The weekly Butte record., 1863-10-17

DC 3lOuS.
Il entreat YOU not think that wish
to leave You for mement,"
"0h, YES you do, Isabel! laare say
Charles is below stairs-he seems to be
always here since | have been i'll. You
have great deal to say to him."
Il have said all | had to say"
She was sitting in the shadow Of the
window curtains, and as she spoke, she
bent her head lower over her work. Her
mother did not see the tears which pour
Cd from her eyes.
~Oh, then it was Charles who kept
YOU | can easily understand you. |
am sure yo.. are very good not to wish
ME dead often; | am in your way, lSa-
bel. If had died, you would have been
happily married by this time for You
would not have worn mourning very
long perhaps. Why have 1 been. left 50
long to be a burden to my family!
All this, broken up by the terrible
cough and BY sobs and tears, Isabel had
to hear and to soothe away, when she
herself was tortured by real grief.
Charles departed for Jamaica. The
thick shadow of absence fell between
their two hearts. Henceforth she must
live on duty and forget love; now al
most hopeless. A stern decree for this
girl of nineteen.
For the youth himself, the excitement
of the voyage, the novelty of this strange
mode of lite, and the distractions of bu
siness, were all so many healing ele-
ments, which soon restored peace to lis
wounded heart. Not that he was dis
loyal, er forgetful of his love, but he
was annoyed and angry. He thought
that Isabel might easily have left her
mother to go with him, and that she was
very wrong not to have done so. Be
tween the scenes and new amusomcntS,
and the excitemcns of anger and dlsap-
polntment, Charles Houghton recovered
his serenity, and hourished nightly on
Jamaica hospitality.
| By the end of that year the invalid
grew weaker and weaker. She couldn't
/ leave her bed now; and then she could
not sit up even; and soon she lay with
out motion or color; and then, en- the
first day Of spring she died. She died
on the very day that Charles Haughton
entered the house of the rich French
planter Girard, and was presented to
his heiress, Pauline.
Pauline Girard a small, dark, glea-
ming gem-a fitting humming bird-a
floating hower-a FREELY through the
night-a rainbow through the storm
all that exists in nature most aerial,
bright and beautiful these Charles
compared her to, and great deal more;
that is when they first met. Charles,
with his great saxon heart, fell in love
with her at first sight. Itwas not love
such as he had felt for Isabel. 1t struck
him like swift disease. Itwas not the
settled, quiet, brother-like affection
which had left him nothing to regret
and little to desire but it was wild,
fierce fever, that preyed upon his heart
and consumed his life. He would fly;
would escape; he was engaged to Isabel.
1t must be that she did not love him,
else she never could have suffered him to
leave her; yet he was bound to her.
Honor was not to be lightly sacrificed.
Would Pauline, with her large passion
ate eyes, have given up her lover so
coldly Still, he was engaged, and it
was sin and crime to think of anoth-
er. He would fly from the danger
while be could; he would fight the bat
tie while he had strength. He was re-
solved, adamant. One more interview
with Pauline, and-but Pauline pre-
sented herself accidentally in the midst
Of these indomitablc projects. One
glance from her deep sapphire eyes put
all his resolutions to fight-duty like
pale ghost passing slowly in the shade.
When fairly awake to the truth Of his
position, Houghton wrote to Isabel. He
wrote to her like madman, imploring
her to come out to him Immediately; to
lay aside foolish scruples, to think Ct
him only as her husband, to trust him implicit
ly, and to save him from destruction. He
wrote to her with 6rece emphasis of despair
and entrealy that burnt like fire in his worcs.
attendance on her mother; unable to make
much exertion of mind or body, and requ.r Dg
eutire repose. That she should be restored
her lover; that she shond be happy as his vile
was for moment, like new spring tide in her
life dream. Then she remembered her father,
her dear, patient, noble, self lfdeuying father, to
whom she was everything in life and she wrote
and told Charles that she coui not 90 out to
him; but reminded him that bis term Of ab-
sence had nearly expired; aud that, when re-
turned, they should be married, never to be
parted again. Why should they not be mar
ried in England rather than Jamaica?
''lhauk God am freei' Houghton ex-
claimed, when he read the letter. II dropped
from bis nerveess hand. He ordered his horsa
and rode through the burning, tropical sun to
Pauline Girard. Not two hours after the re-
ceipt Of Isab.l's letter be was the accepted