THE STORY OF NANCE.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 227, 5 November 1887, Page 2

THE STORY OF NANCE.

Far down the mountain side, whero wan. dering sunbeams como but rarely, a few round and soft-eyed, browsed lazily. In tho distance a faint tinkle came from tho lestless bell-cow, warning her companion* tiofc to wander too far from home. The heavy sti Jness of the air gave promise that tho brewing clouds would soon burst into a storm, and tho dumb creatures, with wise instinct, scenting tho rain-laden w ind, betook themselves down the s.tcep cattle-tiail w Inch led home. Hardly had the oiackling of their feet through tho underbu>h ceased, when the sound uas caught up in an opposite direeticn, ana o fcinart bay maio walked nimbly along the path. Seated on her back, in a well-\vom t-i Ie caddie, was a girl — no, a woman, fiom i* second look at her straight, firm figure -wearing, in lieu of a habit, a Vr-ell-AVorn brown skill that barely covered her ill shod feet. Her figure, innocent of any support save that gi\cn by her light-brown checked homespun wai«t, was compact and •well made— not what a French dressmaker would cill pietty, but fashioned after tho •Greek ideal. On her head, or lather off of "her head, dangled a pink sunbonnet, showing a Hushed face, a\ i'h thick, frowsled hair that looked like dead autumn leaves in the f»hade. Despite tho biisk pace of the little mare, large drops already began to patter against the lea\ o-, and angry Hashes momentarily brightened the sullen clouds Breaking a switch from a gum tree, tho lider touched her horec into a quicker pace. Tho muttering thunder grew louder, and just as they Reached the foot of the mountain the storm overtook them. A. swift gallop along the hard, whito path brought them in view of a log cabin squatted in an uncared-fov yard. Tho wind and rain were making wi'd. havoc with tine week's wash spread on the lough palings. Tho air seemed to be full of white b-illoons that sailed about w ith a shocking lack of dignity. In the doorway stood a queer-looking figure ■with a pipe in his mouth and a de^puring look in 'his eyeb. As tho maro pulled up breathless to the gate, and her rider spiang to the ground, he of the pipe and de-pair ■made a relie\ cd movement an-i laid hit- coi ncob in a niche between the unchinked logs. Catching a sight of her father, the girl burst into a loud, clear laugh, and then lan aftei the fast scattei ing clothes. A few dexterous swoops brought back the would-be balloons and a swrft run landed rescued and rescuer in the low, dark cabin. Passing into the back room, her kuir.Uju was soon di-posed of before the kitchen (iie, while her father put the mare in a lough shanty that served as a stable. Turni ig to go in the room that served as dining-room, par. lour, and guest-chamber, she caught sight ofa&tiangei standing in the door. She did not move ; Iv r eyes, lested on hi» figure for an instant, and she seemed to know in that one glance that he wan tall and strong ; that the cold of hi-) hair biightencd tho dingy little room; th it his eye were blue'and fathomless as tho slic*, and somehow the air giew close, and out of her face the colour crept, "leaving- it white and delicate, like the mountain laurels that bloom away from the tun. Neither spoke, and she turned her eyes away ; he made a slight movement, and her glance meb his Sonicthing she saw there sentthe blood rushinginto her cheeks. She had no clear thoughts. Her brain was in a whirl, while he told himself that this mountain girl with her crimson lips and r.iin-bpla-hed hair was like a field peppy before the &uh lind kissed away the eaiiy dew. The deepest sentiment has no voice. Theie arc suoieme moments in the lives of most that find no utteiance but, like a stone thrown into the air, fall back in sile ice. The stamping of her f.tthcr, a*^ he came upon the lowporch and shook off the clinging laindrop^, broke the spell, aid catching bight of the stranger he said in his strong, hearty "voice : "Be you sheltei hag from the atoim, friend ?"" Without waiting for an answer he drew -up n chair in token of welcome, and bade his guest be &eated. This the young man did, and began to explain his presence. "To begin with, I rather think I am lost," he said pleasantly, " and yet, so far from feeling forlorn, I am inclined to think a lucky chance has brought; me here. lam off for a month's sport, and was told that 1 might find some good fishing in Silver Creek. Six miles is a good distance to come for it, and if you will not think me hold I am tempted to a.