Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1858-02-24
NO. 26.

II listened to his words with faint shud-
der, and then turning, as he left the room.
Il barred my face in Reginald's bosom.
ss'y on are all now" / whispered. tremb-
Hngly
II know it, Isa, was vas his low reply-@I
feel it and am worthy as love can make
me. But you are VET, poor child how is
. this n
MY father came in wet ina half hour
after the storm commenced, and since then
have been holding him in my arms
szassY ~ Will dies tool lisa, you must not
throw your life away, my beautiful darling.
L shall call Barbara. For my sake, care
for yourself little.n
He left the room, and in a moment my
old nurse entered, and commenced remoy-
ing my wet garments. was half stupefed
with my great grief, and heard her express
sions of sympathy and wender without COM
pretending them. There was but one
light IN my darkness, and that was the
CLEAN which entered my soul, with those
three words, ..Tor nsy sake" Yes, for his
sake | must bear it brayely for his sake I
must live!
Oh, those were weary, bitter days, when
my father lay in state for his burial, and
after that, when his coffin had been borne
out of the house.. when the mourners had
followed it, and | was left alone, / saw
many people In those days, friends of my
fathers, who came and went. They look
ed pityingly at my sorrowful face, and some
OF them spoke to me, but | scarcely reused
myself from my abstraction enough to lis
ten, and after while it all ceased, and they
left me to myself Reginald had been with
me through ALL. making himself more and
more dear and necessary to me by his ST.
lent sympathy, and the fond care which
strove to tighten my burdens, without
thought for his own.
When it was all quiet again, he still spent
part of every day at Hutchinson-house. /
loved him more intensely than ever, and
now that | had no. other earthly hope to
clingto'; and he had never been half SO
constant and devoted in his attentions to the
beautiful, gay-hearted girl, as to the sad,
pale figure, in her deep mourning robes,
whom sorrow had transformed into wo-
man. One evening sat beside him in my
usual position, my head resting upon his
breast, and my eyes turned toward the
window, whose curtains | had put very far
back, looking out and up to the distant sky.
As | sat there halfrecliRng. sudden
thought came to me-, turned my eyes
inquiringly on his face.
Reginald" said |, "why was not your
fatherhere when -F
i 1 AT thn fnporaI2 Ts tbo+ ,vbo+ -,
mean, and have mob strengths to say, my
Isa I"
"Yes, at the funeral | continued, with
an effort. "Why was he not here! He
married Margaret Hutchinson, did he not Z"
"Yes, dear, or | should not be your cou-
J sin. He was across the channel when your
: father died.. and only returned three days
y ago."
Passing my arm around his neck, I
drew his head down closer to me- and whis-
l pered, timidly, "Does he know, Reginald
. Does he know how well you love me, how
often you are here's"
t No, dearest !; when first loved you We
e both seemed SO young. | did not like tC
8 speak, and for some time he has been away
But it is right that he should know.
e will tell him the first thing tomorrow
a Why, what is it darling1 Do you not wisl
Il it! Why do ycu trenble soy
e 90 Oh yes Reginald, wish it. feel tha
+ it is right, but there is great weight OH IN,
Y heart If you are taken frem me / shal
S die. You are all haseIeft now. Oh, d
not leave me. | am so young, and tn
/ grave is very cold and dark, and canno
: LtUe without you"
q Hush, hush, my poor little frightene'
I bird of Paradise" and he drew me so clos
/ to him that l could feel his heart bea
l against my side-"hush, do not talk Z
death. You are toeyeung, too beautiful
IS Do you think could give my darling up
1t leave her to her grief aloner Shall ca
e Isa cruel !'
; And so he soothed me; telling me owe
l and over again that he could never Low
e another-that ], and | only should be hi
e own forever, and believed him, and wa
| SO supremely happy. forgot the graV
d and the tombstone, and. thought only no,
j. bridal roses should make sunshine IN m
hair. When he left me, ciung passion
Z ately to his neck, until he unwOund m
arm, saying gayly-
le must not keep you up any longer.
want you to wear your sweetest smile Il
id morrow morning at ten o'clock when
ID come to tell you that you have gained al
IN other father. Good night Isa."
'c He went down the steps. hurriedly, an
st then he came back again to, take me ono
IN more in his arms.
i'll lisa" he said, solemnly, as God hea
IN me, come whatever fate, you are my life
one love. l never did love another
O never shall. My hearts bride, my soul
Id evangel-Isap The last word was SD
:" ken with an accent hurTied, passionate, al
yet caressing spoken, as if to his mind
was embodiment cfaH, and then he spral
ne upon his horse, and waved his hand
ne stood there in the door, and watched hi
It's ride away. in the full moonlight. l cou
as see himso plainly : hs graceful, athlet
IN figure, his proud head, and itss forest
on golden curls., watched until his VIII
nd horse had passedfrom my sight, and tn
rs came into the house, and satdown. T.
ler weight came back tony heart heavier tn
ever | clasped my hands acress my ey'
g and wept-
~ TO BE coNTISUEDl
ID
~ Il IqfGSIity In society Of Inf5degs at Ci