Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1900-08-09

70 witness the fatal deed, and it
only wanted few minutes.
Would he get there in time Oh,
The agony Of a moment on which
the life Of q human being turns !
Her father was scarcely out Of sight
when'the hour struck from the tow
or Of EIibank Kirk.
TOO late ! too late r. cried poor
Margaret; and she went back to
her Der, TO avoid seeing any
Of the curious multitude who, on
account Of her fathers connection
with the affair, had congregated at
Elibank Hall.
Weeping and fatigue-for Msrga-
ret had not rested for whole week,
so excited had she been-had worn
her down so that only the last straw
was needed to put the finishing
stroke to her life. Fortunately.
she tainted, and forgot in insensi-
bility the trial she had undergone.
She awoke with father. mother
and sisters around her bed, each
striving to do something for her
recovery. Even the precise Jean
had been weeping, and Margaret
thought it was as much perhaps for
the poor young Laird's death as for
herself that Jean wopt. She won
dered to see her father look 80 calm,
with a mans death resting upon
his conscience,
But aho had revived, was prepar-
ed to brave the worst news abe could
hear, and which it would seem that
oil were unwilling to tell her-for,
ono by one, they all slipped out and
loft her alone with her father.
Poor lassie - said be, more
tenderly than he was wont to speak
to his children, cit has been hard
upon you to bear this. only did
what | thought was right, and you
must try to forgive me for tho
shame | brought upon you in being
refused --"
Say no more about il, father.
| would have been glad indeed to
have purchased that young man 3
life at the expense OF tcnfold the
disappointment or shame as you
call it. ! DO not call it so; for sure
ly any man has a right to refuse a
namely, Unlocking lassio as your
Maggie, with her thick lips aud
wide mouth. But 0 father you
will, ! fear, see this sad days sight
forever before you. | am fain to
shut my ain cen lest | should see
him before me. And, father, be
was man we'll worth looking at
and saving. II was hard TO see him
going to his death, but pity you
more than do him"
"When you have said your say,
just leave of, will you, Meg? You
are evidently little wandering in
your wits, and as there is a doctor
in the next room, | think | will
call him in"
He rose and went out before she
could demonstrate and when he
returned, he brought in a gentle
man whom in the dusk she did not
recognize.
"This Is the person who called
forth your tears to-day, lassie, +"
said the Laird Of Elibank roughly,
but not unkindly. Gle may do
more toward Yonr recovery than !
can, so will leave you together"
And looking steadily through the
gathering gloom, Margaret saw that
the figure which stood beside her
couch was the same that had walked
between the two Highland guards
in that sad procession of the morn
ing.
What passed between them ia one
Of the secrets Of the past but one
thing We know, that the Laird of
Harden and Margaret Murray were
married in Elibank Kirk as soon as
the bans had been published the
usual time. Farther, too, we know
that the marriage proved happy be-
yond the ordinary lot Of mortals.
What was better than all was that
the long-cherished feud between the
Scottsand Murrays was entirely at
an end from this time. The father
AID son-in-laW became fast friends,