St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1860-06-07

tears, lalU my uaHIt NltiilN iti ailnj ana
thus went back into the house. l had
nerved myself to bear the sound Of the
strange footstep before I reached the par
lors. I was ri ght when I thought it would
come between US. Elsie was as kind as
ever; but somehow, whenever she was
singing to me, or reading to me, or when
ever we were walking in the garden, or
chatting in the parlor, I would hear the
ring of that sootstep upon the path, and it
was all over for the day. BY and by, I
almost grew to hate it.
One evening when she had gone to walk
with him, as she often did Of late, my
mother, pausing in a cheerful click of her
knitting needles, said pleasantly:
"I shouldn't wonder, my dear, if DR..
Claymore seriously admired our Elsie. I
hope it is so, for he is fine mans he
not, Paul p
1 answered in the affirmative, and she
went on:
II was afraid that living here in this
lonely house, Elsie would lead dull life
as she grew older. It is not as though
you could pay her those little attentions
girls are so fond Of, you know, and really
DR.. Claymore is quite--What is the
matter, Paul?'
What pain the best people will give un-
Intentionally! It was pang at my heart,
not in my head, although told my moth
er that it was, which made me start and
abruptly close her speech. Only for the
present, however, was doomed to hear of
DR.. Claymorc's attention and Elsie's beau
ty, and the little signs by which my moth
er augured that the happy climax was ap-
p1oaching, until I could have prayed to be
deaf as we'll as blind
All this was wearing out my soul and
body; and my brain seemed to be on fire,
I could not think collcctedly, yet grew
only more silent and sad; although my
mother saw that something was amiss, she
never guessed the truth. Her greatest
pleasure was TO make me lie upon the sofa,
with pillow underneath my head and talk
to me about Elsie and DR.. Claymorc. She
said she "saw it did me good"
One day awoke with strange giddi-
ness and fever upon me. It was late, and
the first news + heard was that Elsie had
gone to ride with DR.. Claymore.
"And I shouldn't wonder, my dear, il
nc was going to propose to her. He lock-.
ed rather agitated, and certainly had some:
thing on his mind," said ny plcc:asi.- meth ei' -
"Just let me get you a pillow on the sofa,
and I'll tell you what he said to her, SC
that you have her interest almost as much
at heart as have, my dear, and it will
cheer you to talk it over"
I could not bear it any longer. I said
something about headache and tic air.
and managed to escape out into the gar:
den. There wandered wearily up and
down, feeling delirium rapinly cloudine
my mind, and struggling wildly against it.
until, as the clock struck twelve, l groped
my way, faint and trembling, to the wreck
of the burnt summer house, and sat down
once more upon the little bench where
Elsie h d been sleeping when rescued
her from the flames. I struggled no Ion
ger with my reason, but muttered wildly
with myself: "Here, here-ycs, here
where she slept-I will die, and she shall
never know that died for her love. Ha'
ha! ha! how they would laugh at the idea
of a blind man in love!
"Master Paul, come to luncheon! Don't
sit there looking so wild-like," said Dinab,
who was close beside me. ,..
I knew the voice-I heard what she
said but I went on talking.
"Why don't you laugh, Dinah?'
"What at, young Massa,' asked the wo-
man. .r . 49, a.. -; ,fs: ..
CAT meat blind man in loveY
"Oh, Massa Paul, what ails yer? ?"1 sob
bed Dinah, *twhat has happened yer?"
"Hush!" / whispered. you have heard
the step coming, night and day-that has
killed me; but do not tell her, for he will
be her husband then, and she would grieve.
81 "Tell her how I loved her, though, and
how I would have cared for her, if I had
been like other men. She will not laugh
then, for shall be under tho sod, and we
never laugh at the dead !! Hark the step
is coming!' " ..@:.as: .,..ss 49,. =,
] Firmly it came along the path and as
stretching out my arms, seemed to spring
from black preci pice into a gulf of deep
est, profoundest darkness, where hearing
and motion were buried in oblivion, Iheard
her calling out: = a"1 .ol -.r..o.~, ..
"Oh,! Massa Doctor! Massa Doctor!
hers young Massa Paul gone dead along
O. you as knoved he would p So. ..., j.
The first Of my after memories that is
reality, is tho sound Of that very footstep
which T SO hated! 1t was very soft now
andsit came and went constantly, uawea-
riedly. With it there came cooling
draughts, soothing change of heated pill,
and sIri brow, and tenderness equal to any +
have ever known;1 but. L hated it; and
drove it away still. Il knew my mother
was there, and Elsie; but that step de-.
.stroyed my pleasure in their presence.
Not until l lay SO weak that an infant could
have prevented me from making the slight