Year: 1861

or so away. There was no mortal aid al
my command. l prayed to God for helE
and He strengthened me. The building
was of strong, wellseasoned wood, but
strove with all my strength against the
door-how long, l know not; it seemed te
me an age-but at last, just as the flames
scorched my face and threatened to embrace
me IN their red embrace, the door gave
way, anc staggering in, l saw my darling
lying on the rude bench, and bore ber forth
unsca.hed and uuburt from out of the fiery
furnace. But in coming out, had to force
my way through sheet of lurid flames
remember that it scorched my forehead
and dazzled my eyes; but became uncon
scious, and when recovered, found myself
lying, with baudages about my head and
eyes, upon soft, cool pillow, and heard
through the darkness, which seemed deeper
than any bad ever known, some one weep
ing softly, closely behind me. Enough; ;
there is no need of painting detail. 1t had
been night to me ever since; but l had
saved my darling. From that moment,
even As a woman loves the babe for whose
birth she suffers, so | loved Elsie Russell,
for whose sake l had lost the greatest bless
ing man possesses; and from that moment
she had repaid my sacrifice by care and
kindness the most devoted. The only
pleasure of my life had been in her pres
ence. Since the hour / knew the sun would
never rise again TO me, her little hand led
me tenderly and cbeerfully, as though it
had been sisters, a~


sand now-now," I murmured aloud,
as felt for the scorched relic of the bench
now astranger's step must come between
us!' The sound of my own voice, the
cool air, the quiet brought back my reason.
l weighed my own actions in the balance
of my conscience. "Paul Blair" said 70
myself you have not dared to hope that
the young years of one so fair as Elsie
Russell would be wasted for your sake;
that no strange eye would spy out the
jewel which you, blind and helpless as you
are, could never hope 10 claim; that the
love which comes sooner or later to every
woman's soul, would never come to her'sl
Paul Blair, you have not dared to think
thus!' .Ee-


And even as bowed in shame at the
conviction of my own heart, almost prayed,
"Not yet-not yet; let her be ours lillle
longer ?"-and laid down upon the rude
bench and wept for from the inmost core
of my sad heart worshipped Elsie Russell.


A low trembling voice aroused me.


"Paul," it said, 'dear Paul, why do you
stay in this sad place alone? Come in,
we miss you my son. a .-s


1t was my mother. l wiped away my
tears, laid my hand within her arm and
thus went back into the house. I had
nerved myself to hear the sound of strange
footsteps, before l reached the parlor. l
was right when thought it would come
between US. Elsie was as kind as ever;
but somehow, whenever she was singing to
me, or reading to me, or whenever we were
walking in the garden, or chatting in the
parlor, I would hear the ring of that foot
step upon the path, and it was all over for
the day. Ey and by, I almost grew to
bate it. -.r--s.-....


One evening when she had gone to walk
with him, as she did of late, my mother,
pausing in a cheerful click of her knitting
needles, said pleasantly:


II shouldn't wonder, my dear, if Doctor
Clay borne seriously admired our Elsie. l
hope it is so for he is nice man-is be not
Paul?"


Ianswered in the affirmative, and she
went on: .4s.. ss..-. ...-


II was afraid that living in this lonely
house, Elsie would lead dull life as she
grew older. 1t it is not just as though
you could pay her those little attentions
girls are SO fond Of you know, and really
DR.. Claymore is quite, What is the
matter Paul?"


What pain the best people will give un-
Intentionally! It was pang at my heart
not in my head, although l told mother it
was, which made me start, and abruptly
close her speech. Only for the present,
however, was doomed TO hear DR.. Clay
borne's attentions, and Elsie's beauty, and
the little signs by which my mother argued
that the happy climax was approaching,
until could have prayed TO be deaf as we'll
as blind. .t.


All this was wearing out my soul and
body; and my brain seemed to be on fire,
could not think collectedly, yet / grew
only more the silent and sad; and al
though mymother saw there was something
amiss, she never guessed the truth. Her
great pleasure was to make me lie upon
the sofa, and with pillow underneath my
head, and tell me about Elsie and DR..
Claymore. She said it would do me good"


One day awoke with strange giddi-
ness and fever upon me. 1t was late and
the first news heard was, that Elsie had
gone to ride with DR.. Clay borne.
"And ! shouldn't wonder my dear if he
was a going to propose to her. He looked
rather agitated and had something upon
his mind" said my mother "Just let me
60 and get you pillow on the sofa, and
l will tell you what he said to her, as you
have her interests almost as much at heart
as have my dear, and it will do you good
to talk it over"


Icould bear it no longer. 1 said some
thing about headache and the oir and man
aged to escape into the garden. There l
wandered wearily up and down, feeling d.
lrium rapidly clouding my mind, and
struggling wildly against it, until, as the
clock struck twelve, l groped my way faint
and trembling, to the wreck of the burnt