Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1860-08-18

too; know he will end 1t by becoming a min
,ss, this terrible gref has turned all his
81 am happy to hear it, 70 responded Myra,
as.s:sly' sfor they we're very far from that di-
Weeks progressed, but Augustus remained
Bhrouded in woe; not one ray of peace had
warmed up his deadenedi heart He would
write on nothing but black. edged paper; COW
cred every article that had belonged to dear
Rachel with black Grape; shut up her cham.
Der, and every time he passed the closed door
shuddered as If he saw her pale ghost stalking
about; read her printed obituary at night, be.
fore retiring, and paid his devotions to her
pictured form almost hourly He kent the
last pocket-handkerchief she had used care
fully folded mp in tissue paper among his sha-
wing artic les His sisters began to think that
ne would never get over it, and as to his mar.
rylug again-never, never.
= Don't even hint at such thing, Anabel," ;"
he said with horror, when she ventured to sur-
gest that, perhaps, one day he might replace
the lost Rachel. meant years and wears
of, dear Augustus" she said, almost timidly.
"Of course, not for twenty years, or perhaps
Hush hush 1 venerate Racbel,s memorv
TOO deeply. loved her most devotedly Prav.
never speak in this heartless strain aeain-itis
very rspulsive to my feelings"
only meant to console you, Augustus ,,
You take most remarkable way of ad.
ministering consolation, when you know that
my sorrow is as deep as the day when I
buried Rachel"
"But you must feel so lonely" persisted
:" Lonely? Have not nv sisters and Ra.
chefs treasured memory? No, AnabeI, I can
never marry again. All ask is a quiet rest
beside Rachel's cofhned form.''
How shocking. Don't, pray, indulge in
such gloomy thoughts"
6 You ask me to be gay said the disconso-
late Midower; but you ask an impossibility,
something utterly impracticable, a state Of
feeiing can never again reach
Oh, no, Augustus, not gay-that YOU can
never be again-only little less gloomy.
Don't think about dying, and the grave, and
tombstones, and all that sort of thing
when die" continued the bereft one,
g you will see that l am placed beside Rachel.
On our tomb you will have engraved, They
were lovely in their lives, and in their deaths
they were not divided. '''
s'Yes, brother said Anabel, with little
hysterical Sob
{" You will have the last pocket-handker.
chief Rachel used to place over my face.''
Yes" replied Anabel.
My will You will find in the tin case. /
have left everything to Myra and yourself.
80 ~, thank you you dear brother. How consid-
'' My death will be your gain, Anabel," and
the bereaved sighed subnissively
My precious brother, don't suggest such
thing. But you know / have long wished to
go to Europe, and your lamented death will
give me an opportunity Of doing so"
go, goy enjoy what I leave You, Anabel.
The day will come when, like me. you must lie
down in the dust. have heaped up riches"
:" For me to enjoy How kind in you, bro
ther; Good bye % And Anahel artended
What do you mean" said Augustus, draw.
ing back angrily.
30, crave your pardon really forgot, L
dreamed l had read your will, and was just
II may live many years yet" said Angus
tus, mOOdily. .r
Certainly, only thought you had resolved
to die; began to fear you contemplated sui.
eide" :
% I am miserable enough for anything. 1
believe will 20 to the club"
pray do; no doubt it will help you to fcx-
I" do not wish to forget her the heart that
has truly loved never forgets"
20, no, Augustus, not exactly forget her
only soften your giant grief that is wearing
away your very life"
Augustus stood a moment and contemplated
the fair face Of the deceased Rachel then, as
IL oNoICohe Oy tue remomoTdnce OF the past,
he snatched up the deeply-craped hat that
stood on the table and wended his way to the
club, too much afflicted to stay quietly at
home.
The next morning, at breakfast, he looked
up from his plate, and said is dismal tone
" "Anabel, you will please never allude to my
marrying again. You wounded my heart be-
yond expression, last night
", dear brother, am very sorry; but
have known of aeyeraI oentleman urho ,rhac
they were unfortunate enough to lose their
wife, found another, and thought-"
:" Hush hush not another word on this sad
subject"
Three months passed slowly, but sadly. Ra-
chel was in her grave, and its long shadow fell
gloomily upon Augustus heart and hearth. A
weeping willow had been planted over the
dreary mound and waved its long branches SOL
emnly in the breeze. A few fragrant violets
grew out of poor Rachel's head-that is, the
head Of her grave and at her feet white-rose
bush aorishs n charming lux lriance. It was
dainty little spot. poor Rachel grave, and here
Augustus paid a visit every time he spied the
churchyard gates. Here he stood on Sunday to
think Of Rachel, perhaps, or to gaze more conve-
she tripped through the churchyard into the
side door Of the church. This last idea pro-
mulgated by those proverbially spiteful crea-
tures-the old maids of the church, who, hay
ing lost all their youth, envy the young, and
who are ~ crazy to get married at forty a.
they were at twenty, and who tear to shrsds
the characters Of their more fortunate sisters,
who win in the worlds lottery that prize--s
husband" So said Augustus, when Annabel
told him of sundry remarks that had been
made concerning him. =,.s-
6 But it was not an old maid that slandered
you, Augustus; it was married lady. Mrs.
Montjoy says she has watched you in church,
and you look out of the window with one tear.
full eye on Rachels grave, while the other is
smilingly exploring the pretty face Of Miss
Villers. She even says she saw you last Sun
day gather Q boquet from Rachei's grave, and
presented it to Miss Villers a. she was going
into church, who, placing it to her GreciaI
nose, thanked you with her sweetest smile,
little dreaming 1t 'smelt Of mortality Poor.
dear Rachel, don't know how she weuld rel,
ish furnishing boquets for her rival I don't
say this, Augustus, Mrs. Montjoy said it.
Don't frown 90 angrily; Of course ] don't be-
lievs word Of 1t. know how devotedly at.
tached you were to dear Rachel, and how you
planted her grave, and even took the watering
pot in your hands and watered the plants to
make them grow, and how you treasured up in
tissue paper the last handkerchief she used,
and how you put her bonnet on a table, and
had little railing built around il to keep pro-