The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1901-08-17


the laburnums, when love glorified
the meanest flower, and really "paint-
ed the lily, and gave an added perfume
to the violet"
For her husband she had no love.
and with his pursuits no sympathy.
He had been attracted to her by her
great beauty, and had loved her at
first with strength of passion which
she might by little tact have made
firm and lasting affection; but she
had taken no pains to please him,
made no efforts to retain his admira-
ton, SO that she had no right to COM
plain when time and possession
robbed her of even this semblance of
devotion, and she understood herself
as held something better than his
dog, little dearer than his horse"
And of Antony Vaughan no word or
token came. The lands and home
which had been his fathers for 500
years, were sold to strangers; and
Eleanor's heart lost its last hope
that of seeing him again. Time,
which cares for none of these things,
went on as if there were no break
ing hearts, no ruined lives, and change
and chance made and married the hap
piness of millions whom he swept be-
fore him to their long home. had
only been spectator in this little
drama, and had simply watched it
in that calm, complaisant way in
which we do watch sorrows that in
no way affect us. But, strangely
enough, the last act of it was played
out in my presence, and l was COM
PEELED by circumstances and SYM
pathy to become one of the dramatis
personae. And thus it happened.
I was up among the mountains of
the Colorado river in Texas, and our
party, charmed by the exquisite seen
cry and strange and beautiful fora,
wandered out of the proper trail.
Sunset found us far from any human
habitation, except little log-cabin
in the crevice of the hills half mile
below us. We supposed it to be the
home Of some freed negro, and des-
cended to seek temporary rest and
refreshment, purposing, as soon as the
moon arose, to continue our way to
the little village, not over ten miles
distant. The door was opened to
and the splendid looking fellow lean
ing on his gun within it's shadow
was Antony Vaughan. / knew him at
once; every change was only an add.
ed grace; he was ten times hand.
somer than when saw him last
laughing and hallooing, head and
shoulders higher than any squire who
rode to cover in all the glens and
glades of Snowdon. He gave us
broiled venison, strong coffee and hot
hoe-cakes, and welcome which added
no little zest to his hospitable provi
sion. After supper, when a couple o!
| pipes had soothed and quieted oul
noisy mirth, Intentionally called
him by his name. He dropped hi!
pipe in amazement, and looked tn,
question he could not ask. Then
told him who I was, and spoke of tn,
dear old town among the Westmore
land mountains. When bearded
men weep, they need the ministry o
angels; no human sympathy cal
reach such sorrow, and so was silen
until he had conquered his emotion
He asked of every ones welfare be
fore he mentioned Eleanor, and thei
his voice was cold and Indifferent
but his eyes contradicted his tongue
and his tongue belied his heart.
told him of all her cold, empty, neg
lected life, her faded beauty and he
listless, unhappy ways. And after {
moments silence, during which he lit
orally trembled with feeling, he nut
tered: "Only just! A life for life
Only just! And yet, poor thing.
And then he rose hastily, and calling
his dogs-of which at least a dozei
were lying around-he left the hut
ostensibly to look after our horses.
During the next year we spen
much time together, and soon fel
for him an affection passing the low,
of woman" He was indeed the lido
of a large section of country, and thu
leader in all hunting and Indian eX
petitions; for to these Ishmaelites o
the frontier his very name had be
come terror. Far as the eye coult
reach the land was all his own; i'm
mense herds of cattle and cavallard
of horses roamed over the hills; ant
the rich bottom lands yielded him fab
ulous harvests of corn and cotton.
"How did you make all this wealth
Vaughan?" asked him, one day.
81 didn't make a dime of it, Jack
Fortune brings in some boats that ar
not steered, and she found mine drift
ing about and took charge of it, that
ALL"
Then there was n pause. We wer
both thinking of Eleanor's mistake
He was the first to speak.
81 am going tomorrow to hunt N
the trail of some thieving Comanche
who have run off 20 of my best mares
like enough 1 may never come bacl
again. If am missing more than tw'
days, hunt me up, old fellow, AM
bury me like Christian"
He spoke half in jest and half il
earnest; but an unaccountable pre-
sentiment of evil seized me, and
urged him to let me go with him
This he positively declined, sayint
that "I was not nm to Indian vet. an