Monmouth weekly herald. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1854-1860, 1858-10-23
FREEHOLD. W. SATURDAY. MORNING. OCTOBER 23= l858.

father, listen "The child owes an ODE
dience to its parents which no c~onsidera.
ton can outweigh" she repeats. It is
so. And as she slowly repeats the sen.
tence, there comes up before her vision q
white face and a feeble hand, and an eve
fast clothing in death. The face and the
hand, and the eye, are now only to be
seen IN the picture memory presents, but
the pencil Of a master painter could not
present it more wildly or distinctly.
She is holding-as in that terrible
hour-the feeble hand Of her mother in
her own She is in attitude Of listening.
= Ny child" she heard it now, as she
heard it then, obey your parents. And
when ] am gone, be alone will be left to
guard and cherish YOU"
Blanche's head falls upon her breast.
Are there tears upon the miniature !? If
so, they betoken struggle going on in the
bosom of the maiden. The contest is
between Love and Duty, both are power
tul.
Which will conquer 2
Lower aud still lower bends the head
Of Blanche. To tears are added sobs-
such sobs as only a heart zen by hope
and fear, and passion and despair can in
woke. She sees before her two roads,
One, the beams Of love shine upon and
over 1t hangs a fathers curse and a moth
er's dying invocation disregarded. The
other the hand of duty is outstretched to
lead her on, but love and hope, and hap
plness shed not their beams upon it.
All seems dark, and desolate, and dreary.
Do you wonder that the tears fall, or that
sobs are uttered? Many such a battle
have been fought, and some have triumph
ed over duty. and some have won a vic
tory oyer love.
And sueA victory as the last, is that
Of Blanche Duboise's.
Stern faced Duty banishes the smiling
face of Love.
The conflict is over.
Blanche takes up her pen to write to
Gerald Cole. She dashes away the tears
that will fall, lest they leave upon the
paper she write on, tokens Of agony she
feels. When finished it reads as follows:
GERARD II return to you your like
ness and your letters. You will do the
same with mine, | bid you farewell, and
may God bless you but we can never
meet as we have met, or be as we have
been. Do not ask why. Enough to know
that a sense of that duty demands. a sac
rlhce Of love, of hope, and Of Joy, and I
nave lad the Offering upon the altar not
perhaps, with fearless eye, or a heart that
does not ache, but a stern sense of duty
ouoyed me up, and the pillows of sorrow
DO not wholly overwheIm me.
Your future will be a glorious one.
| feel it, | know it, I am proud of it,
Go in the path you have chosen, and
though do not ask you to forget me,
cease to think Of me other than a bright
star, whose glory is now forever eclipsed.
Have charity, and believe that, had [ the
shaping of my own destiny, this letter
would not be written. But the mould is
IN other hands than my own, and | yield
to a decree | cannot annul.
BLANCHE.
Gerald Cole received the letter, the
miniature and the package. He read the
letter, and then crushing down the agony
that settled in his bosom, he complied
with the request. Accompanying the
packet was a note. 1t was very brief
1t was as follows =
" LADY BLANCHE Necessity knows
no law, | obey your wishes, though in
doing so my heart is crushed. If in the
dark path Of duty in which you have now
entered there should ever come q sunny
CLEAN, link it with the name Of one who
long loved, and still deeply and sincerely
loves you. Ever GERALD"
blanche read it, and crumpled it tight
ly in her trembling hands, for a moment
ere she consigned it to the flames. Once
reading was all sufficient. 1t was en-
graved in her memory, never to be oblit-
Grated. M FIJI SOW
The paper soon crumbled to ashes, and
as Blanche gazed, she said:
=" And so the flames died out, Oh, faith.
err l-oh, mother! If you knew how cruel
the fate was to which the act consigns
me, you would not seek my happiness in
this way"
But the mother could not, and the--fath.
Ol WOuiu HUI uGdI. udL Hdu ne TO 90
with such a silly thing as lone or affection.
To him it was synonymous with all that
was trivial and simple.
Arthur Grey is kneeling at the feet Of
Blanche. He has come to receive her
decision, having already obtained that of
her father. The one was favorable the
other Of courSe-mnst be so too.
Mr.. Grey, | consent to be your wife"
Is it Blanche who speaks I? How
changed in tone from the Blanche con
fronting her father and avowing her love
for Gerad Cole.
Thanks, Blanche
The cold man Of tho world could say
no more He may have read in her mans
ner much that made wonder. But If SO,
he did not express it. Like Mr.. Duboise
love was to him talked OF, but never felt.
He married for position nothing else.4