^k you to let me put up with you for awhile." As his ho^t made a disparaging gesturCj he went on hastily : "lam willing to take pot luck, sleep anywhere and lough it generally; and a<< for remuneration " heie he stopped short, and the old man, who had resumed his discarded pipe, regarded him attentively. At last he drawled slowly : "Ifyer be a'mind to stop awhile 'long with we 'un;?, you be welcome ; but we don't take no pay from our visitors." The young man hesitated, and would have demurred, but the other stopped him with a gesture. And so it was settled that John .Loftus should stop at 'Squire Grady's and on the following day bring his tiaps from the sleepy little town where he had put up. I A silence, during which the 'Squire dozed j and his guest revolved in his mind some j means to compensate his generous host, lasted sqtae time. At last the cob pipe fell from the parted lips of the unconscious smoker and went clattering on the board Boor. " Nance," called the 'Squire, starting up. There was no answer, so he shuffled through the low door in search of her. INance had disappeared at the moment her father entered the house. It had grown jquite dark, so dim ho could barely see the figure seated, in the dcorway. * { Ain't we goin' to have any ' supper tonight, Nance ?" he said, and his voice seemed very gentle as he spoke. The girl turned slowly, and lighting the small lamp that stood on the kitchen table, .set to work. Looking cautiously at the open door, her father moved closer and half whispered : "The stranger's goin' ter stop with we'n ns awhile to fish in ' Silver Creek,' and mebbe yer'd better make some short-cake an' a cup of coffee fer his supper." "All right," she replied, and he went back into the other room. When everything was ready &ho hesitated, and then putting on a large white apron walked slowly through tho door. Her iather bad ■dozed off again, and she moved about softly, placing the dishes on the small square table.' She had nodded to Loftus as she came in the room, but did not speak until she had quito finished her preparations. Then she went over to her father and said, bending over him, "Dad, will you come to supper ?" The old man started up. " Why, yes, Nanco ; of course, of course. Me and .Mister Loftua hoy been waiting some- time. This is my gal, Nance, Mister Loftus. We're all alone, yer see— jest mo and her— but we gi'. along fust rate an' keep the farm goin .' He chuckled good humourodly, and sat devn to the table. Nance said very little, except when Loftus s-icceeded in catching her eyes and asked her a direct question. Then she answered him timidly, as if afraid

of tho sound of her own voice. Presently, when they had finished, and Nance had cleaved away the things, and, with Loftus assistance pushed back the table, the 'Squivo said it was time to be asleep. He picked up a lamp and wished Loftus a good night/a rest on the neat white bed in the corner. Nance followed, and looked back shyly from the shadow of the half open door. . " Good-night, Miss Nance, said Loltus "Good-night," she answered softly, and vanished. The cool, damp aiv was full of new sounds, strange and sweet. The katydid s shrill chirp sounded fain 6 by the side ot the babbling mountain stream. The silver ripDlcs caught tho whito moonbeams and hurried them onward ; the pines nodded to each other in the darkness and whispered their secrets, and passion stirred in its sloep with on awaking sigh until the heart utiestin Nance's broist trembled with a vague pain until soft-eyed slumber kissed Iki* cheek. June days pass quickly when one is young and measures the time by heart beat?. To Nance a new life had opened, and too often John Loftus forgot his fishing to watch the light that came and went in her eyes at each varying tone of his voice. He was a man who loved refinement and cultuie above all things, but now and then in mad moments he forgot eveiythmg except the girl at his side, and that the magic of her glorious beauty and supeib vitality set all his pulses tingling. Among his city friends ho had admired tho dainty, delicate belles, with their countless accomplishments— they had seemed to him the embodiment of all desirable feminine attributes. And now he looked at Nance, noted each clear, full curve of her figure, each tint of her lair, warm skin, all the beauty and grace that nature had lavished on her. Ah, it was a struggle ! John Loftus was human, very human, and little by little he forgot that hi* stay in this enchanted