The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutThe Brussels Post, 1888-7-6, Page 7Jtrvy 0, 1888. THE E3fRUSSELS POST imaimeNatAgzwawyso=009;02370zmoogwuaEsm,,,i73t...,=melammmoum:i.x.4:m",aa,MtareMeezZnomzMatasMonoOOVAdr=44o,a4;r,,,e,-,==4-=,zo HST TO EARNEST,. Jy 2J, P. BOR, AUTI1011 ' mummus 11111110D AWAY," "0')12U0( ,' 011nkPrliUT OMB," STO. ccl, Ninon was couvullied with laugh's:, and si hispoi . " Oh, Mosso, isn't thio tho funniest thing that ever was in this groat world? That Man there is afraid of me—littlo "Then oho saw that ho thought sbo was laughing at him, . and that lia hail straightened himself up stiff and haughty and had looked tho other way. But he couldn't Item) looking tho other way very long," Lottie said, with an in. disuribable air that brought out a round of applause; "mud when ho glanced, toward her, she gave such an encouraging smile that ho mum at onto to her sido and said : • Little 03101, wilt thou walk with " A happy thoughtstruok Ninon. Her mothor had said sho was too young to have a lover, but nothing had boon said against her having another brother. So, with consoienco clear, sho whispor- ea, ' Sit still hose till I come back;' and the littlo boy sab still looking up into tho sky, while Ninon lot the fall strange): tato hos hand and lead hos away. But his oyes wore 00 gond° and true, she lost all fear and asked: "'Wily clo you call mo sistor 9' "Porhaps , you eau toll me,' ho "I came here all uttor strang,or, and I looked. all around among tho poople, and thoir faces woro strange, and it seemed to um that they evor would be strange; but when 1 WAY your face, yon appeared to baking to mo. I think wo must bo oehted ' " ' I news saw you before,' said Ninon, shaking her hood. "'1 have seen you. in my &emus all my life, ho replied, looking at hor so earnestly that the color deepened on her cheek. "1 novas heard. anything so spoor in all my Ilia,' said Ninon, • You have much to learn,' said the stronger. • Ycs,' said Ninon humbly, ' as moth's): says, I'm only a littlo child.' " You aro not a littlo child; you are a beautiful maiden, Ninon,' said tho straugor, eariaostly. " 'Nonsense," she said blushingly. 'I shall never be that 1' Bub she liked to hear him say it, novertheleso,"Lottio added, with an accent that again brought out a round of applause. "'I'm taking too much time,' Lottie said depsecatiugly. " Go on, go on, Wag the unanimous cry, and hos little brother Da,n,who had dropped nuts and applos, and was leaning, open-mouthed on her knees, said . " Lade, if you don't go on, 111 do something So Lottio coutiuued. "And the tall stranger smile(1 don upon hos, and said, Violets aro niy favorito flower, and you aro a modest little violet,' "Now you aro wrong again,said Ninon; '1101ets aro a polo bluo lower, allit my checks aro burning so oddly—I never had 1110111 do so boforo, 1 lmow look like the peonies in this curo's gar- den.' " 'You look like the sweetest rose in the cure's garden.' "Is that tho way big brothers talk to their little sisters ?' " • That is the *way I talk to yon, and easiiest.' "'How do little sisters treat a brother big as you aro? " Woll, for ono thing, they kiss them.' "'That's quoin,' said Ninon innocent- ly. should think 11 would bo just the other way.' "Noce. I think of it, you aro right,' anfl the straugor gave hor a kiss that set every nerve tingliug. How odd,' sho osclaimod, half frightoned, half delightod. Pierre sometimes kisses mo, but 1 never felt that way before.' 'I And big brothors take their little sistors in their arms and lift thom over rough places, as 1 do.' " And he carriod hor ovor a low stone wall that oeparatedthem from a shadowy grove. 