The southern aegis, and Harford County intelligencer. (Bel Air, Md.) 1862-1864, 1862-10-04
BEL AIR. MD. SATURDAY. MORNING
to shut in its throbbings; and then the
tears came-tears Of happiness.
TN. - y

to shut in its throbbings; and then the
tears came-tears of happiness.
Did I love him !? Tonight I ask the
question. And the eyes see are wild, and
the lips I see are compressed, and again 1
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, where the waters were sobbing with
a low wall of sorrow and wrath. We had
been speaking of the past, and thinking
of the future; but we were silent then,
and I started up quickly, as l heard his
voice saying "How beautiful ~ Y
A ady-a child it might have been
clad in dark blue riding-habit, was COM
ing toward us, borne on white horse
The sunshine playing with her curls as
with something kindred, and her eyes
would have set one dreaming Of the skies
of Italy. A look that [ shall never forgot
passed over his face, as she refined in her
horse and spoke his name.
"Ernest ~
edith p 1850
His hand trembled as it clasped hers,
aid she smiled on him such a smile J.
1t froze my heart in its beauty; for I
knew when his cheek paled and his eye
fell, that he had felt it's power before.
Sand so you have not quite forgotten
me, Ernest ?"
"That were impossible ~
"And yet you have been silent so long,
I thought my place all occupied by anoth-
er!'
And so he had loved before; and the
siren that enchanted him had not yet lost
her power. l waited to hear no more
1t was enough. He would not see me
now. Hurriedly retraced my steps to
my aunt's abode. ,..
Three months after, word came to me
that they were married-Ernest Temple
aud the beautiful Edith Wells. 1t was in
crowded room, but didn't faint. Edith
Wells might have done that; l was not 30
weak. But my heart turned to stone; and
the timid, clinging child was belle that
night, and went forth strong, self.pos-
sessed woman, following in the way of the
world. My aunt raised her hands in
wonder, that the lesson she had been vain
ly striving to teach me for years had all
come to me in a single evening, But
discernment was not among her virtues
and l kept my'own secret. tN
have changed, they say; the crimson
life-tide has learned the way to my rosy
cheeks, and I do not need now to be told
that [ am beautiful. Hearts have been
laid at my feet-true hearts and false
ones-and the world has learned to call
me coquette. He was here tonight
he whom l love-whom Ihate his eyes
wearing the wild look of sorrow mine
have learned to hide, and his laugh be-
traying in it the ring of death.
1 stood by his side, and listened to the
mock echo; and he saw my curling lip,
and that / had read his soul, and knew
all its bitterness. And when 1 had left
the crowded rooms, and stood in the soft
moonlight, among the shadowy trees, he
came and knelt at my feet, like a coward
who dared not suffer in silence, and
told me how he had loved me all
through the years that the butterfly Of
the sun had been his bride-how he loved,
and ever must. And I went away, with
q low laugh, and left him moaning
"Have you, too, grown soulless you,
the snow-white lily, that came like hid
den fountain, between me and the desert
of earthly unbelief2" ~
Well, the world says SO; and i am ly-
ing on the messy carpet like broken
reed by the brock Of its love, wondering
if all it says is true. tt