spot would enJ with the summer flowers, foigot that there was any time save the present. And so, day bj day, he and Nance wandered over the mountains in search of new beauties, and they found the moat beautiful thing in nature, and the most deadly. He read much to her, books that she could under stand, poetry often, and the veiy tone of his voice told her .the btoiy. "Why was it that he always lead of love — unhappy love? Theic seemed to be a stiange facination in the theme for them both. Once lie paitly read, paifciy told her the story of " Tiistram and Ibuult," and w lien tho soft, cares-ing sound of his voice had left them " where "Don't you think they found each other up there ? ' And she pointed to the a\ lutoflocked sky. Loftus Mniled at her earnestness and answered her, with a question. "Do you think there is a heaven up there ? ' imitating her gesture .She looked at him a moment, startled by his levity, and oaid gra\ely : "iMebbe it ain't thexe, but there is a heaven somewhere, and no one is very soiry because there ain't nothing to be corry for. Sometimes I think mebbe it's across the mountain* where the sun goes every night. It's all bright and shiny there now, and mebbe that beautiful ctimson is tho robes of Uod that lie against the golden throne. It must bo all green and fre»h like, the new wheat and birds every whet c, and cool, clear u-ater, sw.eet flowed, and little childien — ano-els."' Her voice faltered, and somehow Loftus caught her in his arm.-, and said many things, but she only heaul that he loved her, and that there weie birds and flower?, and stream^ here beautiful enough for heaven. And the mountains had lost their serene blue and looked dim and sombre. The gold cloud had vanished, and at her feet the water sobbed in the cool evening air. Far dow n the stream a single whip-poor- wi 1 uttered his plaintive cry, and it was dark. Slowly they turned homeward, and w hen Nance said 4< good-night, * she asked, half timidly, and so low that he could scarcely hear her : tl Won't you thank God because we re so happy to-night?" Again he iaughed and kissed her lip s',5 ', with half pitying scorn at her blind faith, ut he said : Creeds prow bo thick along the way. Their boughs hide God -1 cannot pray. She only understood the last three word*, and turned sorrowfully away ; and the days that followed were like her dreams of heaven to Nance as ehe and Lof feus wandered, hand n hand, up the mountains or along the cieekside. Sometimes she wondered wiiy the had not known before how beautiful the earth was. The blackberry blossoms clung to the rough-hewn fences line bridle wreaths and above these towered tho stately elder bushes, with their soft, creamy flowers. How the bees held high revel in their yellow plush jackets and rifl- d all the blossoms of their sweetness. But there was no beauty like her lover's eyes, no sound so sweet as his voice that whispered love into her ear. For all that the earth was so fair and love so sweet, time did not tarry, though they took no heed of its flight. Wild lilacs blazed where the blackberry bushes had blossomed and bore iruit; handfuls of slnivelled leaves began to fall along the orchard fence; the ~ sumacs towered in crimson splendour and blazed out their life glory in the still, hot air, and the summer flowers had died ; yet Loftus lingered far into the closing year. And in the soft summer haze, when all the mountains were ablaze with myriad colours and misty with the purple glow of Indian summer, Loftus bad? Nanc© good-bye, Close ky the ptrean» that had caught sd many of their whispered secrets, where dainty ferns and gracefu willows grew, they kept their tryst. And there were many kisses and soft promises to comfort Nance's grief. " Before the leaves had lost their colour .1 will be with you, sweetheart," he whispered, but the lie choked him, and Nance looked up, wondering at the strained tone of his voice. He loved her : she was beautiful, bub she was ignorant, and he could not marry her. The spell must be broken, then 'tis be3t 'twere done quickly ; and he rode away in the cool mountain air with many a backward glance and cheerful word. But Nance stood at tho open gate and hid her face on '« dad's" shoulder, and would not look the last of him. When the mountain ceased to echo his horse's departing stops the Squire led Nance into the little cabin and comforted her in his tender way. " Now mind, honey," he said, "it won't be long yer'll hey te be by yerself. He'll be back terreckly to take yer away from old Dad."