'Oh how nice,' sighed Ninon coral placently, ' I've always had to got over tho rough plaoes by myself before.' " ' You will no longer,' said the yooth, as they passed under the low branches of a, slsoltoring time. Oh, Ninon, as halloo:nit as beautiful, can you not soo that 1 am not your brother, but your lover 2' and ho throw himself at hos foot. "But Ninon olaspod hor hands in the doopost distress, and cried, ' 011, why did you say that? You might havo boon my,brother as long as yon ohoso. But mother says that 1 can have no • lovers, that 1 osn only a child;" and like a startled fawn she fled from him, WO a few minutos Iritor,panting and broath. less, was sitting again boside her strange little brother, who was still looking into tho sky as if ho saw a vision. " Tho young stronger followed sadly, thinking how ho might still win hor,and teciOli her that sho was nolongor a child. 06 Ninon soon became moro composed, and looked around as if oho would liko to see him again. As from a distance ho watched hos from Under his hoist 070- • brows, a happy thought struck him, and ho saicl, Pll toassh het that sho is a woman,' an1)t stepping foswardho singled • 0010 noglOotod villago maiden, who • i soomod ready 1)01 11 lido attention from anybody, and whirled hos into the dance. Ninon, to hos dismay, saw' 1110 arm of hos whilombrobhor and lover on. • eiroling anothor girl, while Oho, ap- parontly, was forgotbon. She could seal:0°1y hollow. her gas, Sho lookod at him, fixodly, tho palm of soproach, but ho novo; :Mimi to look towards ha. Saivism resoutment, griefs fa* .• 111?:. lowod atoll other upoo hor fah: faccsliko clod s passing over a stnity land,oeape. •.1 At last film buried hos faco upon littlo ,•". Plum's shold,', and OObbod Ile may 14 my lover, or auytiung also, 11) 1)0 will only leave that batoful mius, and 001110 1)0 me moo more.' 'Plie lail stranger saw hos drooping bead, and quiohly lot his partner out of 1130 dance, and bowed Limsou away loaving bor bowildored; so quiohly bait ho einuo and one, " Ninon looked up, but ho was no. where to bo seen, and tbo hateful minx ' final alopo, Suddenly a voice that had grown strangely familiar said at hes side, ' May 1 bo thy lover now 9' " Thou art foists," also said faintly. Novor to thoe, Niuou. 1Vly thoughts were with thoo oyes): moment since you 50 cruelly loft MO. DO you not soo why I sought another maiden ? 1 whaled to toaoh you that you were 00 louger Mild, but a woman, I am your lover. Your heart has already claimed me, and theso jealous tears prow) it.' " 'Well, then,' said Ninom shyly sniffing again, ' if my heart has gono to you, and I half boliovo it has, I must follow my hoosit ;' and oho 1)111 1101 hand in hio." hong and lou?l was the applause that grootod Lottie's conclusion. Dan ex- ecuted a miniaturo breakdown as an ex- pression of his foolings, and it would soma that Mr. Dimmorly's chuckling laugh woul11 nevor cease. De Forrest looked uneasy( and Itemstoad was in trance of bosvilderod delight. Alio° and Harcourt oxchanged significant glauceo, but upon tho faces of Mrs, Marclimont and Bollo woro traces of disapproval, o Now, uncle," cried Lottie, " its your turn. I have given you comedy; wo shall oxpect from you high tragedy." The word " comedy," as Lottie here used. it, jarred unpleasantly on nom. stoad's ear, and the thought crossed Hareoust's mind, " Can sho bo leading Hon3stead, on in heartless jest, as wo proposes' at ihist ? How I havo changed sumo that clay, and I was 111 hopes sho had too, somowhat." But Mr. Dimmerly had taken up the thread of tho narrative where Lottie had dropped it ; "Ninon," he said, " livod a long whiles ago, and did not properly sofa]: the tall stranger to her mamma. A trysting.placo and time were agreed upon, and tho mys- terious strangor in green, who was a forester seemingly, said that ho ha1)1 a doer to kill before nightfall ; ancl,raising hor hand' to his lips, departed. Ninon sat a long limo lost in a maze of thought, and then, in Um twilighb, roused tho rapt child from his visions, and they startecl for thoir home. But villainous faces had hovel:eft on the outskirts of tho villago green, and ill-omened eyes had marked tho beauty of Ninon, and the spiritual face of her brother. 