Charles City intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Floyd County, Iowa) 1864-1866, 1865-12-07

flowed on in eqnal pulsations. His
/ wife, said. 5 aaa NfRa3a
! My consent follows her own,' said
my father, and taking my hand rails.
ed it to his lips.
@t Grace will be too happy in your
consent .'@af 1F3 ..#
'Grace--too happy'' repeated my
father, with questioning look. DO
we not all rejoice in your happiness p
| Ny heart would have burst with a
deep groan, but held it down and
answered % Yes, Grace should indeed
be happy that your approval sane
tons her love for Walter she may
now gladly promise to be his wife,
|, My fathers look changed. Grace
Walters wifeg What mean you /?
and he gazed earnestly into my eyes.
o. They changed not. 4 seemed un
moved. Do they call women weak
Was | weak then2 , s,e 8~-.t
Walter has asked Grace to be his
Wife % -72s1q "@'' fs @a5
+ My father kept his searching gaze
upon me for moment more, then rose
! hastily and walked the room. lie
paused before me. .
Walter loves you. Is it not so 4?
he asked. @z& a'.H t'" s
Be- He has declared his love for Grace.
: What means this ? Are you wan.
dering? Walter admires you---loves
you. have seen it. 1t is certain
ty To be otherwise were impossible.
No, father, he may admire me, but
cold admiration is ALL
lie turned from me. Grace! Grace!
she is lovely child but one sister
must not displace the other. 1t can
never be- So. ~sr
Il have not been displaced, father
never had place i'm Walters heart
Had love for me once struck root
there it could have been uprooted by
nothing human. | could never be dis
| placed ESQ.,.
+ Forgive me, daughter he said, Il
spoke too tily--the thought was
unjust to the child of my pride. For
give me, this is too strange 81 E8 E
! rose with softened air, and APP
preaching my father took his hand
Strange Father | said, is not
Grace worthy our angel mother u as
Tears started to his eyes he pass
ed his arm around me and drew me t.
him. ...
F. mo, Father added, it should not
be strange to you that Walter loves
Grace d asesess "a a.aa HI taasz
No, no. he said, it is not strange
Dear child ! May Walter love her as
| loved her mother L.
What a blessing such blessing as
| yearncd for, hungered, painted for
But it was not for me- And was ther,
nothing for me ? Admiration Wha
il that to the yearning soul 7 Cole
to the starving. The cup of love hat
| been at my lips; my fierce, ardent ma
\ ture grasped, and would have quaffed
i it as its own, when 10. it was with
drawn, and emptiness was offered me
did not repel it. looked at it, sait
it was my portion, and bid the fever
! for which there was no draught, con
sumo my vitals. Alas such life as
mine grows as it is consumed
Dear Grace send her to me. Le
me bless her. said my father. Their
he laid his hand upon my shoulder. and
f'gazed at me till his eyes seemed full
of my glorious beauty. Peerless
among women, my queeuly daughter
have no blessing rich enough where
with to bless you /
/ Oh, my poor woman heart | woul,
! have fallen on his neck and wept on
with Esau, Bless me, even me also
I'ch, my father l. but it would hay,
been too selfish, too unworthy. kiss
ed his hand in honor and in gratitude
and glided from the room. When
next met Grace, she looked happy, bu
as if she had been weeping. She onl,
said, Father blesses me-
4 Everything blesses you. darling
and it should be So answered. 4
4 When I next met Walter he was un
tchanged, except that his spirit seemed
to me even deeper and more placid
and his sympatliies larger and reader
than before. Love was with him nc
fever-heat of the senses, no fancy Of al
excited brain, but the perfect develop
ment of his being and as looked a
the strong man, too strong to b.
greatly moved by that powerful pas
sion which takes captive and bewil
ders so many of the children of men,
gave him new reverence. lit SCENE,
as if Grace, with her small and unim
! passioned, though perfect nature, mus
he inapt, unsatisfactory to him, too lii
tie for his demand, his need. But thel
his instincts were true-they had gui
ded him-they had reached out ant
claimed her-rejected me !; and it wa
we'll. s hiaa2 d e f8si9 aA1 s@@a
II A few months, and Walter aske'
fox his bridal. 1t was like the iina
note Of doom to me. But with tha
feeling Of entire self-surrender whicl
took possession of me at the first,
busted myself more than any one els
in preparation for it, made the br
dal robe. adorned the bride. As
fastened the orange blossoms in he
hair, raised them to my lips. | woul
! | have kissed them, and prayed that m.
kiss might give them softer bloom an
sweeter fragrancc-bnt no, might no
:. my crushed and smothered passion
stain or wither them2 would no
breathe upon them. In unsull,ed pu
rity, like her that was to wear them,
laid them among her tresses. ! sprea'
veil over her charms, and stopped I
kiss her. No, my breath might be to
passionate for her. You are sacre
, 10 Walter now / said. Itook her b
the hand and gave her to our Fathel
would have given her to Walter, I
complete my sacrifice, had it bee
meet. longed to do il.
| | had dressed myself in the simples
| white, without ornament OF any KIND
! that | might in no way attract
. glance, thought, away from the brid.
and quietly watched the ritual. NJ
: Father wept, as Fathers well ma
5 weep when they give into another
: keeping the treasures of their hearts
H -I..et. Ia.