True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1855-06-20

sweet lips pressed kisses on my infant brow.
l thought of her in Ter free innocent child
hood, pouring forth Her soul in gushes of
passionate song, sleeping perhaps under
the stars, and waking to sing choruses with
the nightingales. Then thought oflferr,
young, beautiful, loving, trusting all
things-betrayed, deserted, and throughit
all, thank God, had mot one thought of
reproach for her memory. I loved her al
ways. l lay there, boxing into her soft
eyes, with the wretcbedness lying heavy
at my heart gasping for utterance, though
l would not permit II to breath single
wall. At last a cry burst from my lips
"Oh, mother, mother! if I but had your
living breast whereon to weep"
I had not heard the door open; but two
strong arms clasped he, and voice whose
tones could almost have called me back
from death, murmered.tenderly, ""
"Weep here, my Beloved" '.
I looked up with a kind of blank desc
late wonder. He answered the look.
eyes, Isa," he said, '"I received your
note, and l am here. Ny fancy pictured
you so hopelessly wretched l could not
wait till the morning I am come to sit
beside you for the last timel" - } 10. T.
| raised my head and gazed at him ear.
nestly. The change wrought by that sin.
gle day had been fearful He seemed to
have grown ten years older. But I could
not trust my voice to speak to him. laid
my head back on his shoulder and rested
silently, clasping my hand across my brow
to still the heavy sitting p~;.,. .,.... - =.
ooh, Isa, Isa,' he would mprmur from
time to time, as he held me, "Must it bel
How can l give you up?"
81 wanted to see youonce more" I said
after an hour had passed and my hear
felt stroDger--"it was as much for youl
sake, Reginald, as for my own. l wished
to tell you over and over again that you
were doing right, that I did not blame you
and that l would love you forever. | cannot
change-I shall be yours only, in life aut
in DEATH"
His answer was to strain me yet more
closely to his heart
"You will promise me, Isa," he inquired
at length, 'you will promise me alway'
to live in this early home? As I wrote
the deed shall be yours before it could b.
legally taken from you. I must think o
you, morning, noon and night, every houl
of my life, and oh! let it be here. LIE
me fancy you wandering through thes
rooms where we have been SO blest togeth
er. 1t is the only thingyou can do no,
to make me happier. Will you promise?'
"Yes, Reginald; as long as you wish il
l will stay here IS
"God bless you, darling. You don
know how much good that promise will d
me. Now, if any heavy trouble shoul
come upon me years hence, grief S
heavy that its very bitterness will give m
a right to turn to you for sympathy, I wi
seek you here, and I know that shall fin
you Not that | mean, DEAR" he adde
after moment, "to prevent you from g
ing hence to brighten some other fresid,
If ever you could love again. am nj
so wickedly selfish; and yet, God forgi,
me, it would be hard even to hear thi
you were happy if I knew it was in SON
other ones love-clasp."
= "That can never be, Reginald" I al
swered, firmly. "Look back and you mu
feel it even as I do. had never eve
known any man except my father when
first met YOU. Here in Babel-like Londo
I had been brought up in seclusion mo
guarded than any convent! You came
9 it was morning sunshine breaking into
dungeon. Ihave loved you, and hereaft
and forever my heart can listen to no vol
but the one which first woke it to its tr,
life. Reginald, my beloved, l can pa
with you now: Go, and take with you d
!. assurance that l am yours only. When
swore to love YOU until death, it was no i'd
VOW. Have no fears that | shall bre
t it." r..
= But he did not go. He held me the
y with an almost frenYied clasp, and look
d down mournfully into my eyes, as E
n might have looked back on Paradise VIII
o the angel with the flaming sword had clos
a IL A II