'At that time there was in Franco a terrible monster known as Gies do Laval, whose emissaries wore 0101 on the alert for such victims. It was this cruol man that suggested to Perrault his world-renownod story of Barbe-bion, tho Bluo-Board that Dan thero knows all about. Well, when •Ninon and hos littlo brothor WO120 passing a thicket but halfway home, two masliod men sprang out upon them, and stiffing their terror- stricke.zr cries, carried thorn to a dis- tance from-tho highway. nos, then bound bandages firmly over theio mouths, and the villains lifted thom on their hose, and galloped away and away, till poor Ninon felt that sho could norm find hos way home again, even if she had a chance. Soon the shadowy walls of a groat castle roso boforo 1110111,. with a single light in a lofty tower. Tho foot of the iron -shod horses rang on the drosvbsidge, which rose after thorn., and thou Ninon knew they -wow prisoners. ' "At first Huy were shut up hi a dun- geon that was perfoody clash-, for their cruol jailor know tho overpowering of - foot of rayless darkness. But strange littlo Piosso said that the place was brighter than the sun, and that lovely faces woro smiling at him. Ninon, how- ever, saw nothing, and it was dark in - iced to her, and silo sobbed bittorly,aucl called on Ion =that sad lover for help. Bat only stony -headed Laval and ins accomplices hoard her girlish voice. A bell in ono of the tossers slowly tolled out oleo= o'elook. A little later the door of thoi 0011 pond, and 'Halt streamed in. Two mon in hicloous mann • seized them, and carried them up said up, tffi Ninon, in horror, thought they were to bo thrown from the top of the tower. "But worse than that awaited thorn; for soon they ontered a largo, circular room, in which, on a sort of throno, sat a droadfuldooking mans clad in sable. He 110(1 1)11010» form and f Catlin% but reminded ono of tho more disgusting kind of wild boasts. His eyes were alumni piecing and malignant, but his face was largo, sensual, dovilish, and poor Ninon lost hope 'the moments sho saw him. She instinctively fon that to suo for movoy from such a monster would be worse than vain. " Sho had lost hope utterly. Sho and her maims wore mistaken. Tho stints cared for neither little Pierre nor hos. self, and had left them to fall into tho clutches of this denim, She glanced slowly around the room in the faint lave of escape, or even fox Mao ohauo0 of throwing herself from a window 11) 11 wore lioedful, in ardor to °scam° from that horriblo man, But tho walls woro thick, No light came from without, but only from a groat furnaco that MO strangely constructed, and macho het ehuador. " For a long timo thoro was perfoot silence ia the &maul piano. The two suaskod, mon, grotesquo and horriblo, stood near tho furoate motionless as statuos. Tho sable monstor 011 hill black throno watched thom without moving a =Solo au his groat mosso taco, only his swan eyos 0000)0(1 liko bwo cosintillating sposks of infesual Tho, as with a fioudish kind of ploasuro ho svatched the agony of Ninon. Thoyotmg girl instinativols: goy° op all hopo of lifo, and yob novas had lifo Boomed 00 moot, Its homoliost dotal's toppoared precious, and thois v00r littlo ootisnso heaven, C0111110,rea WWI this don of in. 1)011)7. " She hod ,aust tasted the exqmoite happinoss of is now, and boforo unknown love, and now oho woo to Wu, :ono thougbt of lies mothor growing groy 111 loneliness aud grid, Silo thought of has lovor- coming eagerly to their Irysting pima, but when hi) eamo on bho morrow, Christmas day, what would , sho bo—svhero wadi sho by and 10 her anguish she pried aloud, and kneel. ing, stretched out her hands towards tho sable throno. • "Thou foo tbo first time the coarse, 1111011 lips of Um moustor distorted them. solves into a hideous grin, but othorwiso ho did not movo, and the awful olio= continued in tho chamber of death. "Ninon put kin bands to hor face to hido his ugly visage, and then smile down in an apathy of despair, "Thoro -isois nothing hum's agony that disturbed, Laval. Scarcely a night pawed but