Year: 1873




said the tempter in her ear.


"Ah, yes, all will be over them shall
suffer ne more-one brief struggle, and
this dull, aching pain in my heart will be
stilled forever"


Rising from her seat she gazed around
her. Down in the valley was All old wo-
man. More than fourscore and ten had
passed of her pilgrimage; the sorrows Of
almost century had fallen upon her hoary
head. She was singing to herself IN a
thin, cracked voice. Family the breeze
bore the words to Maud:


| Bear your burden well.


| The Lord will tell you whom to lay Il down


Brave, beautiful words they seemed
voice from God to the stricken girl; tears,
blissful tears, coursed down her cheeks.
Her rebellious heart was melted; the past
was over forever Why recall itl No,
she must take up the burden Of life and
bear it as best she could.


And vet Maud could not turn to her
God in this hour Of her SORROW, as she
should have done. She tried to pray, not
needing the heavy rain drops nor the vivid
I lightning; the storm within her troubled
breast was greater than that around her.
but she could only cry for the lightning to
! blast her from the earth.


She was thoroughly drechned when her
| father came to seek her.


s'Maud, my child, why are you here i'll
the rainf he said ''Are you sickF"


She IcsArd in his face with a far-away
look in her eyes, but did not reply to him.
He s.. her gently, and called her again.
With a weary sigh she said
Father, take me home, please. | am
so tired" The old man took her in his
arms and bore her 10 the house. Carrying
| her straight to her room, he laid her on
| the bed, and perceived that she was un-
conscious The letters were tightly
clenched in her hands, and it was with
difficulty he could get them away. Leav-
\ ing Maud to her mothers care, he took
/ them to the library. When he read the let
ter from Joe Melton all the blood in his
/ body was boiling with indignation, but
| knowing he could do nothing now, he
carefully put them away and returned to
his daughters room.


1 She was delirious. Weeks passed away
| ere she knew father OF mother again.
1t was dull, rainy day in November
\ that she walked for the first time to her
window, from whence, in the distance,
could be seen the chimneys Of MIR. Lyle s
house. 1t was gloomy prospect indeed
that met her eye; the trees, berett Of their
I foliage, except here and there brown leaf
rustled mournfully i'll the autumn blast,
were tossing and bending their naked
/ branches like human things in distress, and
/ the monotonous drip, drip, ofthe rain upon
I the roof seemed hit accompaniment to her
sad thoughts. The delusion in her life
! Was ended; whittier and TO whom must
she turn.


4 rhe girls heart had grown hard and bit
/ ter az she lay i'll bed after her reason had
returned. She felt that she could not
! pass under the sod her idol was taken
/ froin her, and she would not fill its place
with even the image Of her God. Life
I seemed but broad Sahara, with no gleam-
| ing, green oasis, no bubbling springs and
shady palms to lure the weary traveller
over its arid waste. Could she return to
her old careless existence Of yore could
she live here, where every tree and flower
would speak of ham


/ "Oh, no; | must turn my back upon the
old life and among new scenes and faces
seek forgetfulness. must not risk seeing
him Just yet, if ever; and he may even
/ now be at his fathers. | do not know; |
must be in haste, or | will see him ere
know it, she muttered to herself, and
turning to a table near by she rang a small
! bell which soon brought her maid to her.


''Ask my mother to come to me, Mary,
she said


Mrs. Hinton entered the room, and
placing her arms around Maud, kissed her
gently. A month before the caress would
I haua hrot,nhf IN ho urirl'a bnf
now she needed it not Her mother sighed
the brown eyes.


Mother, said she, ''have they come
You know who | mean, nodding her head
toward Mr.. Lyle's.


"No, my dear, they are not coming be-
fore Christmas, | believe, replied Mrs.
| Hinton.


''Then must go away before they do
come. You and father will go with me,
will YOU notf


"Where do you wish to 20, Maudr


ITO the city, and to live. You must
know how utterly impossible it is for me
to live here. You have read that cruel
letter, and you know what he was to me-
1t almost breaks my heart to think of tax
ing you and father from our beautiful
home, but | could not stay here"


Yes, Maud; we know it darling, ard
we will be happy anywhere with you. Mrs.
Lyle is almost heart-broken at Georges
marriage, and cannot imagine how it hap
pened | thought it best not to tell her;
it would make her take dislike to his
wife. Did do rightl'


"Oh, yes; if he wishes her to know il
he will tell her himself; and, mother, don't
let us speak Of them any more; and All
papa to 60 away as soon as possible, it will
be so much better"


Her request was quickly complied with,
and Christmas found them installed in their
city home.


Maud plunged into one continual round
of gayety, seeking to hide meath folds OF
silk and velvet the breaking heart within.
She was soon the reigning belle Of her set
young, beautiful and wealthy. Many
suitOrs were at her feet ere the season was
half over.


She gave herself no time to think Of the
past, but night and day found her at some
place of amusement


When she left her old home she had
crushed, or meant to crush her lucklesa
love SO effectually that it would trouble
her DO more. That she had done this shs
implicitly believed, but she was not Ions
in doubt or ignorance concerning the true
state of her heart.


The season was almost over, when sh.
went to the opera one night, attended by
distinguished gentleman, an ardent ad
mirer, and, report said, an accepted suitor


Very beautiful she looked, though very
little like the Maud Of other days
black velvet dress contrasted well with tn,
polished neck and arms; the brown hail
was drawn smoothly, almost tightly bacl
from the broad brow mot a wave or rip
pie remained of the mass of curls she one,
wore) and wound the shapely head in
massive coil; q spray Of clematis bells wa
ca-c.cssly fastened on one side, while 1
simple band Of black velvet caught with
diamond star encircled the slender throat