Sistersville oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1896-1901, 1898-01-26
VIII.
UPON THE BLEAK HILLSIDE.

platform she ala not recognize ueI, III
her own eyes were filled with tear
that shut off her sight. She heard thu
rumble and clatter of the departing
train but she could not see it. Mis-:
Letson was moved by her distress ant
did not trust herself to say more than
I'm so sorry, dear"
Miss Stella did not answer and they
returned to the house in silence
Search was made for the purse, bu
as Miss Lessons pocket was overlook
ed it was not recovered.
Miss Stella was determined to sci
out for home in buggy or on horse
had not a horse left in its stalls anC
the two young ladies visited every per
son in the village who was the owner
of a horse and not one could be Sc
cured With one consent the people
all made excuses and the effort to pro.
cure either horse or conveyance proved
fruitless. Miss Stella announced heI
purpose to go home on foot. Every
argument was used to dissuade her bui
she refused to listen TO their argu-
ments or to regard their pleas.
1t was nearly three o'clock when
they returned to the Letson home al
the conclusion of their search for a
horse. Lunch was awaiting them and
they were very tired. They went tC
the table but Miss Stella had no appe-
tite and found the bare thought Of food
repulsive. Still, she ate something.
realizing that for the journey she was
to undertake she would require all he!
strength.
81 cannot eat" she said. Il will take
with me a little of this fruit, if you
please; | have no doubt that | shall
require something long before | reach
home"
do be persuaded to wait till to-mor-
row." Miss Letson pleaded again, be-
ing thoroughly sorry Cor her treacheTy,
now that she saw its results.
1T is of no use tosUrge me; | would
not remain till tomorrow for all
the wealth in the world.
But you will kill yourself if you
undertake to walk all the way to Mi
nersvale this afternoon. 1t will De
dark before you reach there; you will
die on the way. Do listen to reason,
Stella!"
81 don't want to listen to reason. |
will not listen to reason or to anything
else that you may urge against my
determination. shall not kill my,
self and shall not die on the way. |
must reach Minersvale tonight"
you are too determined"
81 have an engagement for this aft
ernoon which l could not, upon any
consideration be induced to forego."
"The engagement will be broken be-
fore you get five miles on your way"
1.-The attempt to fulfill it will absolve
me. Besides, l know where to reach
him and l shall send message imme-
diately upon my arrival"
She babe her hostess goodbye and
started upon her long walk The road
lay over unimproved hills, barren of
trees, thick with brush. 1t is desc
late country, the dreariness of which
is unrelieved by farms or habitations,
save few wretched huts at long and
irregular intervals. From the infre-
quency of its use the road was then lit
tie more than blind and abandoned
byway and as there were many diverg-
ing converging and intersecting by
ways it was not always easy to deter
mine which to follow.
Before half her journey VAS accom-
piisned darkness fell upon her and
walking became greatly more labOri-
Gus and fatiguing; for the road was
stony and rough and scanned with gull
lies cut by the waters of many show
ers and it was hard to travel even in
Ln 10Th ho
came to her terrifying noises. In the
whirr of an occasional nocturnal bird
there was something that she found
full Of horror. A girl of less determi
nation would have tainted a score OF
times. 1t was only by resolute eXer.
else of her mental command Of herself
that she conquered her terror. Often
unfamiliar, unexpected sounds startled
her; she grew faint, her limbs grew
weak, and, trembling, almost refused
to support her; her heart would give
one great bound, then cease TO beat
and her throat would swell and the
swelling muscles choke her; her breath
would come in gasps, irregularly, and
scarcely reach the upper chambers of
her lungs. At such times she would
stop and stand as rigid as a statue un-
til she conquered her alarms.
She stumbled over roots and sticks
and stones and into gullieS and holes
until she was bruised and sore and al
most forced to sit down and give up in
despair to her weakness and terror.
At length, unable to fully restr ain
her emotions, she felt tears flow over
her face, so hot and scalding that she
found herself wondering if they were
burning their channels down her
cheeks; and she felt for the scars with
her trembling fingers.
The road became more and more OBJ
scure and at length she realized that
she had followed lateral branch and
was lost Without the faintest idea
how far she was astray she turned
about and retraced her steps. hoping
that she had not gone far from the
main road She was sure that she had
recovered a mile Of tie Inst way ard
yet she had not E2yLG the main roPd,
Disheartened, discouraged she s'rug-
gled on, suffering rieltnl'y aid phys,
ically every inst IT ard eve J SEE.