momo victim liko heroelf writhod under his remorseless eyeo, Thoir nsostal fear and sufferings woro his soma -Hon before the stonier busi- ness of soroory that followed, and tho mos° domonstrative they 11010 in awls pain, tho more higli.spieeil his ploasuro. At first Ninon's beautiful and oxprossivo ram 1(01)11 11)9 whole attention, but after a while he began to note the strangely appearing littlo boy who accompanied her. Thoro 110)5 1)0 foar in his collo, pale ram Thoro was no dread in his largo spiritual eyes, that seemed to look past the monster and his thick svalls to some Imo vision beyond, " 'What doss tho little wretch soo ?' he quesied, for Laval, like his ago, Wag very sups:I:Wilms. "But Ninon must bo goaded out of hos apathy, or the night would bo dull; so at last 1110 thick bps open, and filo awful Mimeo is broken by none awful words "'Girl, thou art to lose body and soul, look at mo.' "Slowly Ninon lifted her eyes to his brutal Moo, and gazed fixedly as some poor littlo bird might into the enven- omed. jaws of a Belmont, Tho fascination of fear was upon her. In a thick, gut- tural, monotonous voico, tho human boast continued: 'The devil has shown 1110 that there is a potent charm in thy young innocent heart, these are power- ful spoils in thy warm young blood; and that with thom I may discover untold wealth. When the bells toll out the hour of midnight, I shall balm your blooding heart out of your living body, and the heart of your brothor out of his body, that with them I may decoct an ossonce in yonder furnace, that will transmute 1110 basest metal into gold. Midnight is the hour, and at midnight you shall die. Only tho spell will. bo ' far more potent if yon first give your- solf to tho foul fiend. Therefore, repeal ' etas mo ; I give my soul and body to Satan.' " Moohanically the torsos - stricken 1 girl began: "'7 give '—bat little Pierre put his hand over hor mouth. 'Tho saints for. bid,' ho said, quietly. " Seize the Oil& tear outhis staring oyes,' shouted tho monster savagely." Mr. Dimmerly sboppocl, took off his spectacles, and coolly wiped them, as he said: "I'm thsough, and my part of the story is true. This Giles do Laval, or as ho is better known in French history, tho Marshal do Betz, destroyed bun- dreds of chiklren, at agos varying from eight to eighteen, and in ways far worse than 7 havo closoribed. So, Logic, have 7011 1)0(1 enough of high trimedy ?." " 011, uncle," she exclainseewith a lhtlo impationt stamp of the foot, "you havo told us a horriblo story. It must not break off in this way, or wo shan't sleep a wink tomight. 1/1r. Hemstead, you tako up tho story whore unclo loft off, 0)1(1, 11) possible, cottipleto it ha a way that wont make mu: blood ran colcl." Thus Hemstead was put upon his mottle, and soon all. prosent woro hang. ing with breathless interost on his rich, soca-modulated touos. "When tho monster from his sable throne uttesod his raosoiloss mandato to tear out the eyes of little Piero, the two grotesquo and statim-liko appar. aims sprang into life, and snatching hot irons from tho fusnace, rushe1)t to- ward the child. Ninon gaVO a Shriek of tesror, and sought to shelter the boy in her rams, crying, Do what you will with me, but sparo him.' Thus again, more truly than beforo by jealous tears, Ninon proved that she had become a 1701nall." At this sentence ho was interrupted by a perfect storm of applauao, 111 111)1011 Harcourt lad a again and again. Bob Heinstead drew his inspiration from Lottio's faco, and noted with a thrill of icy that tears stood in hor oyes. This was a richoo tribute than ho received from all tho °those, and with deeper and more offoctivo tonos bo continued : "Bnt just thou tho great boll bogan to toll ont tho hour of twolve, and tho demon, from his sable throno, made a =Straining gosturo. Naught,' he said, 'must 110110)1(11. fora with our high magic and solemn sorcery. At tho last stroke of tho bell take thoir hearts out of their living 1.1c),(1'icsNn Ninon on sank