Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1906-03-01
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LOVE AND
LONELINESS
By CHARLES SLOANE REID

HE sun had buried half its red disl
below the border of the prairie, AM
tne silence of night was settling dow
over the expansive plain OF grass. Par
TALLY sheltered by few mesquit,
bushes, burned a small camp fire; anC
near Il SAT a young woman on tn,
ground. with hands elasped and Will
beautiful. sorrow-h fixed eyes staring into
the face Of dead man lying stretched
upon a blanket with his feet toward the
fire.
Still, motionless as the dead sat the
girl, while the darkness deepened round
her bringing the outline of her form
into holder relief In the glare OF the
blaze. The trace Of tears was on her
cheeks but her eyes were dry now, her
features bearing a hard. strained express
sion. but one which could not quite dim
the marvellous beauty of her face.
The sun sank lower and the dark
ness came on, bringing the light of the
camp fire into clearer distinctness.
Alone, with the body of her dead father.
miles from any human habitation. on
the open prairie, with the night before
her the terrors. the awfulness of the
situation had stunned the girl. and she
could only sit on her feet and stare into
the dead face before her.
Only year before. how different ali
had been. But misfortune had been sure
and swift, and, broken in health the
father. seconded by the daughters
wishes TO go far away from the old asso-
Citations began that emigration to the
west, which had ended here on the
broad prairie. One of the wagon
horses had died the day before. pro. |
visions were getting low in the lock. |
err. and the end of all seemed very
near to the girl The thought came |
TO her that il she could but Law her
head upon the now cold. pulseless
breast OF her father and pass peace.
fully away, as peacefully as he had
passed, all would be well. the end of
things would have been fitting. But
she felt the great strength of her
young arms, the vigorous action OF
her heart-starvation would be slow
And IN the meantime, decay would
come TO the loved form before her. the
blistering sun of the daytime would
rapidly accomplish il.
The girl sat and thought of these
things, while the night deepened round
her Everything was deathly silent
until the sharp yelp of prairie
coyote cut the silence like a sharp.
toothed blade. The girl shuddered
Another yelp came from out of the
grass near by. and this was quickly
followed by others.
The girl crouched lower toward the
dead man and almost held her breath
She recalled the many stories she had
read and heard repeated. OF travellers
being oyertaken and attacked nv
packs Of hungry wolves, and in imag-
nation she could already feel the
sharp little fangs Of the coyotes tear.
ing her soft flesh.
But the fire still burned. a steady
flame, the one point Of reflection in a 4
vast sea Of darkness. How long would I
the suspense last, came the Thought {
to the girl. She dared not look round ,
her, in the dread OF encountering the
hungry CLEAN Of myriads of little eyes >
which she knew must be looking ONT
of the nearby darkness. For a mo.
ment her thoughts dwelt upon her
own name. "sylyine. given her be. D
cause her mother had loved the woods | 4
and now Sylvine was associating her 4
present situation with stories of the
Russian and northwestern forests.
She took the cold hand Of her ia.
her in her own and stroked 1t gently. ri
And she prayed. not to escape. but Il
hat the pain and torture OF it might 70
be short And while she prayed the n
ound q hOof strokes came to her ear. al
md she shuddered again in sympathy z
or the poor beast which had been Z,
lobbled and turned loose there to find Z,
lis food
But the shudder had scarcely
'assed, when the sharp report Of a
life, followed by the howl OF A Il
oyote, rang out quite near the camp.
Then came a rapid fire of shots and 81
y a good marksman. for they told eff. e.
ectively among the wild dogs OF the a,
wilderness in the glare OF the lone s