Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1862-05-09

lotN' oAlSo aoN pdiSR INV tH1u tuiS--IO
a lsnd where the flowers never close and
the summer is forever"
That was the land of my dreams. Was
it true that | should not see the land Of
my longing with these earthly eyes p
Was it only in heaven that peace and
sunshine ever fingered?
eve viii go to Brighton, Myra; I
can't stay in the old house when she
isn't there. She was my first love, Ny
ra-the one love Of my life; and | feel
now that in our devotion to each other,
we were hardly just to you We have
loved you, Myra; but somehow, | feel
that your little joys and sorrows were not
as they should have been--a part of
our care. l had not felt, until now, how
hard it was to be alone"
l took bis hand in both mine, and
wept, | hardly knew why. | had never
loved my aunt; | had never loved any
one, for no one had ever asked me to ;
but the low words of sorrow were SO
much the echo of my own soul. in its
long quest for sympathy, that the tears
would come. Poor uncle Warren! His
heart was much wider and more tender
than had thought it; but had never
crept within it, for | never knew there
was any room for me- But might not.
now? Might / not almost fill the place
that aunt Warren had filled 1t might
have been so, had he been left with US !;
but when the city spires were all that
rose against the arching blue Of the sky,
again came the boatman pale, and rowed
him away through the unseen waters.
had yet an aunt--the last of my kin
dred and to her care | was left Gay
guests were ever in the rooms; for my
aunt was wealthy, and my cousins beau
tiful and | used to sit alone in the
shadow of the curtains, wishing for Just
one to love me. As the unfolding of a
heavenly flower comes the memory Of a
June day when a handsome man knelt at
my feet and called me beautiful-knolt
and asked me to love him.
What answer should l make him? |
did not know but bade him 60 away
then, and ccme again on the morrow,
When the last echo of his footsteps had
died away, I ran up to my little room,
locked out everything but the sunshine,
and sat down to think.
And he had stopped to call me beauti-
full he, the noble, the gifted And !
stood by the mirror, and put back the
curls Of midnight hair, and gazed long
and searebingly at the face that met me,
There was pair Of dark, flashing eyes
white face, that no winds could fan in
to rose hue; lips a little too full to be
naughty and mass Of black hair, that
might have been braiden into a diadem.
Was it beautiful? lie had said so Did
| love him The piercing eyes that l
saw soitened, and ! pressed my bands
close over my heart, to shut in its throb-
bings and then the tears came-tears Of
happiness
Did love him? Tonight l ask the
question Aud the eyes see are wild,
and the lips | see are compressed, and
again clasp my hands close over my
heart, and wish the tears would come.
Oh the bliss Of the beautiful long ago,
when the light of love came to my eyes,
and the thrill of happiness to my heart.
Oh the darkness Of that night, that came
like an avenging soul on the full glory Of
life's morning.
1t was by the seaside that the shadow
fell, whore the waters were sobbing with
a low wall of sorrow aud wrath. We bad
been speaking of the past, and thinking
of the future but we were silent then,
and started up quickly, as | heard bis
voice, saying " How beautiful p
A lady--a child it might have been
clad in a dark-blue riding-habit, was
coming toward us, borne on white
horse, The sunshine played with hor
cuils as with something kindred, and her
eyes would have set one dreaming of the
skies Of Italy. a look that shall never
forget passed over his, as she refined in
her horse and spoke his name.
" Ernestw
" Edith p
His hand trcmbled as it clasped hers,
and she smiled on him such a smile. II
froze my heart in its beauty; for / knew,
when his check palcd and his eye fell,
that he had felt its power before.
" And 50 sou have not quite forgotten
me, Ernestr
That were impossible y
"And yet you hive been silent so
long. I thought my place all occupied BY
anothcrp
And so he had loved before; and the
siren that enchanted him had not yet
lost her power. / waited to hear no more.
It was enough. He would not sec me
now. Hurricdly, retraccd my steps to
my aunt's abode.
Three months after, word came 10 nc
that they we're married Ernest Temple
and the beautiful Edith Wells 1t was in
crowded room, but I didn'tfant. Edith
Wells might have done that; was not
so weak. But my heart turned to stone F;
and the timid, clinging child was belle
that night, aud went forth strong. self
po,sesfed woman, followed in the way Of