Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1859-04-12

if were there in the wood watching her.
Presently, with basket on her arm, she
would turn into the shady walk; nearer
and nearer came her footstep; fuller and
fuller throbbed my heart; then, with her
hand on the wicket, she would pause; had
she changed her mind? would she go
back? and at that thought my soul so
yearned for her, that it seemed the infiu-
ence must act to draw her toward me;
and sometimes / almost thought it did 80;
as, opening the gate, she stepped into the
wood; and slowly, with downcast eyes,
foved to and fro, in search, as believed,
of the yellow mushrooms that grew In the
chestnut woods in France. ~ .Ni
A few moments rnoFs, and we were to-
gether, she still pursuing her search,
though many mushroom was passed,
many another trodden on; L, pacing by
her side, speaking low, and at intervals,
while she sometimes answered without
looking up, sometimes gave me glance
of those miraculous eyes in lieu of other
answer; till at last, youth and love, and
solitude encouraging, the hand that at first
dared not to touch hers, wound round her
waist, the lips that trembled to pronounce
her name, pressed hers unforbidden. On
And now, shall | tell the truth?--a
truth that many and many time since
has not only stung me with remorse, but
with the thought, that perhaps Well,
well, that may or may not have been. But
to my confessio ion:- ...
Young as | was, Suzanne was not the
first woman, / fancied | had loved; and
though the feeling l had fol. her was
widely different from that with which |
had regarded others, still it was not then
pure, and deep, and fervent as it ought to
have been. At first, much as loved her,
much as | desired TO obtain her love, l
had no thought of indissolubly uniting my
destiny to hers; had no idea of marriage.
| contented myself with letting things run
their course, whatever they might tend To;
with taking no thought, and making no
engagement for the future. -.' 'r
AT last our meetings IN the chataigneraie
became things of daily occurrence; and
we needed no subterfuges of sketch-book
and mushroom baskets to color them -
Sweet, pure, darling Suzanne Who, ir
her position, at her age, could have with
stood the dangers of the situation AS she
did? She loved me with all tue depLh
and warmth Of profound and passionate
nature, yet in the midst of her abandon,
there was "a purity, a starting, distinctive
shyness--a turning of the flank OF danger,
as it were, while appearing unconscious of
iits vicinS y--that at once captivated and
repeled me And days drew on to weeks.
and still our relative positions remained
unaIiered.
One day we were in the chataigneraie
together, stroling side ~ side, her hand
in mine, when the usual sound of foot
steps rustling mid the last years leaves,
startled us. We turned round, and at q
little distance beheld her father.
He was a man still in the prime OF life
But Indifferent health, and ceaseless ac
tivity in the arduous duties of his calling,
gave to his spare figure and fine face a
worn, and prematurely aged look. l shall
never forget him, AS after moments
pause be advanced and confronted us; the
veins in his bare temples swollen and
throbbing with the emotion he sought to
control, his face pale and rigid, and his
| lips compressed.
There was dead silence FOR some sec
onds. Then his kiudling eye flashed on
his daughter, and pointing to the house,
he said in a low, stern voice: $50 in, Su-
zannne." She went without word
"And thus, young man." he said, when
she was out of hearing, "thus, for the
qualification of passing fancy, to kill the
nme you know not how to dispose Of, you
blot an honest and hitherto stainless name.
You break a fathers heart; you turn from
her God--you destroy body and soul "a
mere child, amotheress and unprotected.
| will not tell you, what Sazanne has been
to me-; row have. reared her, worked,
hoped, prayed ioe ber, loved and uuste3
her. All these siings are, doubtless, t4me
and commonplace and contepiptible to you
But if you had no fear of God or consid-
Grafton for man before your eyes. could
you not have had little feeling, little
pity, an atom of respect for father and
daughter situated as you know us to be!
Knowing, moreover, that it is not in the
heart or in the hand of the Minister o. God
10 avenge the wrong and shame other dis
honored fathers adopt?"
Utterly abashed and conscience 'strick
en-, strove to explain; but my emotion
and the sudden difficulty that came ovel
me in expressing myself adequately in :
foreign language--fluently as, under ordi
nary circums tances spoke it-were LITTLE
calculated to reassure HIM.
NO" he said, 81 know all. You
daily meetings, your prolonged interviews
certain embarrassment | have late y no
ticed in my child, hitherto SO frank ant
fearless; her altered looks and manner
even nole the demeanor of both when
surprised you-what can conclude from
: such indications?' .....s
II swear to YOU" l at length foun,
words to explain, "that your daughter
wholly and perfectly innocent. Think G
! me as you will, but at least believe me i
this. and assure yourself that your chill
is snless."
! He looked at me scrutinizingly for som
Il