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

)Ou' Sdu occ IlOII tuls luOIuluB
must gain little time Go to the station
of the Lyons railway, where | am engag-
ed to meet her party; say to her that i
am detained, but that ! will Join her on
the journey. Give her no time to ques-
tion you, and be sure that she does not
stay behind
III manage it, trust me " said 10
seph And off he started. At the end
Of two hours, which seemed twenty, he
burst into my room, cryiEg,-
80 Good news she IS gone ] told
her you had lost your passport, and wo'd
have to get another fltm our minister
"' What! ! exclaimed, you lied To
her.
"'Oh there was no other way = said
Joseph, ingenuously - she is 80 sharp
They re to wait for you at Marseilles -
But I'll manage that, too. On their arri-
val at the Hotel d Orient, they'll find
telegraphic dispatch from mo. / wager a
hat, they'll leave in the first steamer for
Naples Then you can follow at your leis-
ure.'
GO Thank you, Joseph.
. ! felt relieved lheu came a recrea,
ton The next day was attacked by fever.
| know not how long | struggled against
it, but it mastered me The last things /
remember were the visits Of friends, the
strange talk Of French physician, whis-
pers ana consultations, were about me, yet
took no interest iD,-and at length Joseph
rushing to my bedside, in futtlr of az
itation, and gasping,--
"' Flora
"' What Qf Flora 2 / demanded
g | telegraphed, but she wouldn't SO,
she has come back she is here =
:" | was sinking back into the stupor
from which | had been reused, when ]
heard rustling which seemed afar of
yet was in my chamber; then a vision
appeared to my sick ened sight,-a face
which dimly thought had seen before,
"a food of cUrls and rain of kisses
showeriug upon me,-sobs and devouring
caresses ,--Flora's voice calling me pas
sionste names; and lying so passive,
family struggling tn remember, until my
soul sank whirling ii darkness, and l
| knew no mere.
Zone morning, | cannot tell you how
long after, awoke aud found myself in
Il Strengthening room, filled with strange
objects, not the least strange Of which
was the thing that seemed myself At
first | looked with vague and moti0nles3
curiosity out of the Lethe from which my
mind slowly emerged painless, and at
peace; lstlessly questioning whether :
was alive or dead, whether the limp
weight lying in bed was my body,-the
meaning of ,he SILENCE aud the closed our
ta;ns. Then, with succession Of painful
flashes, as if the pole of an electrical bat
tcry had been applied to my brain, memo
ry returned, Margaret, Flora, Paris, de-
Iir um. | next remember hearing nlyself
groan aloud, then S, eing Joseph at my
side. ] tried to speak, but could not -
Upon my pillow was glove, and he plao-
ed it against my cheek An Undesirable,
excruciatipg thrill shot through me still
| could not speak. After that, came
relapse. Like Mrs. Browniug's poet, ]
lay
'TwiAt gloom aud seam
With Death and Life at each cvtrerc
. But one morning ] was better
could ia k Joseph bent over me, woep-
lug for JOY.
"1The danger is past he said The
doctors say you will get wei :
- Have | been so i'll, then =
"'Ill p echoed Joseph. Nobody tho't
you could live. We all gave you up, ex,
cept her and she'--
"'S She y ! said - is she here ?
''' From the moment of her arrival
replied Joseph, she has never left you
oh, if you don't thank God for her, he
lowered his voice, and live all the rest
of your life to reward her, you are the
most ungreatful wretch You would Ger
tainly have died but for her. She has
scarcely slept, till this morning, when
they said you would recover
Joseph paused Every word he spoke
went down like weight Of lead into my
soul | had, indeed, been conscious of a
tender hand soothing my pillow, of
lovely form fitting through my dreams, of
breath and magnetic touch of love infu
sing warm, sweet life into me,-but IL
had always seemed Ma, garet, never Flo
! ra.
The gloyeF ] asked.
"'iIcre it is, said Joseph In your
deliriuu you demanded it; you would not
be without it; you caressed it, and ad-
dressed to it the tenderest apostrophe7
80 And Flora,- heard p
"' Flora? 2 repeated Joseph Don't
YOU know-haven't you any idoa what
has happened! 1t has been 80 terrible =
"'1ell me at once ! | said. Keep
nothing back
- Immediately on her return from
Marselles,--you remember that
90 Yes, yes go on
"sshe established herself here. No
body could come between her and you.
and brave, true girl she proved herself
Oh, but she was wild about you! She
offered the doctors cxtravagants sums