her as she went back over the path
she had travelled such short time be
fore. What a change a few moments
had wrought in her life, What ii day.
or even an hour, may bring forth for as
we cannot telli What tumutuouS, con-.
| nicting emotions surged through her
mind as she hurried on to prepare Tor
her sad journey. But supreme above
all that rent her soul was the fear that
she might never see her mother alive
again. The thought almost drove her
wild
1t was a precious memory TO her al
ways that her mother lived to see her.
1T also had been her mother $ one rear
that she would never see her daughter
again-her daughter on whose young
shoulders such a heavy burden was
now to be placed.
You are so brave and strong, dear,
said her dying mother. that l can die
| in peace if you promise me that you
will care for your brothers and sisters.
keep them together and do for them the
! best you can. You will have to give
! up much, and this, this sorrow that
! God in His wisdom has seen wise to
put on you will change your whole life;
: but when you come, my child. TO lie
where | am, what VIII it matter about
the joys of life. if only you have done
your part well; that is the great and
| the one thing to remember, dear"
Not till the mother was buried did
she fully realize all it meant for her,
and now it would affect all her future
| life; that for many and many year
/; the path of duty, and not inclination,
was to be hers
A month later she was teaching again
her little mountain school. The chill
dren were with her, settled in a little
cottage near the schoolhouse
! She hardly looked the bright, fair
:
before She looked pale and weary,
and her dark-gray eyes seemed to hold
in their depths an unspoken sorrow.
| Let them smile who will. but there is
no love like first love; none so strong.
so indelible and disinterested as that
first awakening of one being to natures
great touch that reveals the purpose OF
i life to us. Frank Gerun was her first
!
only the perfume was now to be hers.
Frank gladly would have shared her
burden with her. He pleaded with her
for an early marriage; his claim was
paying well, and why not let him help
her? In few years the children near
all would be raised, and what was the
use of her killing herself when he was
willing to share her care and troubles?
But she would not listen to his plead
fings. 1t was better as it was, she
said. In the first flush of love that is
willing to do and dare all things, no
doubt but it would be all We'll; but
when settled to the calm of marriage,
how would it be? There might be
trouble, for the children were not of
his blood 1t was noble and good or
him to wish to take on himself so
1uuCn, Dul VI Si9 NO. " ~
thought of.
The Grst talk they had over the mat
ter after she came back, she released
him from his Engagement to her; but
he refused to accept, saying she would
think better over it after awhile; and,
although she had given him his free
dom, deep down in her womans heart
there throbbed a hope that he would
H. t-ai it..t
for him, even to the end OF time. She
was young and inexperienced in the
ways of life. She had yet to learn as
Byron tells. and none knew better than
he of what he; Wrote, that love is Of
mans life an Incident, of woman's her
whole existence.
The womans breast heaved and tears
again rolled down her cheeks as the
! hoodgates of memory were swept away
and the past with it's sweeping tide Of
recollections rushed over her.
At the time of the unfolding of this
story, the Comstock fever was at it's
hight. The infection had reached this
| little place, far off as it was from the
broad and Travelled highways of life.
One evening, never to be fofSotteh,
Frank came as was his usual habit,
to the little house by the school, ana
broached the old. subject again, more
earnestly than ever. Lena, said ne,
let US talk the old affair over once
more; we may come to better under
standing by doing SO. l don't wish you.
as you know Well to give up your
brothers and sisters, but l have rights
to be considered as we'll as they nave,
and so have you. l don't see why You
should give all to them. l am Wiling ~
help you raise them, for you are kllilns
yourself trying to do 1t alone; and let
me tell you, they won't think any the
more Of you for it. | have seen too
much of that in life, where one VIII
give all which the one TO
whom it is given takes as MS
right and no more thought of 1t.
/ looks as his right and no more thought.
Do what is fair and right by them. OF
course, it cannot be expected that you
] can do the same as If your mother were
| alive. 1t is as much your duty to think
| of me and Of yourself as of them Ihey
| would be raised and out in the world
| for themselves, except Lila, before the
! little ones which / hope may be given
u.s. in case we marry (Which also nope
and pray that we may) would need 70
be provided and fitted for their part IN
/. life. l am speaking plainly to-nght,
! Lena, for I cannot stand this uncer-
/ tain, unsettled way that | nave fved
i in for months Then l cannot bear 20
see you cutting yourself off from all the
i joys of life; all that makes lie worth
| living"
! How we'll, as if it were but yesterday,
| the woman sitting alone there WIN
: boue6 hpo1 and hpaV.ng breast. f1-