on the flobr, murnstriog. like a crying zephyr among tho 011011(18 01 an ./Eolian harp, 'Faresvoll, mothor door. Faresvoll, Illy lover true. I can. not moot you to -morrow at the fallen tram:" (and hero Hemstead glanced at Lottio whose face was instantly sof- ftIrtiaci,)'mong foss bowed her hoad upon heo brothor's 8110)11(101, and sobbed a " Slowlyand solonmly upon tho silent i night thoiron tonguo told out tho fate- ful moments. "With inevoissing uneasiness tho mon. ski: upon his sable thrones Watched little Piave, who, from first to last, had nob shown a trace of Toon or trouble, Among all bis *victims ho had nova oema a child liko this, and his guilty 110011 1)0(10)1 to fail him wofullys. 'Ito auroly MOS somothing,' he muttered, as bho boy's largo oyos dilated with DW011,llO11s owo, and his faco goo; luminous with a groat joy. "Tho heavy vibrations of tho strolco of tho boll tosoundod through the • 1 snout night. " Suddonly, with 0. shrill, placing volt° that wont 111i0 on arrow to tho guilty hoasis oil Laval, littlo Piosto sus - Waimea : "'11Chrietmao Worn. 01I, Ninon, look. 1 thew is Jew, tho Chrid.Childt and the Lord 01) 011 tho saints. Soo, He is coming toward no, boating His cross —Ile is Itere—lio is placing His pierced hands upon our hoads—we are saveil;' and the child knoll: reverently ou the pavement and his sister knelt boside 11)113, "'Ilia wonstor tumbled off bis sable throno and lay grovelling and groaning %Inn the floor, svhilo hio, terrorntricken accomplices ran chottisflug clown the staiso. "1'r above the tower even, Ninon thought oho board a burst of heavenly song, yrhilo little Pierre in rapt ocstasy colod, Liotou.' " Suildouly a clarion voice, that Ninon board most plainly, and that thrilled her to the heart, rang up from the earth beneath. "'111110) but a hair of their howls and 7 will maim you Nein the tortures 01) 11110 &mina' "Even at their height they could hear tho sound of galloping stoats. "it dozen brave follows swam thc: 111001), aud. ft MO1210116 later tho ("Iran, britlgo fell heavily and the clangor of e hundred boobs mug upon it. Up the winding stair came the trawl' of armed men. Them was a. thud and a groan when any rosistod. The de- throned monster lay grovelliug on the floor, not daring to 11101O, "Little Pierre still lookecl heaven. ward. .Ninon looked toward the door, A moment lator her lover rushed in with drawn sword; and Ninon, till. harmed, with a cry of joy, sprang to his "But tho fire of a terrible Auger burned in the young man's check, and he salad( his gleaming sword against Laval, who now pleaded piteously fox mosey. "'What morcywould you havo shown these °Mason?' thundered the youth. 'What mercy have you shownsto your other innocent victims?' and ho Wag about to run him throggh, when Ninon caught his arm, and cried: Stay, kill him not this Christmae morn iu his terrible guilt. It was Jesu who saved us, and does Ho not eves say, Forgive—ovon our enemies ?' • "Slowly she drew down tho salmi arm of human revongo. Sho took from his reluotant baud tho gleaming sword and 1011111110(1 11 in its sheath. "And now Ninon has become more than a woman—sho is a Christian." part mow, Isom any occasion that Iis pcorruelitioso7* bad been solensnizod by her aneeotors, back to the tiow of the But this moment of bliss was of short doration, far Mrs. Mara:wont unexpoct- edly entered the hall and threw them both into clisaotrouo confusion by ex. claiming in unfolguod astonioluneut "Well, well! what (loos this moon ?" Of course, Lottio was tho first to re- Ocrver home% and managed to f al ter : " You soo,auntio, by scone acoldont•—I assure you it svas an accident; I (11,1116 mean to clo it all—I got under that hor- rid mistlotoo of uncle's, and Mr. Hem - stead, it would seem, had token to boort unolo's liomily ou tho duty of kooplug up thus—" A1 Mr. Hemstead, you lwo couociontious, and I suppose he folt that ho must, poor mans aud fie—aral At this =moist Harcourt's oxpedients of delay failed, and theywore