Preble County Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1857-1859, 1858-06-17
EATON, PREBLE COUN[

4 possibly give us another hour in you
Isociety2' ~ ..
'Usl' fad he said 'me,' I woul'
have returned with him; but my prid
rose in an instant. Il cannot, l repli
ed The train passes early in th'
morning, and must hasten home, ant
get my trunks ready. lie walked b,
my side little way in silence; AM
then halted as though he was going t.
return. My naughty manner seemed
to puzzle him. Thaltcd too, and gave
him my hand, as said, Good bye
Alfred
Matte, said he, retaining my hand
will you not sometimes think cf me?-
May not hope to hear from your
'Oh, yes, replied, with assumed in
difference, 4 am not going to renounce
my friends. I shall write often to Mel
lie, and no doubt you will hear from me
as much as you wish He looked earn
estly into my face. [ removed my
hand and drew myself proudly up Oh!
why could | not have unbent and been
myself? l would have given worlds
afterwards if had done it; for in that
and timidity intcrposed. Hardly know
ing, in my confusion, what l did, l
turned and walked away.
Good bye; God bless you I heard.
in trembling voice; but did not look
back. reached my room, threw myself
upon my bed, and wept long and bitter,
ly. There, that is the last tear | shall
shed for him, L said at last. l arose,
bathed my eyes, and set about compile
ting the arrangements for my journey
The next Morning at day break [ was
on my way home.
Instead of one year at the Seminary,
[ remained two, by dint of the most
rigid economy | had astonjshed my
teachers with the rapid progress had
made; and, as an expression of her in
terest in me, the principal helped ME to
situation as assistant in an academy
in distant town. l was highly elated
with my success. I wrote often to Mel
lie, who was now the wife Of Andrew
Williams. an ovcrseer in the factory, and
received frequent letters in return
She always had something to say Of AL
fred, though l never mentioned him in
my letters to her She told me how
handsome he was growing; that his
fathers few acres had become too small
81 ace for him; that he was going to IL
manufacturing town to build for him
self fortune All this read with inter
est; and l often wondered whe:her, in
his plans for the future, he ever thought
of me, or acted for my Ike.
l had been six months i'll the academy
when another letter from Nelly brought
the tidings that Alfred had left, and had
obtained a good situation as clerk in Il
large mercantile house; but one passage
in the letter gave me acute pain. 1t
-ead as follows ID once thought, Mat
tie. that you and Alfred loved each 9th
er, but am now disposed TO believe my
self mistaken. There is pretty black
eyed beauty lately come here, who,
sometimes think, resembles you. Ru
m says that a partiality has sprung up
between e self and Alfred, al d that
since he went away she-oiten received
letters from him..
l hastily folded the letter, and as soon
as my labors for the day were over,
sought my room. / reviewed all that
had passed between Alfred and myself,
dwelt upon every w,rd and look of his,
butcould recall no act in which he had
ii any way committed himself Then
again L saw the eager gaze of the dark
eyes, and concluded that the peculiar ex
preston originated from my own yearn-
ing heart-that l had looked through Il
false eoloring. Ii he loved me why had
he not told me so? or, at least, why had
he not asked me to write to him? Calm
ly and cody l rcnounccd the bright
hopes which for four years | had all
most unconsciously cherished; awokc
from Il blissful dream, | with new zeal
threw all my energies into nay occupa-
ton.
Another year passed. If, at the bot
tom of the current, the dark waters
their great depth kept the surface un-
ruflled. About this time [ received an
unexpected proposal of marriage from
my patron, the principal Of the academy.
[ had always stood in some awe of Mr..
RUSSELL for he was fifteen years my
senior. When he came and sat by my
side in my little parlor, took my trcmb-
ling hand kindly in his own, and re-
spoctfully, but earnestly, told me his
love, my fears vanished raised my
eyes to his, and if it was not sincere af
fectation read from them, it was so near
akin to it as to deceive us both. He
drew me near to him, and made me
rest my head against his bosom.
burst into flood of tears. Oh how
sweet to find resting place for my
weary head, noble bosom where |
might weep till my swelling heart had
cased Itself of its burthen. When be-
came calm, he quietly lifted my head
and pressed his lips to mine. "Mattie
said he, Che had always called me Hiss
Kendriek,) this is the happiest moment
of my life
We were married and FIVE years Of
quiet happiness passed quickly away
| received occasional letters from Nellie
who congratulated me in glowing term:
upon my good fortune, as she termed it
adding that she feared l should forge
my humble friends. r...
But the darkest trial of my life wa
yet in store for me. My husband wa