The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1863-10-21
sHIAN COUNTY OHIO

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for definite talk with Isabel and this would
give him the opportunity. BE acceded to her
request to. take tea, and followed her to the
supper ROOM 1sai.Fassssssi 81 sss4s4ss sgsF
Notwithstanding it was summer time, the
trees and shrubs grew so thickly abou. the
house at Bellevue as to make fire desirable
1 and this want was met by q large, sparkling.
wood fire, blazing on the ample hearth of the,
supper room. It was fine long room, with
painted walls of cool tint Of drab, aud hung
with pictures. "A tiny fountain sprang up.
near the table, and the light was subdued by
The supper tabie showed The dciieate tasto
or isabel, In Its beautiful napery. and the
wealth of her father in costly cut glass and
and silver.
"I can give her no guads like these" sighed
Horace to himself, as he surveyed the magni-
Gcence before him. Chow much will she
have to give up, if she would consent to share
my lot. Ah, viii she eyer be contented to be
4 the wife of country minister 2" r. e
4 And truly, as he looked around and saw the
luxury By which she was surrounded, he
thought that even if their old fued could be
made up, he would hardly dare to take her
from that home, nnIess he could give her a
corresponding one. Her tastes so refined and.
fastidious, Eer choice of society so almost ex-
elusive as he knew it to be, how would she
bear the coz. panionship of Mrs. Higgins and
Miss Finkin? =
Almost for the first time, Horace felt the
curse Of poverty. This being, whom he would
have epshrined if he could in crysta, palace.
| where no ruder touch should have visited her
than the soft pressure of the water lilies she
had beep gathering, against ter cheek; how
could he subject her, if even she would con-
sent to the self denial, the absence of all lux
ury, the probable discomforts Of third rate
parsons residence in third rate village He
said this last sentence to himself with great
bitterness His eyes was resting at that mo-
ment on painting, whose cost would have al
most doubled his own yearly salary, and he
had come to ask Isabel to share that tifei
| It seemed at the moment, that it was too
absurd to think of--this asking her voluatarily
| to make change like that-and yet, how to
| give up the long dream OF his youth ! the
dream that Isabel had herself encouraged un-
| til the last time they had met
But even when he was youth at college
and with no visible means of support, the dis.
tance between them did not seem SO immeas1
urable as now, that his fate seemed fixed
chained down to mediocrity through life. 1t
almost seemed to him that if Isabel should
accept him now, that he should tremble on
the threshold of his coming happiness, and
dread to fasten her down to such a life as his
HSSO tuOuS uaSneu lnFOugn MS mind
the brief momellt in which she had left him
to himself. - - - -7z--- -7--7--
They sat down to tea, Horace yainly irving
to shut out the picture that would uncou-
scously I'll his minds eye, of Isabel sitting
thus at his own table at Walford The
thought made him silent and abstracted, and
Isabel seemed hardly equal to the task of
playing hostess to her silent guest.
They had sat thus for some time. when a
laStV fnofSfen nj he oralr IL
Colonel Maine's return. He entered. looking
flushed and worried and when forced by the |
sight of guest TO grow calmer his face as |
suned a deadly pallor. Isabel lowered around |
her father, anxious and fearful. yet not daring
to ask what was the cause of his discomposure |
As she passed her hand earressng,y over his |
hair, she started to find that it was drippinp
with wet Surely, the dews had not fallen SO |
heavily as that.
Her father had greeted Horace when be
came In, but with hand as cold as death;
and he now sat down beside him and drank
cup after cup of strong tea but tasted moth
ing else. Horace remembered that this mans I
pride had partly influenced his daugheer to
withdraw her affection, or at least the sho,c of
affection from him. Had he not remembered.
he could have pitied him more deeply than he
did now. -
Colonel Maine arose and left the table,
His daughter and guest followed him to the
wide fire place, where they remained in si-
leIce, until the servant removed the tea
things. isabel looked mournfuily at her faith
er, and although some of her old affection for
Horace was rising in her heart, sh ;yet wish
ed him away, so that her father might unbur-
den the trouble which was evidently crushing
his spirit.
She did not need to wish him away, for as
soon as the doors were shut and all were still,
her father, with the great drops Of perspira-
ton still beading his forehead, revealed the
cause of his present state. lr
Bellevue, with all its manifold beauties of
scenery, its model formAthe pride of Colonel
Names heart, next to his daughter-his ex-
tensive city property, all had vanished away
from hia grasp, by the yillany of single mar, Ii
and that man one whom he had befriended, /
Isabel listened in tears. She could not at .
that moment command the heroism and forti-
tude which she had so often admired in Ir. 6
Wings admirable "Wife" Bellevue was dear I,
to her heart. Here she had been born ani /
feared within its sacred woods the dust of !
her mother was sleeping; it would break her
fatheTs heart to leave it. for though apparent :
y cold and stern, she knew the depth of feel
ng that Icy beneath that proud exterior
She could not speak peace then to his troubled r
soul. Had Bellevue been spared. She could I
have borne all else; but this lay too near her ;.
hearts centre to be lightly given up
Horace rose, but Colonel Maine's hand vas
IN his arm "Do not leave us, Mr.. Cray, = he n
aid, "your province is to attend upon sorrow
md trouble. Do not forsake your old friends
low"i ST s fa=s ssgs slfI 81 80 q
Horace was surprised into sudden expires. Y
ion of sympathy which the moment before T.
'e would not have uttered for the world, d
CHESS you, Mr.. Gray, for this kind ex
'ression OF feeling towards Us. My poor Isa-
el, do not weep sof We are no worse cf d
han many others There. there, go to your 81
wn room, my darling, and bathe that face, S
nd come back TO o'me smiling if You can ?, q
Isabel obeycd him, glad to relieve herself, b
y one powerful burst of tears, after which b
he hoped to go ba,k, calm, If not smiling. q
AS soon as she was gone, Colonel Maine q