Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1858-03-12

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fully concur with you--then he did do
liver my letter." N
eyes, he did, and am truly sorry tha
] had no opportunity to answer il"
'Nay, Ida, there is no cause for regret
at least so far am concerned, for il viii
give me more pleasure to receive an answer
from your lips than your pen"
"And that without reference 10 tn,
character of the aHsver2' She asked
meeting his eye with look Of regret
"But you haven't told me how you came to
be in this wild region !"
II leatned what had happened to you, .
he replied, Gas soon as reached the fort,
and learning, too, that Maj Dade had been
gone but few hours, l Immediately set
out in pursuit, and the result you know.
And now, Ida explain what you mean by
your remark about the character of your
answer"
"Let us drop that subject, Edward, until
we reach the fort"
"And why drop it, Ida2 You know
what has brought me from New Orleans,
and you know the grounds upon which
rest my hope that have not come in
vain. You can not have forgotten your
promise to love me always, nor can you be
unmindful that / have lived upon that
promise, cherishiug the hope of its fulfil
ment as the sole security for my future
happiness. Then why this desire to avoid
the subject, when you have had such ample
time to prepare for it2'
edward T. She replied gravely, 1--WE
have been raised as brother and sister,
and as sister have loved you, and love
you still and when l made the promise
of which you speak, my age ought to have
been sufficient assurance that dreamed
not of pledging you the love Of wife,
nor had | the remotest suspicion that you
so construed it. have no brother, unless
you will permit me still to look upon you
as such, and you have no sister unless you
consent that l may still stand in that re-
lation to you. We we're happy as children,
in each others love, let us still be happy,
united by the same tie."
Sand is this to be the end of my long
cherished hopes?' He exclaimed, with
emotion. "Ida, what can have wrought
so great change in you p
"There is no change in me, my dear
Edward ! l love you now, as have ever
loved you; and it pains me deeply to
know that you have mistaken the nature
of that love. Not for the world would l
distress you, did | not know that com
pliance with your wishes must end in
misery. to both, you are young, wealthy
and amiable and the love you ask of me
will readily De accorded to you by some
one mere worthy than /. Then let me
still be your sister, and do you forget that
you ever wished me to be anything more" "
'Ida, l see it all now,-you love an
other, and my hopes are blighted for ever
| have but dreamed of happiness to awake
to life of misery"
She was moved, even to tears, by his
distress but feeling her inability to com.
fort him, was silent. Modesty forbade
her acknowledgement Of love for a man
who had never breathed syllable of love
for her; and yet her integrity forbade the
denial of charge which she kecnly fell
to be true. Mutually suffering, they rode
in silence, for a considerable distance
when Ida said abruptly;
edward, let us make n compromise"
III can not conceive" he replied "what
you mean by compromise ofa matter
that can be settled in but two ways-ont
of which you have already chosen. Bu
am ready to hear your proposition" :"
at is this if you will agree to press
this subject no further, for the present,
will agree to return with you to New
Orleans, with solemn promise to become
your wife whenever you succeed in con
vincing me that it will be for our mutua
happiness. You shall have every reason
able opportunity, and l will even strive t.
) make my feelings accord with yours"
, II accept the proposition, he said, "witl
no great confidence thatitwill insure to my
benefit, but because it inspires hope
which issunshino compared with the gloon
already thickening around my heart
With this understanding they pursued
their journey and as nothing of intores
, transpired, We shall not trouble the rcade
with its details Suffice it to say, the!
, arrived safely at the fort, and were welcom