Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1899-08-17
Continued.


face The ugh,, vi ,ghtuess aud hope
died from Il MS 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 grow alarmed 4, last and
one by one they ventured in to try to
persuade their young mistress to oa;,
to sleep or to rest
To one and all she said the same
thing:
"lush, do not speak; am listen
ing,"
1t had grown too late to see; there
was no moon, and the palo light ot
the stars revealed nothing, Il HAD
grown colder, too. There WAS faint
sound in the wind that told OF comtnS
rain. Her own maid more ri liberty
70 speak than the Others prayed her
to come in; but all advice, reason, re-
monstrauce received the same answer:
Il must not leave this spot until the
twenty four hours are ended
torture had the letter arrived, she
would have known then at once that
she was not to expect him; and the OF
deal OF waiting would have been over
at once, but she chung to the hope lac
would come, he must come, She re
called his promises given solemnly-
she said to herself with li'ue
shudder:
III he does not come to-day he win
never come"
And then she hated herself for The
halC-implied doubt OF him. No matter
If the sun had fallen and the nSghttn-
gale was singing; no matter II 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 1t seemed to her
there was Il stir among the trees, 1t
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; 1t was only the
swaying of the branches in the wind.
Then clear, and full and distinct,
cleaving the air, rang out the hour of
twelve It was midnight, and he had
not come The thirtieth of June v 4
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 1t was only
eleven. When she realized IL she rose
from her solitary watch with 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 by sea
and land; the steamer might have run
ashore the train may have been ie-
layed; but If the appointment had been
for her to keep she would have kept
1t 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 limbs
failed her. She did not fall, she sunk
into a senseless almost helpless heap
on the floor; and there, long after mid
| night, her servants found her, and for
some time believed her dead. That
was the thirtleth OF June-for which
she had hoped worked, and prayed as
woman never did before.
They raised her from the ground and
took her To her room. One kinder than
the others sat by her until the dawn.
when the dark eyes opened with look
In them which was never to die away
again.
This is he first OF July" she said
family.
And the maid seeing that the morn
Ing had dawned, said
Yes, 1t Is July"
She never attempted to rise that dav,
but lay with her face turned 10 ,he
| 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
'"d so terrible prophecy:
A 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
through her brain and her hear, while
she fought against them. while
she lay trying to deaden her senses, to
stihe her reason, doing deadly battle
with the fears that aasailed 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 failed. Why, II every star
IL IL 1.