The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-02-06

!. | would bring in Its train, "For MN, Ior lain.
- ( she would fnu11nur TO hersed, as sue HUH
! over some exauisiieIv delicate painting, AM
touched and rstouchcd till her copy mad Tn
| yerv texture as well as the hue OF the mower
before her. cit is mol hthng ,nas ne snouia |.
!. | " spent. he has all the tastes OF the man o
, | family and fortune; l, the arflsts daughter
|. used 10 struggle from my chiidhood-l do no
! | share but IL will be my Joy to minister {,
. these And so she would sit and dream
! while the fairy fronds OF some delicate fern, o
the down on the stalk OF some fragile wild
| flower. grew benea: IN her fingers. But of lat
weeks she would sometimes stop to close he
large bine eyes, strained as they felt by tn,
over-intentness OF their gaze or TO press he
hand over her forehead, which sometime,
qaivered with n sudden and dartiny pain
| which she would not mention TO Fred reiian
| by nature, she had become more so by mncf
| living alone, neither would She give into II
| Tor the picture before her must be finished by
| Tue approaching Exhibition. 1t would sell
| sho calculated, for n considerable snm other
| commissions would probably follow: and then
| sand thcn--- she was so deep In her happy
| reyerie one day, that Fred actually entered the
room nnnoticcd, and exclaimed Mt her pale
ness, and ~ the weary look in her sweet eyes.
| But IA he kissed them their light returned,
and the color rushed so richly into her cheek,
| that he began to think his impression had been
| indeed "aii fancy as she declared.
| But you must promise me not 10 ovcrwork
yourself in my absence, my Lima, he said
| I'm your absence = she replied, in voice OF
| Yes / ha We had heavy tittings to-day. Ny
/ good old uncle, Barlow, is ill., and alone. fou
| know how much owe to his kindness. l can
| not refuse 10 20 to him, even though | leave
| my Lima. But IL will not be for fong-I could
| not stand that Then turning TO her pic tnre:
"What an exquisite group this is How ten
der, how minnie Why, Ii makes my eyes
! ache to look ut Your microscopic touches, my
| fairy. But come out with me now, and let rs
| have Il walk. | half suspect you work too
| hard. declare IN jealous of your art, Lima. ;"
lyon need not she said. with q smile so
| bright that no one could have guessed how
violent the pain that shot through her fore
head and eyes as She spoke. She had been over
working, perhaps; but she not going 10
tell him OF this--aud so SPOIL utterly his last
walk with her.
The evening was gloomy and chill the
shadow of their parting hung on the spirits of
both. Whatever subject they took up led into
q vein Of sadness. Lima did not know why,
but she spent the greater part of the night in
tears. When morning came, her eyes were so
red and heavy, she was almost glad Fred
would not see them. She must work hard,
she said. 10 overcome this singular depression;
and she did work hard, though at times a
strange dimness crept over her sight and her
hand was oftener press'd to her throbbing
forehead than it had ever been before. The
third dav there came letter from Fred, so
long and loving that II half reconciled her TO
his absence, bali Increased her yearning for
his return. He had found his uncle wors.
than he expected. There was 10 he q consulta-
ton on tho morrow his next letter would
give the result, and fix the day OF his return.
Another day of continuous painting, of NOR.
pain to contend with. of strange flashes of
light alternating with that occasional diInness.
She would rest her ewes. she resolved as SoU,,
as she got Fred's heYt letter. She could bear
inaction with his return to look forward to-
Alas the letter, when il comes, does not fix
his return. short sea-voyage is pronounced
the only hop" in his uncle's case /; a friend has
placed his yacht at his disposal: he will not
make the experiment alone, but If Fred VIII
pgN Iy,t
short cruise. 1t would be unkind, uugrateful
to deny the old mans request. a month at
furthest VIII restorg him to his Lima and She
will feel as he docs that there was no aIlerna.
tive yes, she does feel it he was right
right always. His uncle has been second
father. Had sbe been well, the brave hearted
woman would have acquiesced cheerftllly: but
as IT was, she could not conquer her sadness
She could not keep 1t back from bim-write
cheerfully this last letter that he could receive
before the yacht sailed, and work the dismal
time of separation away. But when, having
finished her letter, she went to her painting
that morning, sho found work impossi BILE
Large spots OF red seemed to gather on the Pc
tails OF the water lilies she was copying the
pain in the eyeballs grew intolerable. Her
heart boat thick and anxiously lest If this
went on, she might be obliged to give up her oc-
cupation for weeks or months. Better to to ke
prompt measures to have the tedium OF reposs
now, that she might he quite well when Fred !
