The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1863-02-12


its attendant pleasures physical neces-
sitles,-conld this man make worthy
husband to the pure gill of the woods
he had painted me? / shuddercd
then ! asked -
"Have you continued to correspond
with her?"
"Yes, here is the little maiden's last
letter; choice chirography that!" be
sneered.
took the little missive and opened
1t; dainty smell of sweet briar
breathcd out, and scarlet seed bud
and dried leaf dropped from its folds
1t ran thus
''WABuEN LAKE, Oct. 10th, 16-.
"MY GooD GUY,-I am very tired
from bringing in corn-ears from the
garden, but the moon is big tonight,
and | must write you; you know moth
er keeps the candles for winter. | am
sorry you can't come home now, tor
the deer are plenty this fall. I've y.,,
"a fawn to tame. The trees on Cone
Hill, where you killed the rattlesnake,
are all yellow and purple, and to da.
! found some of those peach-colored
leaves that YOU like so well. Don't,
forget the box of water. colors when
you come il will make the winter pass
pleasantly for me.
81 am sorry, dear Guy, that | can,
write more, but the moon has got round
the corner of the house and it is too
dark. You told me to write aboni
what ! read, bnt father has stopped the
| ,SchrO0a Herald, and have nothing
hut your letters; 50 please write me
whenever those hard studdies will let
you. Good night.
'Y"ur loving MAGGIE.
"P. S.-Tbis sweet hriar l picked
from Mdt bush by the orchard wall"
wanted Ia kiss the letter, but re
Trained y,d quietly returned it. lie
tossed il over his shoulder. told him
he ought To let her know the truth a,
once, and he answered by the questions
with which my story begins. Wheih
er wild and happy "reminiscences made
him desire I" see Maggie and her home
once more before he severed her inter
es's from his own forever, or wheihc,
- sense of justice Ia her and half shame
for himself, guided his conduct, | can.
not say, hut the next day he obtained
"A turlough from college duties and
went north. In two days he returned.
| dreaded Ia question him, W., was
anxions to hear the result. He M
swered briefly, seeming relieved at his
success. Maggie had already guessed
the truth from the tone of his letters,
hut had tried 10 hide the wound nuder
ner wing even from herself until !
came. She made no fuss, only slid
down i'm sobs an,l tears when he left
her. I will give him the credit of "a
nervous twiich about the mouth whri
he said this. He brought back an am
hr"iype of himself, worn and Soilr,l.
did not ask him where he got it. Will
pain compared the boy and the beard
ed yonng man. The boys face seemed
aglow with sense of lifr's fresh large
ness, the large eyes were shining in a
bath of smiles, !. noble clearpesss'amd
look of wakenea thought hovered over
the forehead, the face was all iacile
with honest feeling. As for The man,
only looked at ;he eyes and mouth ; the
first were hungry and shadowed, tn,
other seemed muddied and tinged with
the lees of sin,
| Randolph did not graduate. He be.
came badly dissipated, and lost sigh,
of him in a southern city.
i / cannot tell how often in the eve
nings of the long Vermont winter that
followed the incidents recorded above,
when was snng in dressing gown and
slippers, little nut brown maid vouch
>afed pretty exhibitions of herself IN
the fire before my eyes, or danced on
the shut cover of my Plato, or raised
her merry eyes ont of my empty flow
er-vase. Onr chapel observatory gave
t" the eye the whole sweep of the Adj
) rondack mountains, trooping away
. from Lake Champlain and holding hid
den in deep valleys many an ice-roofed
lake, by one of which ! knew Maggie
Iuale watched the piling snow without
, and doubted not did her best to thaw
the frost that she felt gnawing at her
heart within.
Spring came, and still without own
! ing to myself why, climed the obser.
vaiory stairs many and many an eve
ming. to watch the sunset tarry rosy
and warm over spot that had never
f, seen. Sometimes ut the close of a
rainy day, ] believe | saw rs much OF
. "enchanted land" and as very visible
; Beulah AS nnwinged m"rtals usually
do. Grand clouds crested with flame
marched in solemn sie across the drop,
pin. sun. Below, thick mists OF geld
aud purple drenched the mountains in
an ocean of color, ont OF which their
SUBMITS rose like ransy islands from
amber waters. The further peaks were
sotiened and elor;fied by pale greer,
/. tone passing into tender gold above,
and nearer, they bowed their heads
lower and lower under hoods of shad-
ed, palpi, aiiug pnrplcs-while still
. nearer and above the long lake SWING
wells of sprayey crimson edged with
/. creamy foam With such sunsets was
my fancy kept warm until the August
vacation set me free from the College
J curriculum.
informed by letter, the uncle whose
house / called home, that / should
} spend my four weeks vacation pleasure
| cas.k iufr or,n,,.r II all, 81 bo Adj.