11. 0, month of many memories, erood-by ! Ghosts throng your moon-bathed nights and sultry days; They gather round me in some silent place, Their breath is in the roses and their ory In songs of birds that dire the sunlit sky ; They meet mo in the twlipjht f xoe to face, And when I walk through lone night- covered ways ; In sadly-murmuring winds I hear them sißh ; Then am I as a man who sees in dreams Rorao dead, beloved face, and seeing, deems The past a dream, the dream reality 1 But, O ! the bitter waking when, alas ! Ho knows the mocking drr am for what it was, And gazes on a now day hopelessly. There is no lesson of the many that women have to learn so bitter as the knowledge that they have been deceived. To a woman of the world the bitterness is complex. Aside from the stab to her breast,

there is in many cases the more serious wound of laoerated vanity, and it is not difficult to determine which takes the longer to heal. With Nance it was different. Her amour propre suffered not one whit, because she had no consciousness of what Loftus' desertion implied. Her faith was as sturdy and strong as the mountain oaks. No thought that he had not meant to return crossed her mind.- And. so^ she went her ways much as usual, and if at times her cheeks looked white and. her lip trembled when Dad came back from town without bringing any tidings of Loftus, she hid her disappointment bravely. All the more so when &he caught a troubled look on Dad s wrinkled-brown face. They had grown very close together in these last lew weeks, and Dad was more gentle than ever with his motherless child. Once, when he had come back empty-handed from the village post-office and saw the eager light die out of Nance's eyes as ho shook his head to her silent question, ho said : "Nance, my gal, yer never knew nothin about yer mother. I couldn't stand ter talk about her an' I can't yet, tho' bhe died when yer wan'fc higher'n my knee. We knew each other ever since ehe was born, an' I loved her, too. Yer are like she wuz at your age, an' she sot a store by me. I was savin' money to buy a little plot oj ground, so we could jino hands for life, an hed ter work like a hoss. An' then a stranger come to the town for his health, he said. Ho wu/, handsom' au' fine, an' he would smile at Nell, chow in' all his shinin' white teeth, till no wondor tho girl was dazzled. I never paid a word, Dut my hcart'd almost bust when ehe'd torn impatiently from me to drink in every sound ot that other's voice. I'd hey saved her 11 I could, but it warn't no use. One day he went away. He told her good-bye before us all and took her hand, careless like. ' Good-by, Miss Nell,' sez he, ' invite me tejcr v'eddsn' P An' that wuz all. bhe never cried out, or even called his name. 1 Jim,' she sez to mo, ' if yer still a mind to ha\e me, let's be manied right away ! So we were, an' she was gentle an' kind, but when she .smiled it made a big lump in my throat that couldn't be swallowed. After you came the seemed to lade like, and as you got stronger, she got weaker, till one d.iy she left us both alone." The old man's voice faltered, and Nance laid her face against his furrowed cheek, Imt her eyes were bright and dry- And fiom that time she knew her lather believed Loftus would never come back. The trees dyed in lmid splendour, and on the autumnal blast came "The Cataiacfc of Death far thundering fiora the height*. Soon all nature was buty spreading a vast v.indim' sheet to cover the pinched, dull features of dead earth. In these sad chill day? Nance sat alone often, and repeated in herself the tender veises she had conned in nippier days. They seemed to soothe her, &o that fche forgot the present in tho pist. And the lir.es that came to her oftenefct -were these : O'er all the hill-tops Is quiet now ; In all the tree-tops nearest thou Hardly a breath; Wait ; soon like these Thou, too, shalt rest. With the first whisper of spring hope s-ctned to rally ; the anxious, hopeuil look came back in her eyes. The