Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1899-08-14
Observation-Disclosures
Continued.

face-the light, Dr4 ghtness and nope
died from it as the light died from the
heavens. Still she would not yield.
Even after the shadows Of evening had
fallen over the land she kept her place.
He would come. The servants OF the
household grew alarmed at last; and
one by one they ventured in to try to
persuade their young mistress to eat,
TO sleep or to rest.
To one and all she said the same
thing:
'Hu2h, do not speak; I am listen
ing!"
Tt had grown too late to see; there
was no moon, and the pale light OF
the stars revealed nothing; it had
grown colder, too. There was a faint
sound in the wind that told Of coming
rain. Her own maid-mOre at liberty
to speak than the others prayed her
to come in; but all advice, reason, re-
monstrance received the same answer:
II must not leave this spot until the
twenty-four hours are ended"
She would not have suffered half the
torture had the letter arrived; she
would have known then at once that
she was not to expect him; and the or
deal of waiting would have been over
at once but she chung to the hope ne
would come, he must come. She re-
called his promises given solemnly-
she said to herself with little
shudder:
eff he does not come to-day he will
never come.
And then she hated herself for the
nalf-implied doubt of him. No matter
If the sun had fallen and the nightin-
gale was singing; no matter if the SOL
emn hush of night had fallen, soft,
deep shadows lay around, he would
come. The signs of the wind grew
deeper; the roses dropped. She
leaned forward for it seemed to her
there was a stir among the trees; it
was only some night bird in quest OF
it's prey. Again she bent her head;
surely, at last, there was the click OF
the gate. But no; it was only the
swaying of the branches in the wind.
Then clear, and full and distinct,
e1eaving the air, rang out the hour OF
twelve; it was midnight, and he had
not come. The thirtieth of June was
over, and he had failed.
One by one she counted those strokes
as they fell, in the vain hope that she
must be mistaken, that it was only
eleven. When she realized it she rose
from her solitary watch with a long,
low sigh. He had failed; he had not
come. She would not judge him; but
he had not kept that promise which
was more solemn to her than any oath.
There were many perils, both 10y sea
and land; the steamer might have run
ashore, the train may have been de-
Iayed; but if the appointment had been
for her to keep she would have kept
it in spite of all obstacles and all COST.
She rose from her long dull watch;
she tried to cross the room and ring
the bell, but the strength OF her limos
failed her. She did not fall, she sunk
into a. senseless almost helpless heap
on the floor; and there, long after mia
night. her servants found her, and for
some time believed her dead. Ihat
was the thirtieth of June-for which
she had hoped, worked, and prayed as
woman never did before.
They raised her from the ground ana
took her to her room. One kinder IMAM
the others sat by her until the dawn
when the dark eyes opened with a LOOK
i'm them which was never to die away
again.
''This is the first of july she said
family.
And the maid seeing that the morn
ing had dawned, said:
eyes, it is July"
She never attempted to rise that day,
but lay with her face turned to me
wall. turned from the sunlight and the
birds song, the bloom of flowers, the
ripple of leaves, the warmth and light
of the summer, thinking only OF tue
mill-stream and the words that for her
had so terrible prophecy:
GA ring in pledge gave her,
And vows of love we spoke
Those VOWS are all forgotten,
The ring asunder broke"
Over and over again they rang
fbrough her brain and her heart, while
she fought against them, While
she lay trying to deaden her senses, to
gtife her reason, doing deadly battle
with the fears that assailed her. She
would not give in; she would not doubt
him; there would come to her in time
some knowledge; she should know
why he had failed.
Failed, oh, God! how hard the word
was to say-faiIed Why, if'every star
in the sky had fallen at her feet it
would not have seemed so wonderful.
Perhaps his mother-that proud,
naughty woman, who seemed TO
trample the world under her feet
perhaps she had prevented his coming;
but he would come no matter what
the mill-stream said, no matter what
his mother wished. The day passed
au5 tho morrow C3me-th0 second OF