The literary echo. (Westerly, R.I.) 1851-1851, 1851-07-17

hour ofretiring, but the fire was burning
brightly, and she was very happy and wide
awake, 50 she resolved to sit up for Fred
and taking up the new volume, she was
soon lost in the scenes Of adventure on the
pages before her
1t was not until the little French clock
on the mantel struck the half hour after
eleven, that she laid down her book, and
began to expect her brother. She sat
looking into the fire, her brain busy with
pleasant thoughts, and the visions ofbright
evenings Of which Fred was the charm,
came up stronger than ever. Tom Haw-
ley would soon be gone, and the Cannings,
who were new friends, would have their
own affairs to occupy them, and Fred
would be free. Then as she dwet upon
his perfcctons, she fell to wondering, as
was very natural for young maiden Just
nineteen, whether she should ever see any
one she should think as handsome, or love
as well as her beautiful brother, and she
had just arrived at a negative conclusion,
when the clock struck twelve, and at the
same instant she heard Ircd's key in the
door.
She spoke to him as he stood in the dim
Iy-lighted hall, divcsting himself Of his
coat and hat, to let him know she was up.
She had imagined, how he would playfully
Glide her, for spelling her eyes by sitting
up late, and yet be very glad to see her,
and she felt a pang of disappointment, as
she detected q slight tone, not only of sur
pri G but vexation, in his, "Why, Alice,
You are not un ~
But what was it, that sent the color
from her check, and dizzy faintncss to
her brain, as her brother entered the full
light Of the parlor Could that be Fred, |
with that flushed check and unsteady eye,
which reminded her 50 forcibly Of Tom
iIawlcy, as she had seen him on the night .
Of the party! Alice turned suddenly to
the fire, leaning one hand against the man
tel, and under prctencc Of arranging the
fallen brands, with one great struggle sum
noncd all her strength to calm the wild
rush Of feeling that threatened to over
power her. But it was like the icy arrow
IF death to her heart, when she turned a.
rain to meet the glance of those eyes
which had always been to her frank, atlcc
ionate and joyous-thc beautiful light
ccmcd all gone out of them, and there
vas a strangcncss in her brothers. manner
which chilled her more than all. Fred
vas evidently conscious Of his situation,
md painfully anxious lest his pure little
lister should perceive it.
Alice read his thought with q woman's {
and forcing to her lips, with a c
mighty effort, a faint smile, she said
d" was so intensely interested in that
lcw look, that l read on and on, quite for
gctful how late it was growing-only think
If my sitting up till twelve Why, [ shall 5
lcvcr awake in the morning. | will light /
our candle, and leave it on the hall table,
md you must come up stairs very softly, {
or mother is not quite SO well Tonight"
md with her usual goodnight, and anoth- {
II effort at smile, She closed the parlor S
loor, and FASTENED up stairs. S
She reached her own room--shc felt she {
vas alone, and then she flung herself upon {
he bed, in an agony that seemed to make
lmost chaos in her brain For an hour
he could only bury her face in the pillows ,
md sob passionately; and when the vio-
encc of her grief had passed away, with an ;
lnguish, silent but deep, she lay revol- {
ing the dreadful thought, that her bro |
her, her noble brother, could ever suf- i