Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1899-08-07
A MID LOVE
BERTHA M. CLAY.
BERTHA N. CLAY.

How we'll she remembered those
words, except DEATH! He had taken
her in his arms and kissed her, as
though even death itself should not
claim her. No shadow of fear entered
her mind. She knew that he would
come, as surely as she knew that the
sun would rise and the day would
dawn.
The thirtieth of June No gift of
second sight came to her, to tell her
that on the twenty seventh of June
Lord Chandos had sat down and wrote
her very long letter, telling her that
it was impossible for him to be at home
on the thirtieth of June, as he had
promised to go with his parents to
Spain. A large party were going, and
he must join them; but his heart would
be with her on that day. He should
think of her from morning dawn until
sunset, and he would be with her soon.
He was vexed that he had to take the
journey; it was quite against his will,
yet he had been over-persuaded. He
should soon see her now; and, what
ever he did, She must not feel in the
least degree distressed, or put out
Their happiness was only delayed for
short time.
| A long letter She had no gift Of
second sight; she could not see that
his face burned with a shameful flush
as he wrote it; that for himself he had
no pity: that his heart went out to her
low f h a
the fear of his mothers taunts and the
pain on Lady Marion's face kept him
where he was.
Then, when the long letter was writ
ten, he directed it and sent it by his
valet to post; nor could she see how
that same valet intended going to post
it at once, but was prevented, and then
laid it aside for an hour, as he thought,
and forgot it for two whole days; then,
fearing his masters anger, said moth
ing about it, trusting that the delay
might be attributed to something
wrong in the post; and so, on the very
day it should have been given to her,
it was put into the postof1ce, three
days too late. She could not know all
this, and she longed for the thirtieth
of June as the dying long for cold
water, as the thirsty hart for the clear
spring
It came. She had longed for it,
waited for it, prayed for it, and now
it was here She woke early in the
morning; it was to her as though a
bridegroom we're coming; the songs of
the birds woke her, and they seemed
to know that he was coming-they
we're up and awake in the earle
dawn. Then a great flood of golden
sunlight cameto welcome her; she went
to the window to see what the day was
like, and whether the sky was blue.
It seemed to her that every little bird
sung, "He is coming"
Here were the roses laughing in at
the window, nodding as though they
would say '"This is the thirtieth of
June" There flashed the deep, clear
river, hurrying on to- the great sea over
which he must have crossed; the wind
whispered among the leaves, and every
leaf had a, voice. "fIe is coming to-
today" they all said" coming today. y
There was a great stir even at that
early hour in the morning between the
white and purple butterflies; there was
swift, soft cooling from the wood-pig
cons; the world seemed to laugh in the
warm embrace of the rising sun. She
laughed too-a sweet, happy laugh that
stirred the rose leaf and the jasmine"
ooh, happy day." she cried-"on,
kindly sun and kindly time, that brings
my love back to me-"
| She looked at the gate through which
he would pass-at the rose tree from
which he would gather the rose; and
she stretched out her hands with a
great, longing cry.
"Send him quickly-oh, kind
Heaven!" she cried. 81 have waited so
long, my eyes ache to look at him. I
thirst for his presence as flowers thirst
for dew
She looked at her watch, it was but
just six-the laborers were going to the
field, the maids to the dairy, the herds
men to their flocks. She could see the
hay makers in the meadow and the
| Ud1 SSO QIOppCd IdA11y NOW1l C41O 0C1 Ccl1IA
The time would soon pass and he
would be here before noon. Could it
be possible that she should see him SO
soon?'
'In six hours" she repeated, "she
should see him in six hours
Ah we'll, she had plenty to do. She
went round the pretty villa to see if
everything was as he liked best to see
it, then she occupied herself in order
ing for his enjoyment every dish that
she knew he liked; and then she
dressed herself to sit and wait for him
at the windOW. She looked as though
she had been bathed in dew and
warmed by the golden sun, so bright,
so sparkling, so fresh and brilliant,
her eyes radiant with hope and love,
silken lashes like fringe, the white lids
half-drooping, her face, with it's pas
| SiOnate hearty heightened by the love