Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1898-04-21


argument was used to dissuade her but
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 g
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
reDulSive Still she ate something
realizing that for the journey she was
10 undertake she would require all her
strength.
y cannot eat" she said, 4 will take
with me a little OF this fruit, if you
please; | have no doubt that l shall
require something long before | reach
home"
DO be persuaded to wait till to-mor-
row" Miss Letson pleaded again, be-
| ing thoroughly sorry for her treachery,
now that she saw its results.
1T is of no use to urge me; l 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 be
dark before you reach there; you will
die on the way. Do listen to reason,
Stella!"
Il don't want to listen TO reason. |
will not listen to reason or to anything
else that you may urge against my
determination. l shall not kill my.
self and | shall not die on the way. l
must reach Minersvale tonight"
You are too determined"
Il 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"
The attempt to fulfill it Will absolve
me. Besides, | know where to reach
him and l shall send message imme-
diately upon my arrival
She bade her hostess goodbye and
started upon her long walk. The road
lay over unimprOved hills, barren Of
trees, thick with brush. 1t is a 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 a blind and abandoned
byway and as there were many diverg-
ing converging and intersecting by
NSAg II vas llOl al " ly easy " uClSI-
mine which to follow.
Before half her journey was accom-
plished 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
the daytime. The night sounds be-
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 score of
times. 1t was only by Tesolute exeT-
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
tine esiIsifieart "A ear Aaf h her II hfatt you'd giEe
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 restrain
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 thai
she had followed q lateral branch anC
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 hat
recovered a mile of the lost way ant
yet she had not found the main road
Disheartened, discouraged, she strug
gled on, suffering mentally and phys
ically every instant and every step
She was sure that she had covered an
other mile, and then she discovere
hat she was entirely of the road
She sought in every direction but was
unable to discover even PATH
Unable for a time to continue the
SlIuSSle she Sdl uONn Ou u lOS OhCl
which she had fallen and gave herself
up to sobs and the violence of her
misery. After half an hour her cou-
rage revived; she was somewhat rested
and felt something stronger and again
she sought for the road.
She could no longer see the ground
sufficiently to pick her steps. Her
clothes were in shreds; her feet were
hr,,icnI har he
wounded and sore and bleeding; she
was weak and lame and at length her
terror became so great that she scarce
ly knew any longer what she sought
or why she toiled onward through the
darkness.
AS she descended hill she stepped
into the burrow of some animal and
fell to the ground with such violence
that she was stunned by the shock and
was at first unable to rise When she
was able to get up she found that she
was severely and seriously injured.
Her foot, ankle and limb were much
swollen. The pain steadily increased.
Her suffering became so intense that
delirium ensued and kindly rendered
her unconscious Of her terrible con-
dition.
Alone, in the darkness OF a moon
less night, upon the bleak hillside,
crippled delirious, she saw, far off
yonder, light moving up and down,
here and there, disappearing, reappear-
ing and she sang in a soft, clear and
steady voice, through the tones of
which could be traced the echoes of
pain:
"A mansion in heaven we see,
And light in the window for thee;
"A mansion in heaven we see,
And light in the window for thee;
Then on, perseveringly on, broth
er,
"Tin from conflict and suffering
free;
Bright angels now beckon you over
the stream
There's a light in the window for
thee.
"A mansion in heaven we see,
And light in the window for thee;
"a mansion in heaven we see,
And a light in the window for thee"
AT SUNRISE.
Miss Stella remained delirious all
through the night.
When She became conscious Of her