loudly summoned back to the dining -room, " I hopo there will be no snoro such nonsense," said Ns. March:wont so. vorely. " Oh, no, indeed, auntie; it 330111 1101011 happen again. Only tho strongest sense of duty could have impelled Mr. Hour stead to clo such a thing;" and thoy es- caped into the diniug-room to be :sub- jected to a fico from auothor quarter. Thoir color was so high, and they had such an air of general confusion, that Harcourt cried, laughingly: " I mor than half believe that you havo been under this mistletoe." " Nonsonse," said Lottio; "with auntie in ins hall? If you think Mr. Hemstead. is bra-ve (plough for that, you greatly misjudge him." But Do Forsoot was wofullyouspioious, and had many uneasy thoughts about tho "jest" which Lottie must bo carry- , ing out; for surely it could not bo pos- , sible that sho was b000ming earutiot. Hemstead and Lottie made wretchod work in guessing tho word required of them from the nature of the game; for Mr. Dimraorly's prolonged, chuckling lasigh, which could be hoard ftom the parlor, did not tend to allay their cou- fusion. • When Mrs. lliarchmont entered that apartment she found her brother ap- parently in a convulsion; but ho was only vainly endeavoring. to prevent his merriment from dovelopum into an out- rageous chuckle, for ho too had seen Lottie under the mistletoe. " This thing must bo stopped," said Mrs. Marolamout, emphatically; abwhicli her brother chuckled louder than eves, and said : "Stopped, indeed 1 As if it could be, or over had boon stopped,' since Adam and Eve met in the Garden of Edon!" His sister left the room with a gesture CHAPTER Y_XXI. 1:/NTER TEO nuSTLETOt. Instead of applause, there was the of almoYance• truer and mono appropriate tributo of Suddenly tho little man's queer, saner) when Heinsteacl finished the cackling laugh ceased, and his wrinkled mosaic of a story which, by the various face grow sad and thoughtful as he narratives, hail boon de-veloped so difs ' sighed— forontly and yet characteristically, 1 "I'm the only Dimmerlywho evor has Tho oyes of inoro than one were moist, 1 ' stopped.'—fool that TWOS. His mother, and Lottie hastily left tho room. sister Collo, would marry a poor man, Mr. Minuses:1y was the first to recovez and her life, in spites of all hor toil and himsolf, aucl, asks bisviurr his nose privation, has 113011 happier than Mine," most vociforously, inanagedio say 1 and he shook his head pathotioally over Wall, nephew, it was hardly the i "what might havo been." thin" to got a sermon off on us before The marble clock on tho mantelpieco Sunday, but, sinco it was rather woll chimed out the hone of twelve, and the dono, I don't think wo will complain. I ' young peoplo eamo flocking, in from the now suggest that you young poople have ' (lining -room, theis noisy nanth hushed some gams that will set yous blood inouthseyof thoremorobored that the sacred 014011. Tho last hours of Christmas- hasChristmas Sabbath had ova should ever bo tho merriest. I ; commenced. send Lottio back—the tender-hearted , "I have induced. Miss Martell to give little minx, who must take everything 1 us a Christmas hymn 'before parting," in earnest." I said Harcourt ; and he led Alice to tho His advice was followed, and Lottie piano, as if *olio had been some promo - soon. returned, becomins,o as usual, the Anted. arrangement. lifo ol the company. A. breezy sound of Lottie went to her undo's side, and voices and many a ringing laugh took ' took his arm in a sod of wheedling, al. tho place of tho former hush, as games fectionato Way. Sho was boginumg to and jests follosvod 111 quick succession. instinctively recognize that sho had an Harcourt was good • uaturcdly . on ally and sy.mpathizer in him. As he tho alert to servo Ho:instead, and, In a • looked clown upon her fair faco in its game that required. tho absence of two am' froshness and bloom, ho vos-sred Of the company from the room a few , thatti,krbvfaaroheasitt ownWaS yinwhais ,rimeua studont and power, asho momouts, suggLottie Marsden. Thoy, ostod the names of the oho the inevitablo ills of our lot might dim nothing loth, went out togothor into 1110th bf ac bub11l('Lotvaintio o "Do you know," said 1Teinstoad, o I " Whitt are yorilaughing at so, uncle?" think it a littlo strange I him not had ; 8110 whisnorod• a chasm to speak to you 0101103 Si1100 we • " At nly nephew's painful minion. 