Marshall County Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1855-1859, 1856-06-26


l had no fine clothes in which to appear.
so l wore the pale, straw -colored calico
which had been my church dress il sum-
mer. Ornaments l had none. not even n
ring or pin, and my muslin collar was
fastened BY plain black ribbon. Excite
ment had lent crimson blush to my wan
cheek, and my eyes were almost fearful in
their great brilliancv.
The time came for me to read my essay.
It was the last exercise. rose. my head
swan, saw but one face in all that as
sembly, and that face was kis. 1t strength
ened me. read the composition; the sub
ject was 'Desolation.' had thrown into
the essay all the wild energies of my lone
ly soul, all the vainAyearnings of my desc
late heart, and 1 succeeded in what l had
desired The. audience which filed that
vast hall sat spell bound The stiffness of
the tomb was there! l finished and sat
down, no one moved; no one spoke. Pale
and still they sat, some in tears, others
with cheeks white and dry.
l looked at Montcaln, his head lay on
the desk before him, and his form quivered
with emotion. At length, the manager an
nounced the exercises at an end, and the
spectators departed, leaving Montcalm
alone with his pupils. In few appropri-
ate words he babe us farewell. Each one,
in passing out, took him by the hand, and
received from him some parting admoni
ton. l held back until the last There
was melancholy pleasure in being tie
last to say adieu to him whom we all loved.
He took my hand. My whole frame
thrilled at his touch, all the lifelong agony
of my existence was pent in that moment.
Ny courage forsook me, my self-restraint
gave way, and 'Oh, GodP escaped my
lips.
We were alone; Montcalm bent his head
until his breath played upon my cheek, and
his voice was broken and agitated as he
said, Miss Fairfeld-Genie, do you love
me?'
Nv face flushed crimson with shame; he
knew my fatal secret. 1 would rather have
lain down at his feet and died, than he
should have known it.
l replied bitterly: Alas. was this blow
needed 10 complete my utter wretchedness,
my great humiliation?'
Montcalms face lighted up with intense
Joy: he caught me to his breast. Dear
est, Genie he exclaimed, while his kiss
es rained upon my face, and you do love
me, darling. you have loved me long
time!'
l would NY arms around his neck and
held him close to my bosom, for fear
ed even in that moment of ecstacy, an un-
defnable something. dreadful, and un-
known.
Oh, the bliss of sitting in the lonely old
hall, with the twilight shade VS. around us,
while he told me in his low, thrilling voice
all his love, his hopes-all, all.
TO me, dearest Genie, he said, tender
ly, you were always beautiful, you were
woven IN all my dreams of happiness, your
pale, sad face, as you raised it 10 mine or
that first morning of our meeting, has beer
for two years the companion of my waking
and sleeping hours! Genie, | love you bet
ter than the whole world, better than M
life, next to God. VIII you love me thus
darling9'
l told him without reserve of all my lone
lv life, of the first beam Of light which his
presence had brought, of my many weary
hours passed in toiling at my lessons, that
might win a kind tone from him; leaning
on his noble heart, l told him all my life
long yearning to be loved, and his calm
soul-lit eyes shed love and happiness upon
me rs he looked down with holy trust iLtc
my face.
We parted. One long agonizing kiss
pressed on his lips. received with dread
his tender embrace, and murmured fare
we'll
Howard Montcalm was a son of tht
south, the possessor of a fine property il
southern city, and thither he was to go
bu. in two short months he would return
and take me away. his own.
| went back to my lonely home at Black
water, lonely no longer, for my thought:
all of him. / told no one the story of ou
love, it was too hallowed, too sacred to b
spoken of.
Two weeks rolled into the silent past
and | received letter from him, such
heart warming letter as only he could write
| wept over that letter-wept for very Joy
that 1, poor. plain and inferior, had wor
the love, had become tho object of interes
to one so noble. SO excellent as Howard
Mnntoo1y,