Year: 1874

passionate entreaty, don't talk about
that, don't 1t couldn't be love, no way,
that would MT leave you. You're all
I've got, child all. God don't want to
take all away, does He? That amt
love-"


The girl stretched her hand up and
drew it around his neck, and laid her
face on bis shoulder to hide the tears she
could not keep back. But she made no
answer. After while he asked a sud
den question, breathlessly, as if suspi-
cion had pierced him with a pang too
sharp to be borne.


Has DIR. Pierce been here to-day,
Eunice?"


She trembled a little, but she answered
quietly;


Yes, father


"And he says you are goin' does he,
the way your mother went ? Child, don't
you believe him You shan't go, my love
will keep you alive. Hasn't it kept you
now, fourteen years? Why, the doctor
said you wouldn't live the first time he
laid you on my arms But you have
lived and here you are, and here I'll
hold you. Hasn't my love kept you so
long2"


"Your love and Gods love, father
But what if he thinks, now, that it's
time for me to 60 home2"


And then they sat on silently for a
long, still hour, and the wood fire burned
brightly, and now and then brand
dropped on the hearth, and that and the
storm outside were the only sounds which
broke the stiffness, save when, once or
twice, great gasping sob tore up from
Shutting Dams deep chest. At last he
bent over, and turned his girls face to-
wards him, and looked in it with eager
hungry eyes.


It'll be sorry world, lamb, he said,
when you are not in it-when there's
nobody waitin' at the door and no light
burning in the winder."
/ She looked up, with her blue eyes full
of tears.


Father" she said gently, don't you
know you've told me, sometime, how the
thought that it was waitin' made it easy
for you to get home, when the storms
drove ever SO hard, and kept you from
wantin' to turn into the store or tavern 2
i Yes, lamb" but what'll keep me
on my way when you're gone Z" he asked
bitterly.


Il thought of the times you'd said
that, father, after DIR. Peters went away
to-day, and wondered if it wasn't God,
love that was going to take me to the
heavenly home, so as to make it easiel
for you to come. I'll wait for you there
father, and | won't be lame any more
and I'll come to meet you when you gel
on that threshold-as never could here
strong and free, father, strong and
free. Won't it make it easy for you tc
come on in spite of storms, and not turn
aside by the way, when you know I'm
waitin' there, just as sure as ever wait
ed here F"


But the father said nothing. He only
held her hand against his aching heart
with grasp that almost hurt her, as il
to ease his pain-qeld her till bed time
came, and then carried her to her room
and left her there with long, sad, silent
kiss. Once alone. the passion of his
agony clutched him in its grasp but be
suffered no sound to escape him which
should reach her ears. Rigid as stone
he sat before the fire, and never needed
when the room grew cold, and the last
brand burned out and fell into gray ash
es.


After that night he never turned again
: to the subject. He saw that she failed
every day, but he could not talk about
it, and she understood him too we'll to
urge him. Every day he went to bis
work. now was not the time to fail when
she needed unwonted luxuries, and might
need them no one knew how long. Every
night he came to her; his face paid
with apprehensions. At last she grew
too weak to sit up any more, and lay pa.
tiently on her little bed, bearing without
moan her torturing pain, and never
forgetting at night to have lamp put
in the window-the beacon light for the
father coming home.


just at the last, there was a time when
, all knew that the end was near. Thai
week her father did not go to work.
There was money enough for all she
would ever need in this world, and more
So, motionless, except when he could do
, something for her comforr, he sat all day
long by her pillow, and watched her,
save when sometimes his agony grew toe
mighty TO be borne. and he had TO rush
away from her, out under the desoIate