East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1865-02-01
IMAGINATION.
IFrom tho EranchI

In
thing that could reconcile you 10 IT. have fifty
thousand year, entirely ut your disposal, besides
the affection Of father that has only you to love
In the whole world
! Dearest father I wish Won had boen INV
mother"
Your mother! what strange idea"
Not Mt all for have secret 10 confde that
mother can only understand at least so I have
found In all the books have ever read no ono
ever confdes in their father"
Except when that father has been both fathor
and mother as have been"
"Yes, but then you have promised nv band To
the son Of your old friend, M Delmar, of Bor-
deaux-Jules Delmar WHOM L can never love-
and you will insist, no doubt, on my marrying
| him."
certainly shall, unless you can give me
good reason why you should not"
| That Is precisely my secret I can give
good reason why should not marry this man
a.. d..;, ss-.';I,. ssn ,6a, i9ye o9Fs epother."
been out Of my sight, and am at loss to see
who there is around US likely to strike a young
girls imagination"
"Y You don't look far enough back. DO you re-
member my cousin Charles"
"My nephew, who was sent from Martinique
to my carel Yes, to be sure | do what Of him
He has been away back to his father over six
years now, and take six from eighteen there re-
mains twelve. You couldn't be in love with any
body at twelve years old 2"
"0h but was, and great deal sooner, You
know my aunt Judith taught us TO read out Of
the books she was so fond Of herself. Well, among
them was Paul and Virginia Now, Paul remem.
bered all about Martinique, and this book made a
strange impression us, children we were, till
at last VIC called each other Paul and Virginia,
and when wo were cruelty separated -"
"Cuelly separated why the boy went back
to his father and his home"
"Yes but that's just the way they sent away
| I'M. Ex..xv and Al
so did Charles.o
swell, what happened then 7''
| well, before he went We sworo eternal love
| and fidelity for each other 'Gabrielle,' said he,
i am going far away; sent to Martinique just as
they sent Virgin to France. In all probability,
when you grow up to be a woman, your father,
with the tyranny and injustice of all fathers -"
"Al fathers-am unjust and tyranncal p
| No, but all the fathers in the book we had
read of were, and Charles thought at that time
that printed books could not be wrong, Ga
briee,' said he, when your father tries to give
you another, remember our solemn vows and have
the courage to resist him. swore would be
faithful, and so we parted"
"Six years ago; he was then fourteen, and
you, as said before, just twelve years old. Well,
you have never met since then -"
"Neyer, of course, since; l have never left
Paris, nor he Martinique"
"Nor have you coIrosponded with him ~
"Yos have conespondsd with him"
"Good Heavens thought | saw all the let
tiers that eame into this house"
| Letters you don't think we correspond by
letters l-oh no, indeed no it is through the
medium Of the moon that we correspond"
"The moon l-oh / don't mind that kind of
correspondence, though | should much like to
know how II was managed ~
"Why, at n certain hour, when there was
moon, We agreed both to look at it, and we should
know that at that moment each was thinking Of
the other"
90 That shows that you and your precious cousin
knew mighty little of geography and astronomy,
or you would know that when the moon is shining
in Paris the sun is just rising in Martinique
However, you imagined that IT was all right and
did 10 quite well "
| Now you have my secret"
"And is this moonlight cousin Of yours the
only obstacle between Jules and yourselfl"
" The only one, but an nsuperable one"
Nonsense; SO far from being an insuperable
ono, / am goinb TO fix your wedding-day, and to
tell jules that you are prepared to receive him as
a suitor"
"I am your child dare not resist you; but
remember, warn you, my obedience will cost
me my life"
| "Your life! Why, Gabrielle, what do you
2"
+" / feel that this marriage will break my heart
and drive me into consumption and then, when
you have lost me, when you shall stand weeping
over my grave, you will remember the words Of
your poor, dear fond, devoted darling Gabrielle" "
Monsieur Melcourt, with all his primness, could
not stand his daughters tears. III he had only
given his word, he would have found means Of
being released from his PROMISE but he was under
the deepest obligations TO NJ. Delmar--owed him
his fortune and even his hfe-for Dclmar had
saved him from suicide, and to break promise
to him 10 dissolve q marriage on which bis friend
had set his heart, seemed like ingratitude. But
ha had apCn Ia ref ~ IL
ter anything, and ho felt that after all he would
have to yield; still he endeavored 10 temporize,
and turning to Gabrielle" Child" said he, "the
object Of my life is your happincss rely on IT, |
will do all can not to compromise IL, only allow
me TO do IL my own way"
"Of course darling"
"Well, then. tomorrow Jules will be here
Promise me that you will receive him civiy"
81 promise anything"
"And you will be in n good humor and not 20
into consumption 2"
Not as long rs you let me have my own
way"
Tho next day Gabrielle, to pleace her father,
made herself pretty rs possible, and received
her fathers guest in the most amiable manner
1t was a sacrifice she owed her father She was
not sorry, for the course Of love, true love- such
as she felt for her cousin Charles, was always
destined TO encounter persecution She was a
victim beyond all doubt all she could do was for
the sake of her father, to bear her destiny.
The evening passed in the most agreeable
manner. IL was net violating in any way her
faith TO tho absent lover 10 admit that Jules Del
mar was exceedingly good-looking, that his con-
versation was interesting, because he possessed
such varied information and that he sang cx-
ceedingly well.
jules continued to visit the house every day for
fortnight. BY that time Gabrielle had arrived
!. at the conclusion that she wished she had such n
brother; but her father put an end to all her
wishes and fancies by abruptly bringing her back
to reality and reminding her that Jules Delmar
aspired 10 no such fratcrnal distinction, and that
now the time had arrived fer her 10 give her
decision,
"Will you let me manage this affair myself
I know 1t Is contrary TO all rule, but -"
" Don't apologize, my dear Gabrielle for am
only too happy TO get rid Of the job / really did
not know what 10 say to Jules, and much less
did not know what to write to his father"
That evening at a sign from his daughter, NJ
Melcourt sauntered into room adjoining the
drawing room, saving appearances by leaving
the door open. Then Gabrielle, who had re-
hearsed the scene all day in her own room turned
toward Jules:
Monsieur Delmar," said she, "T have no
mother, therefore you must excuse all that is un-
usual in what am about TO do"
"0f course you must be aware that / know OF
the arrangement between our famliesr
"Of course, l imagined you did"
"Well, Monsieur Delinar, q marriage between
us il impossible"
"Impossibe! You should not have waited
until now-now that all my happiness is centred
in you, now that love you, to tell me this. But
why is cur marriage impossible r.
Because love another"
"Anothor ~
"Yes, and have loved him ever since was ten
years old"
where Is he1-wby have I never seen himl"
"I have never seen him since | twelve
years old. II was my cousin Charles Mclcourf,
whom love- and he has been for the last six
years in Martinique"
"And you have loved him all this time1 That
proves you are capable Of fidelity Well, 20
on"
"Thnts all. would have told you about tho
moon, but that papa explained to me that there
was a difference in the rising of the moon here
and there. We used 10 correspond by the
noon"
Poetical but not astroromical."
! "Monsieur Delmar, you are making fun Of
men