1101:0 ab the talon two in the clump of tiousnoss and stern porformanee of duty. 1101111001(0" 1 What a martyr 110 made of hinisolf, to " I did not know," said Laths, laughs ; bo sure " ing and blushino, "that 1110 fallen trot) " Now, unolo, I holf belieVo you think I stepped under your old imstletoo on was it trysting.ilaco." a young lady thoro moo, whom svould I "Web," saa he, oagesly, mos 1 711117050. It's no such thing," Oh, no, my deals The mistletoe is gladly moot thorn or (1117111)0120 also haunted, and has been for a thousand again.'' 7011111 01 moro, and vie-wless olvos draw "To soo whether sho had balm yo.,„ 1 nudes it those 'who aro to seceivo kisses I 9" —psophotic of many others 1)101» 1110 " Than cloponds. I doubt whether sha ' cap. snake a Mall' of a costain ',Wool, and I fear she will nob take tins other alternative." " Sho will probably do as Ninon did—o follow hor heart." "If 0110 could only know whither your heart wouldlead you I" ho said, blushing aooply, and looking ab her so wistfully that sho, fleeing though his thin dis- •guise, had 11 (11 hos tonguo to tell him. But, instead, sho took a fow dancing Stops away, and, with no such intention Whistovor, good just under the mistle. too as she laughingly said: • 1; That 101)1111(1s mo of what nay father oft= says; How 11100 it would bo to speoulato, if ono only know every 111110 how it would turn out." "Miss MaradOis I" ho exolaimod, hur. rloilly, " you aim right tinder bho toe." Sho tried to spring away, but ho 8110t0110(1h01 hand and detained hor, 'While /se otood hooltatingly at her side, looking at hos lips as if lacy woro the gatos of Paradise, ‘1 Woll," sald sho, laughing and blush. fug, "7 havo nothing to do ill tho mats tor" giv"oBite,I Baro not take it unless you "And I dam not give it wilesyou talco it." Lottio's oyes wero suffused with -Wars If Iloulstoad aia nob ountlato Mr. Dim. 1113011 tho Bina)* hymn was finished, but morly's 1' oxplosion," tho foldout rito they did not prevent her from following was noveriholoss honorod in a way that Miss l‘fartoll's finger 8133 410 turned to Lag° wordd not soon forgot. Noyes did tho titlomago and pointed to tho in. 11 kiss moan more, express mons or 11 TO 111) CO:111X1u11',3 85100 111)8," But hero ho found Lottio's baud upon iris lips, for a second, and then sho stood at Miss Martell's side, 'who was now playing a prelude. In some surprise, Lottio noticed that, instead of thoro boing a printed sheet upon tho plata- rack, both the words and music were writton by haul As Miss Martell sang, in a sweat but unfamiliar air, the follow. ing words, hos sorpsise and interest deepened— At midnight, in Sodom's shies, ll'hero dawned a light whose holy soya Not only ohoorod 01101,1101,M oyos, Bill 311,31 (01031 haps 011 Coming days. Itt ollEinight, Wm. 0003348 Plan Was hoard n, soug nolcuown baton ; '1110 °thou of tho sweat refrain 300 11,011,31113 (oath's remotest show. 'Tow nob 8,0sun o'or Mullen 111118, That shod transient radianoo Mild; Nor o. foolllo hob! oostbly 511s8(10711513318 in CM mango found. ippon tho darker 111100151133 shy Of hurann 00rr0113 0111,0, 33,11 0111— A nest that 1110000 141 noontide Molt A droary gloom all hearth Within-- , Thom yoso a 310314,10,11)1111011 11003 Whim light was lovo and 17331135t113"(* The OW of 1-100100, yot or ons Mee— ' !Cho Inullblost of lunnanity, The night of 80131011, 8111, and OM • 83(11 shadows luany linploas hortria: /Mt all who V111, this light oloy !Mils hope 1511101 Christmas morn biomes 0 p 1 CD 0 NI CD c -P- 0 w Sios 14 so, f • -,#•••; • sits 1`• 1 4 0 et - 17 -71 CD bi 0 00 00' 00 Ct. CD) 0,