New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-01-18

dress laughing now and then and talking your ten
Ter l.tle llk. Tie colonel from behind The Times,
oined III row and again the pleasant hali.honrs
lid by. We still banking there, " hen Hal ert
was announced and came in, looking very tall aud
handsome The bagpipes drOned on, the flies sailed
in and cut on the sunshine: you ,tl sat tranquil,
at the open caseuent; but somehow the golden at
mosphere q the honr was gone. Your smiles were
y'ne your words silence1 aud that happy
little hour was forever.
l. When got up 10 come away Hnlbert rose too; |
he came down STARE with me- and suddenly looking
me full in the face fsid "When is it to be
You know much more about it than do"
answered
"fou don't mean to say that You are not very
much smiiten with Miss Esther 7" said he.
Certainly am, said /. 81 should be resdy
enough to marry her, If that is what you mean. j
dare-sy shan't get her. She is to me the most |
sympathetic woman have ever known. You are
too young, Mr.. lialbert, TO undorsta and feel her
worth. Don't be offended" / added, seeing hin
flush up. "You young fellows can't be expected to
zee with the sane eyes We old ones. You will
think as do in another ten year,"
How do you meant he asked.
Isn't it the way with all of ne, said l; eve
begin by liking universally; we go on we pick
and choose and weary of things which had only the
charm of novelty to recommend them only as our
life narrows we cling more and more to the good
thinge which remain and feel their value ten times
moro keenly And surely a sweet, onesthearted
yoaDg woman like Esther oliver is good thing"
| "She is very nice" lIalbert said. "She has such
good manners. | have had more experience than
you give me credit for, and am very much Of your
way of thinking They say that old courty colonel
Ia dreadfully harsh 70 herwants TO marry her, and
get her oil his hands, assure you you have a very
good chance"
~ mstrust the old Colonel" said I, dctatorially;
IA trust bic daughter Somehow che and chime
III tune together" and, as spoke, began TO un-
derstsnd why You said wofully, thar you had
Dot one friend iu the world; and my thoughts WAL
dcred away TO the garden where i had found You
waiting on the steps OF the terrace.
what do you say TO the 'Ehsire d Amore Lady
Fanny and have been performing latelyi' Halbert
was SAYING meanwhile, very confdenily. Some
times | csnnO. help flncying that the Colonel wants
to take part in the Performance, and cracked old
tenor part, too. In that case shall cry off, and
ard give up my engagements" And then, noddlnS
good'by, he lett me.
| met him again in the Babuino day or two after.
lie came straight up 10 me, eaying Going to tue
Ollivers eh viii you take a message for me, and
tell the colonel mean TO look in there this evening
That old fox the coonel-you have heard that he IS
actually going to marry Lady Fanny. She told me
30 herseli yesterday
IL thiDs her choice IL prudent one" answered,
somewhat surprised Il suppose Colonel Oliver n
three tlmes IA rich IA yourselfi You must expect
woman of thirty to be prudent l am not fond OF
that virtue IN very young people, but 1t 10 not unbe
coming with years
Hal5ert flushed up. 81 suppose from that you
mean she was very near marrying me. IN not sor-
~ he has taken up with the colonel after all. You
see, my mother Was always writing, aGd my Sisters
at home; aud they used to tell me and
myself though, she---, You know what mean.
But, Of course, they have been reassured on that
point"
"Do Won mean to cay" ssked, in great panic,
"that YOU would marry any woman who happened
TO fall in love with you ~
~ don't know what might have done year
ago" said he, laughing; "but just now, you zee,
have bad warning, and besides, 1t IS my turn to
make the advances
wss immensely relieved at this Tor didn't know
what was not going To cay.
Here as We turI ed a street corner, we came upon
black robed monk, standing, vailed aud mo,loness
with Il skull ia one bony hand. The cheerful object
g angod tie current Of our talk, aud parted pres
emily at a fountain. Women with black twists of
hair were landing round about, waiting IN grand,
oarcless attitudes while the lmpid water flowed.
When reached your door, l found tie carriage
waiting, and you aud your father under the arch
way. =" Come with u.s." raid he, and gladly &C.
copied. And drove out at one of the gates of
The city, out into the Campaigns, over which melt
ing waves Of color We're rolling. Here and there
We passed ancient ruins cruinblinG in the SUM- the
roadsides sireamed with color and fragrance from |
volets aud anemones and sweet-smelling howers
After some time we came suddenly green hills
and leaving the carriage climbed up the sidee. Iben
We found Ourselves looking down into green glow
ing valley, Win MI ltttiihs mchiuR
into light. You, with little transient gasp of hap
piness, fell down kneeling in the grass. i shall
always zee the picture l Ind before me then--the
light figure against the bright green, the black hat
and long falling feather the eager face looking out
at the world May it be forever green aud pleasant
TO you it was then, q eager face
AZ we were parting in the twilight suddenly
remembered to give llalberts message. II did not
greatly affect your father; bnt how was 1t Was 1t
because l knew You 70 well that l instinctivoly
4 L... n Al, Il
hands with you and said good night, your hand
trembed in mine.
won't you look In, too r. said the Colonel.
Bot shook nv head. mot to-night-no, thank
Won. And 70 we parted.
My lodgings were in the Gregorisns; the win
dows looked out over gardens and cupolas from one
OF them could zee the Pincio. From that one next
morning. ne | sat drinking my coffee, suddenly saw
you, walking slowly along by the parapet with
your dog running by your side. You went TO one OF
those outlying terraces which flank the road, and
leaning over the stoncwork looked out at the grand
panorama lying vt your feet-Rome, with her pur-
| ple mantle OF mist, regay spreading her towers,
her domes, and great 81. Peters rising over the
house. tops her hills changing and deepening
with mob Get color, her golden crown OF sunlight
streaming and melting with the mist. Somehow, l,
too saw all this presently when reached tho place
where you were still standing.
Aud now have almost come to the end Of my
story, that IT, of those few days of my life of which
you, Esther were the story lou stoou tnoio Whit-
ing, and hastened toward You, and fate Il fancied
you were my Fate) went on it's course quito UNI
moved by my hopes or your fears thought that
you looked almost handsome for once. You certain
ly seemed more happy. Yonr face tusbed and faded,
your eyes Frightened and darkened. AZ you turned
and saw me, a radiant qniyer, p,teous smile came
to greet me somewhat strangely You seemed try
ing to speak but the words died away on your lips
to keep silence, at least, but the falterin8 accents
broke forth.
"Whst is II, my dear !" said I. q, last, with a
queer sinking of the heart, and held out my hand.
You caugh. il softly between both yours. Oh =