The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-02-06


the circle at one breath. "But he is not here
He went away two months agop
Christine turned dizzy, and sunk back upon a
settee Foolish girl that amp she calculated,
he has gone over the ocean TO fetch mew
No, not 30 bad as that-ob, hope mott re-
piled her hostess, hastily. "He did not intend
to sail for several weeks yet. Why, be wrote to
you to wait for him, and told you all about it |"
al never got the letterp sobbed Christine,
now quite overcome by the sudden reaction of
hopes excitement.
soothingly. He's easily to be brought; only a
hundred miles swsyp
"Pll 60 to him ~ exclaimed she, starting up
impulsively.
dNol oh no, stay here until we send for him
that is best ~
"Pll trust to nobody else will 20 to him,
and that tomorrow y she persisted
The morrow saw Christine, snugly packed in
the travelling wagon Of stranger emigrant fam
lily, set out on her long and tedious journey
Well for her hope and patience that she saw not
then how long that journey must be. She passed
over virgin prairies, and through almost track
less woods with sort Of dreamy admiration, al
ways wishing the end were come. II was no easy
matter,to light upon her husbands second home !;
the limits Of the settlement named were large ;
and when, after some search, they found the place
Of his brief abiding, the bird had flown.
Now she was among strangers indeed; stran-
gers who spoke not her tongue-who read not her
heart. A less resolute spirit would have sunk
down in despair, at least for time. But Chris
tine only baptized new resolution in a few more
wopanly tears
He must have gone to Chicago to sail for Eu-
rope,n she reasoned. 81 will track him there"
Well it was for her that her small earnings
e L-.J II
tnselry had drained the little fund that now sus-
tanned her efforts. At Chicago she found him
not !; but hearing that he had "gone north, !" che
left her name and tale of distress behind her. and
embarked for another port.
ado you know anything of Jacques Leroy He
is Frenchman, Of de Isle -. He is aAilis
husband, and him cannot find y
Such were the questions the lips of poor Chris
tine became weary Of asking, day after day, and
week after week, as from place to place she pur-
sued, on the wings of hope, the Aeeting shadow OF
her best beloved.
The captains and sailors of all the coast learned
her name and story; and kind words many time
fell on her ear, in tones which she could under
stand better than the sentences they yelled One
star soon dawned upon her encouragement,
though it led her into still more intricate laby
rinth. She found that her husband had been
made aware of her arrival and her anxiety, and
was seeking her with the same eagerness of pur-
suit Certainly wisdom would have told her to
cease her journeyings then, and wait for him to
follow her track, aud find her But her impa-
thence was too eager for these counsels of pru-
dence
1t was laughable in the memory, but serious in
the reality-that chase and counter-chase, up and
down, back and forth, among the seaports and
principal towns, over prairies and into hooks and
IL IL rNll rh~.a hnou
grew fainter every day. She could scarcely lift
her eyes, for shame, when she encountered again
strangers whom she had met so often in her
search, although she knew that in such rencon-
tres lay almost her only hope of final success.
" tink y she long afterwards told me- "dey will
believe have not any husbandW
But Christine was not doomed to the ordeal of
poor Evangeline-the fire Of perpetual disap-
pointment that purges the dross from the mar
tyr.heart on earth, and transfgures mortal to
an angel this side the vale of Death that lot was
spared her.
One day, she heard that Jacques had been pass
ing two days in the town of R, in the house
of friend who knew all the troublous story of
both, and had often given her sympathy and shel-
ter in her wanderings. With the buoyancy Of
s spSRashss ssHtRstY her willy hther aud al
most few into the presence of her friend.
up on seeing her, and clasped his hands depreca-
tingly. Christine, who comprehended too well
the import of the gesture, stopped short, and
burst into bitterer tears than ever.
"Poor child you shall not 60 roaming about
again p he exclaimed, sympathixingly Jacques,
the foolish fellow, couldn't keep him but Pll
hold you fast enough. Left only half an hour
ago. will go myself to fetch him back, and III
take the ieetost beast in R--.D
81 will 90 tooW said Christine, rising tremu-
lousy.
"No, that you shall not. Be quiet! rest easy !
You have been crossing each others track these
two months, and enough of it you've had for
your folly, both of you Fll not stand palaver-
ing now, but-wife, keep your eye on her, and
don't let her stir a step from the house V-and
snatching his hat, the kind dictator rushed
through the outer door.
Jacques Leroy was zealously pursuing his way
along the prairie road about seven miles away
from R, well muflled up from the early au-
tumn blasts, and scowling on the smiling blue
sky which bent over the ignis taiuus of bride
that had been fitting 80 illusively before him,
when he caught faint "halloo" from bluff
he had just left behind. He raised his ear from
its enveloping collar, and listened wistfuly for a
moment; then remarking to his companion,
Some hunter, tits likely,n he relapsed into his
former attitude.
"Halloo stop! hold on there, comrade p rang
ont nearer, and fairly startled the steed they sud
denly refined up.
reeking horse rushed alongside, feoked with
foam, followed by a rafting wagon, in which a
man started up, with face round and radiant
as the moon at its very fullest.
Ha! ha fine fellow you are running away
from your Christine, at this rate! told you
So contradict
Christine! sacre p The usually quiet Jacques
started almost out Of his hat and cloak.
eyes Christine, man Pack yourself into my
cart in hurry, or she'll be away to the ends of
the earth on your track before we reach her Gee
up Tom !" and he bestowed a whack, that sent
the animal plunging up the steep side of the
bluff. {" | told you so, ! told'-but his triumph
ant chuckle died away in the rafting Of the cart
wheels.
Christine sat, all the while, leaning against
pane Of the small window, scarcely conscious Of
either hope or fear her faculties were bound up
in the intensity of watching Many q whirlwind
Of dust, and many distant carriage-rattle, cheat
ed her heart into quick, sufocating throb, before
the rtgM one heralded jaded dripping horse--a
waving red handkerchief, and then
al pient ~ she cried, springing wildly from
her seat. Yes, he comes at last IT'S his face,
his step, his, that rings ON the threshold can
not tell you anything more Of that meeting.
Christine herself never described it to me, save
by the eoqucnce of a starting tear; never at
tempted the utterance Of what was unutterable
in her heart. 1t is not only the soul Of exalted
sepsibilites that hides gems Of feeling too sacred
10 wear the veil OF words The rudes. most I'M
cultivated human spirit has capacity for joy or
woe, which the hand Of an angel could never fill
the soul Of an angel could never speak
Christine and her Jacques came to our Prairie
de Ia Fleur and 10 the confines Of its grove they
0ayea alocal habtaiionn to the little home their
humble visions had Swallowed forth. Not largely
indebted TO the Injuries Of civilization was that
home to be snre IL was built Of logs, but then
il was nicely and tightly built and IL was neatly
kept and garnishcd inside by the busy hands Of
- TaIl treos all roucJ