very air breathed of his coming. The mountain s stream, swollen to a torrent by the spring rains, raged through the valley. The sound was loud and tierce, and where the cattle were wont to ford the bilvery, laughincr creek, deep waters, muddy and turgid, swept; along. Here Nance rode every day to watch the ford lest Loftus should come to the other bide. In her heart she felt his nearness, and a calm, quiet happiness filled her whole being, "It was too ( early for white boughs, too late for snows," and there came a day all wild and wet with the mad March weather, but there was a thought of May in Nance's heart. ' ' Dad,"' said she, " he is very near to-day, lam sure. Why, it seems as if my heart i can see him." " I hope so, honey, I hope so, but the ! old man turned abide to hide a tear. Nance hummed softly to herself as she eaddrlled the little mare, such a song of rejoicing as tho angels hearing must have echoed. Turning with a sudden impulse ere she rode away, Nance kissed her father twice. <• Who knows but I may find him on the Other side of the creek ? How he ivill feel when I call out to him that lie must go up by the biidgo before he can get across. 0, daddy, daddy, I am co happy that I think the world cannot hold me." So he watched her out of sight down the path toward the ford, and as she rode— The wind had pitched its voice so sweet, 1 1 seemed an angel talked behind each b lsh A sharp turn and a feteep slope led to the water's edge. Sullen and angry rushed the muddy flood. Branches of driftwood hurried' madly onward. The face of heaven frowned upon the turbulent earth, and across the hurrying waters was the figure of John Loftus, 0, merciful heaven, send some pitying angel to stay him ore he rides down into the dark seething waters ! Nance is coming ; 0, so swiftly, but already he has urged his trembling horse into the mad current. The animal swims on bravely, and then tho rush of the water grows too strong, carrying horee and rider down the stream. And this is the sight that meets Nance's eyes as she huriies down the steep j bank on the opposite shore, Lofr»s q£[ b out warninely, bu.^ she ?» already in the stream umlilng towards him. She is very near now. She ha? caught his bridle, and pulled his horse from the middle channel into the quieter current near the shore. Her own horse falters for an instant and is drawn backward. And then before either of them have seen it, a huge, black, drift-log has struck Nance full against the breast and thrown her backward into the dark water. Loftus, turning, sees for one moment her white, upturned face, ere the cleft waters close over her. He is already on the rocky etrip of shore, and dashing madly down the water's edge. But there is no glimpse' of Nance— the waters, greedy o f their fair prey, hide her jealously. Down by the sloping mountain side, where she had bade her lover good-bye, they found her -dead. Acro?s her breast her hair fell in heavy dampness. In one hand, unstolgn by the waters, she grasped tightly h er little pink sunbonnet. And "the .lifted sun looked on her face, down drifted to hhre r dwelling-place." So, Lottus and Dad found her. All the care and heartache gone, all the weary waiting ended, and in its place the peaceful calm of unbroken rest. And, somehow, Loftus' mind went back to the day when he had likened her to a field poppy wet with dew. Now, she was like a pale, sweet lily, broken roughly. Dad held her close in his arms, cold, and quiet, as his dead darling. And Loftus, with one last look, turned away and left him alone. Over the mountain a sudden glory burst from the dark clouds, and a golden halo came down and touched Nance's forehead. And sheltered by the crimson robes of God close to the golden throne, was Nance. And it was all green and fresh, like the new wheat, and birds everywhere, and cool, clear water, sweet flowers, and little chil-dren-angels—and with them Nance, like some Sweet soul, who heard Death calling low, And followed him from dark to day.