The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1858-08-13

ginning Ii makes me shudder 10 THINK
of it,-~it struck her so like death
"'What did she say what did she
do?
"'She didn't say much,-" Oh, my
God nay God !"-something like that
The next morning she showed me letter
which she had written to Margaret
alto Margaret? started up, but
fell back again, helpless, with groan.
"sYes,' said Joseph and 1T was a
letter worthy of the noblest woman. |
wrote another, for / thought Margaret
ought to know everything. 1t might save
her life, and yours, too. In t,ic mean
time, had got worse news from her still,
that her health continued to decline,
AID that her physicians saw no hope for
her except voyage to Italy. But that
she resolutely refused to undertake, until
she got those letters. You know the
rest
"sThs rest?' l said, as a horrible sus
p;cion flashed u, on me. You told me
something terrible had happened
"sYes,-to Flora. But you have heard
the worst. She is gone; she is by this
time in Rome.
"'FlOra gone? But you said she was
here
W She? So she is But did you think
I meant Flora? / supposed you knew
Not Flora,-but Margaret Margaret!
"I shr eked out, Margaret? That's
the las. l remember,-at least, the last |
can tell She was there'--I was in her
arms ste had crossed tho sea, not to
save her own life, but mine. And Flora
had gone, and my dreams were true; and
the breath and magnetic touch Of love,
which infused warm, sweet life into me,
and seemed not Floras, but Margaret,
were no illusion, and-What more can /
tell?
"From the moment of receiving those
letters, Margsret's energies were reused,
and she had begun to regain her health.
There is no such potent medicine as hope
and love. 1t had saved her, and it had
saved me. My recovery was sure and
speedy. The happiness which had seemed
SO great, to dear TO be ever possible, was
now mine. She was with me again, all
my own! Only the convalescent, who
feels the glow of love quicken the pure
pulses of returning health, knows what
perfect bliss is.
As soon as | was strong enough to
travel, we set out for Italy, the faithful
Joseph accompanying us. We enjoyed
Florence, its palaces and galleries OF art,
the quaint old churches, about which the
religious sentiment of ages seems to hang
like an atmosphere, the morning and even
ing clamor Of musical bells, the Arno
and the olive-crowned Tuscan hills, all
so delightful to the senses and the soul
After Florence, Naples, with its beautiful,
dangerous, volcanic environs, where the
ancients aptly located their heaven and
hell, and where a luxurious, passionate
peoole absorbs into It's blood the spirit Of
the coil, and the fire and languor Of the
chime From Naples to Rome, where we
saw St. Peters, that bubble on the sur
face of the globe, which the next earth
quake may burst, the Vactican, with its
marvels Of statuary, the ruined temples Of
the old gods and heroes, the Campagna,
the Pope, and-Flora. We had but a
glimpse of her 1t was one night, at the
Colosseum. We had been muslug about
that vast and solemn pile by the moon
light, which silvered it over with indis-
cribable beauty, and at last, accompanied
by our guides, bearing torches, we ascend
ed through dark and broken passages to
the upper benches Of the ampitheatre. As
we were passing along one side, we saw
picturesquely moving through the shad-
ows of the opposite walls, with the i'm
nense arena between, the red faring tor
ches and half.illuminated figures Of an-
other party of visitors. | don't know
whether it was instinct, or acuteness of
vision, that suggested Flora hut, with a
sudden leap of the heart, felt that she
was there. We descended, and passed
out under the dark arches of the stupen-
dous ruin. The other visitors walked a
little in advance of us,--two of the num-
Der lingering behind their companions /;
and certain words of tenderness and pas
sion we heard, which strangely brought to
my mind those nights on the ocean steam
CT.
90 What is the matter with you !? said
Margaret, looking in my face
"'P | whispered, - there-that wo-
mans Flora
She chung to me- drew her closer,
az we paused; and the happy couple went
on, over the ancient Forum. by the silent
columns of the ruined temples, and disap-
peared from sight upon the summit of the
Capitoliue Hill
i" A few months later, we heard Of the
marriage of Flora to an English baronot !;
she is now MY LADY, and must do her
the justice to say that | never knew a
woman better fitted to bear that tide As
for Margaret you will return with me
to my home on the Hudson, after we have
finished our hunt after those Western
lands, you shall see her, together with the
loveliest pair of children that ever made
two proud parents happy
" And here" added Westword, " we
have arrived at the end Of our days jour