She went straightway to one of the
most celebrated oculists of tho day. The SYM |
pathy of his manner, the minuteness of his !
q uestions, alarmed her. hor energetic nature /
could bear anything better than suSpense.- |
Ibid Doctor W fear blindness ~ He /
grleNed 10 say h0 did" "Oi what nature o. |
LOT the most opeless-amaurosis"
Oh, thank God all you upon whom there has |
never fallen some sudden sDattering agony .
like this, who have had to give up the whole |
hope Of your life at AZ instant's notice--neyer |
had the glory and promise of the universe |
blotted from you by one single word And |.
thank { Sot. too when Al
w-creatureS thus stricken, that such blows
when they do come, stun well as torture |
and that their very magnitude prevents for
season the sense OF their reality. When the
power of thinking returned, Lina's first
thought was of Fred. Ii this were indeed go;
out mott was impossible. At all events il !
was well that his kind heart was not iarkened
with this horrible fear. A week-a fortnight
passed still, i'll spite otrest and remedial rnea-
'ules, the pam, the oiInncss, the flashes Of
light before the eyes And yet no one looking
nto their blue depths could have seen any
hing beyond their beauty and the~ sadness,
md in the heavy eyelids the trace of Ireuuent
ears. The doctor had indeed told her that
tbore All things, tears were injurious. All +!
he did not know how much she had to weeD
'yer. Not only this artworld shut out from
ier, not only the loss of the pursuit that had |
,ecn 10 her Il passion, but the loss Of love- for |
Is she lay there in her darkencd room one !
bought, one resolve grew clearer and stronger |
ay by day Fred's career should not be ham I
'ered by Il blind WIFE She knew his noble.
onorable nature well knew that this great | ]
riictiou fallen upon her would only make
I'm hold his plightcd word more sacred than !
efore that he would choose hard work of
NY KIND, choose poverty even such as entailed {
'ss OF social station, choose any alternative {
lther than leave his poor sightless Lima desc L
lie and alone. But she knew, too, very we'll, {
lat to a man of his sensitive poetical temper Z
nent and early formed habits, poverty
ould have a peculiar sting. Then his own I
,alih was far from strong, and his spirits '
iriable. Better for him the sharp, sudden :
IS than the lifelong burden. In The midst
her anguish, there came 10 the Woman's ! =
cart the great strength of self-sacrifce-6etter y
r him. These words ncrved her for all 1t r.
az we'll, TOO, for her that at this terrible d
isis she had TO act we'll as 10 suffer SONG | o
mes, IN her anXiey 10 devise the measures by f,
hich this calamity should fall most lightly &
pom him, she for awhile almost forgot her o
ARE III il. 1t often occurred To her thai it y
ould be bost If, ON his return, he should find q
n gone. But, oh the yearning for one more n
ok into the face she SO loved before darkness
II upon her forever. Had he been with her :
hen she Ilrst heard that dreadful sentence,
e impulse to tell him her wretchedness {;
light have been too strong. She rejoiced that $,
was not. But now she thought she could ri
ust herself to one more meeting; at all events Il
e would make all her ARA ngementS so as 10 u
able TO set off at IA days notice but she d
ould at least wait TO hear of his safe return ~
England. Meanwhile, she employed her =
'urs of ease. and Of comparative ciearness
vision, III modelling, from her most faith =
memory, Il bust of her lover. She had g.
ten modelled before, but never with such II
OCULAR success-she knew every lineament p
this face so we'll. Her whole soul was In u
r work, for this bust would be all that she u
ould save out of the wreck of her life. This Ii
g would take with her into her banishInent
Issing her hand thus over the high forehead | \
g heavy waves of hair, the regular features | 4
familiar TO her now, she could guard against 1t
9 image in her heart ever becoming fainter TO
fro BE CONTINUED IL ouR SRxr.I n