The weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1858-1860, 1858-11-16

hopes and sslf-pronisss, which her city life
AltsfwNfd Helped % eneoarage
No one kne ,--'s,t shc did 10 those three
years, excep. .a.. step grew stately, her
air assumed the graccs Of the accomplished
lady, and after oil she came home to her sea
shore home, y changed woman The gaiety
Of her whole character seemed to be lost, and
Q sore and terrible secret evidently preyed
on her mind
In this secret the whole village was inter
ested old wives wondered what allied the
child, and old men shook their heads and
said this was what come of "eddicating chill
t'-1N" And at last the secret was half told,
....A Bessis name was the bysword Of the
town.
To her mother alone she said, II am mar
ried, but cannot tell you any more until no
comes himself 10 take me. z The shame and
agony In which her life now burned away
may be imagined but not told. A year pass
cd, but he did not come. Alone in the cot
tage, seldom vsnturing beyond its walls, she
dwslt in secret. growing every day more
pale, yet every day more beautiful -Four
winters had dashed their storms on the At
lantic coast and a fifth was passing, and
Bessie was dying as she had long prayed to
die.
1t was wild December night, and there
was o wreck on the coast to which all the
villagers had gone. The guns had been
booming all the day precious, and they said
she would go ashore on the flood tide, be-
yond the help of man.
In the house of Steven Laton the mother
and daughter were seated, az in many win
ter nigh, before, by The great fire that blazed
up the chimney, silent mostly, yet once in
while lifting their eyes each to the other Q
countsnnace. There was a strange and start
ling resemblance in the two women, though
one was old and hagard, and the other young
and beautiful. The likeness was doubtless
in the prevailing expression of Voc that
looked out of both their eyes as they gazed
silently and steadlastly into the flashing fire
and listened to the roaring tempest.
Mother, said Bessie, springing to her
feet at length with cry of anguish Mo-
Their, pray tod to let me die y
patience, Bessie, my child, patience"
Patience, mother | have been patient
four years. am patient-but would to
God l were lying out yonder in the old
graveyard, with all the old folk and young
folk of all the graves, instead of being here
to night!
She was magnificent as she stood there,
her long, white night-robe buttoned to her
throat and flowing to her feet, as she clasped
her hands and looked up to heaven Ger
tainly she was very beautiful, with the beau
ty of approaching death.
The tramp OF men disturbed the scene, as
they brought in body from the wreck r.
bessie passed into the inner room, whittier
in a moment her mother brought in her
stout arms the form OF a young, slender, fair.
haired girl. whose face OF very delicate beau'
ty WIS now almos. hea emily at what seemed
at first the peace of death
They laid her in Bessie's bed, and in an
hour by dilisent care had succeeded in re-
storing animation if not consciousness. Once
she had murmured Philippe and Bessie
sprang up with q fierce flush on her counte-
nance az the sound, but sinking back with a
half suppressed moan, continued her exer
tons in silence.
In the mean time, the bodies of several
men ware brought into the old kitchen
Among them WAS one richly dressed and
bearing marks OF rank and wealth. for those
were days when travellers wore more of the
insignia OF position than now. He was
young and strong, and it was manifest that
he was not dead. But strong stupor.
whether Of cold or otherwise had taken
possession of him, and he lay motionless on
the floor before the fire, until a sharp cry
from the inner rooEl reached his benu,nbsd
senses
The lady had at length opened her eyes,
and sense of her position slowly dawnsd
on her intellect 4 few questions in French,
i,h Rasa;a o,.l !
suiIiced to explain all, and then she walled
aloud in the perfect abandonment OF woe
Philippe, mon Philippe, oh Mon Dieu,
il est mort mon ame, ma vie, mort, mort 7"
and she sank beck tainting on the pillow
He heard that cry, and rose to his feet.
Vt first, for an instant, he seemed to be con-
fused, but the next moment the whole truth
crossed his mind, and with courtlv bow to
those who surrounded him, he said, II un-
derstand all Pardon me. 1t is that am
wanted and without farther parev stalked
INFO the room where the two girls lay side
by side.
GOA, God, it is he lit is her, sllriekod
tho unknown, in a Voice of EXTREMIST 10Y,
and reaching out har two hands to him with
a smiln relapsed into Inconsistencies.
Seeing two persons on the bed where he
had thought to see but one lie hesita,ed
II be- pardon-
At the sound Of his voice, Bessie Laton
leaned forward Suddenly, and looked into
his eountenancs No one NAV hope to de-
scribe the CLEAN that flushed across her face,
as she spoke one word
aPhllip."
"Bessie Bessiel'' cried he, staggering
rather than rushing forward, and then he
fell on the floor by the bedside, his hands
Selling and his lips kissing the folds of her
garment that swept across the feet Of the
dead girl who lay beside her
''Philip, is it you at last, my husband. nv
beloved. Have you come at last to see ms
die p
"Die Who talks of death Biprie, Marie
Bessie wake her, speak to her-rouse her
she is cold. Did you say dead? Dead?
what mean you, Philip? Who is this ??
"This She is Maria, Maria"
"And what to you 2
30 me ? She i, my-my-my"-
philip! Speak not the word wife or
what, c&re not ! see all now. Silence
cay They have called me by that name
you have given that child Oh, wretch ed
man! Know you net that having LETT me tc
bear the agony of that curse falsely was
enough, but yon must give the foul namo to
her too? Philip, have it in my heart tt
curse you ! know not whether should
pray God tonight to damn you for your sir
or not. | love you, love you, Philip, ant
| hate you too
She gared at him with her fierce blacl
eyes, and he was SILENT but looked at her
Aye, look at me, you wretch, your ruin
See you this eheek-you kissed it, loved te
kiss it over 1t will be food for worms mex
spring. How you loved their clasp, and We
you wandered of from them, and sough
embraces elswhere and forgot them VIVA
delights those were, oh, Philip! Have yot
had such with this irail child? Did yo,
lnya hnr pnilin I rnrn lu,