Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1865-01-26

"Eugenel do not name, it," she said,
"yeu will break my heart"
but You mast bear it Hortehse. | can
not stay with you long. Thank Heaven
that leave you above want. Promise me,
dear, that you will never leave this home.
Trust me, | will be with you in spirit, when
the form IL laid in the earth; watching,
guarding, if possible, speaking to you
1t was his last night on earth. When
morn broke, his eyes were closed in the
slumbers Of death. .... .,.
Hortense wandered for months about her
beautiful home like perturbed spirit
There was nothing that hid been touched
by Eugene that had not a solemn and sa.
cred value in her eyes. The trees he had
planted, the bowers he had formed, all had
a meaning to her that no one else could un-
derstand; and yet upon each one Of these,
and upon her whole heart and life, seemed
written, "the glory has departed"
1t is time to 20 back to the days Of Mr..
Valentine, and see what become of the fond
husband and courageous adventurer. At
first, he was almost distracted with the
thought of parting with Hortense, but once
the Rubicon passed, be became more calm.
A few years. he thought would find them
together, never to part; and perhaps they
would be all the happier for the separation.
Full of hope, he went to the mines Of
Australia. Day by day he wrought there,
enduring hardsbips unheard Of before, but
bearing them with the courage and forti
tude of hero. Ever before him was the
word Hortenss. 1t nerved his arm in the
rough mines when he struck his iron in the
gold girding soil it soothed him when he
lay burning with fever in rude shanty in
the mountains; his thought by day aud his
dream by night was still bis own Hortense.
Not word, however, reached him from
her; and often he shuddered at the fearful
probabilities that arose 10 his mind. Hor
tense might be sick, suffering; might deem
him dead, or unfaithful; no, that could ney-
er be--she would have faith in him as in
the sun. Come what would, she would not
be shaken in her trust. But as he lay in
the miserable shed which held his sick bed
he would have given worlds for one glance
from her eye, one pressure of her hand, to
show that he was not forgotten; and as he
watched the stars overhead, shining through
the crevices of the low roof, he thought
that if Hortense was dead, she would ap-
pear to him in his need.
The rude miners were too intent on gain
to watch beside his bed, and many were the
long days aud nights in which he lay un-
tended. Aid came at last in the shane of
child-a young boy whose father was at
work in the mines, and whose mother sup
ported herself and child by Washing
Hours did the little Ben Cole sit beside him,
watching every movement, and trying to
give him ease or bringing water from the
spring, he would bathe his fevered forehead
with his little hands, A tender nurse, in.
deed, was little Ben, and on his recovery,
Mr.. Valentine made the laundress happy by
providing for the boy
; Mr.. Valentine had been richly rewarded
for his enterprise. Gold had sbowered ir
upon him in almost fabulous profusion; and
J now he seriously thought uf returning home
Somewhat enfeebled by his late illness, he
was struck with dismay at being again pros
trated, and to find that his disorder was tn,
dreadful smallpox. That he lived through
this, was only because his constitution wa
SO excellent that even this enemy could mo-
, vanquish it. He did live, but his owl
I mother could not have known him, SO deep
" lis6gured and SCARED had he become. =
With his first returning strength he set ou
} for home. Hortense Montreal we're nov
the beginning and end of his aspirations. :
One thing only did mar his joy on the home
7 SCARED and disfgured face that looked a
him from the little glass in his cabin P
: Would she endure the long, shaggy bear'
9 hy which he was enabled to cover part o
9 the deep scars2
1 He had taken passage in an American
9 vessel bound for New York. He arrive
1 safely, and the next hour saw him on hi
o way to Montreal. He bent bis course to tn
e neighborhood where Hortense proposed &c
l. ing after his departure. Ho inquired every
e where for Madame Valentine No one kne,
) her. He himself was not recognized, eve
when he haunted the old places of business
d Another name, of course, was upon tn
It familiar door and hither he turned hi
e steps, to see if haply some old friend Q
y former days might not have heard of hel
n Even the name was unremembered, or pre-
& tonded to be !; and yet the person he aske
was one whom he remembered as plottin
IS zealously to be invited to his dinner parties
t, They will remember me when they fin
e [ am rich,' said Valentine to himself, bi
d terly.
d He turned into by-street, and saw a be-
,. gar sitting IN the sunshine. 1t was th
ID most cordial and happy face that had m,
m his gaze since he came back. The man d
r not ask for anything either, nor show hi
IS the withered arm that hung closely und'
s his coat and hopeless as the questie
or seemed, he thought he would ask it.
AS he dropped money isto the ragged h
n that lay on the ground beside the begga
,ee be said, carelessly Can you tell me whe
I'd Madame Valentine lives now, my man 2"
p II used to know her when she lived
ir Qnsen street. Was that the ene?"
rt 1t was the street where Mr.. Valentine
ID grand house stood.
n "She is gene from that house. but she d
ne not forget old Jack, and msny's the penn
'r- she has given me since. Glad enough W
's | when heard she was married again, "
er Married u exclaimed Mr.. Valentine.
BLESS you, sir, yes married to Mr.. Sta
nj bury but, poor mau, he died year ago
tn do you know where she lives now ?"
:, 'Somewhere,out Of town. dos't go
I'd, far now, am SO old. think it is
ed Bloomsbury Palace, West Terrace"
I co To paint Mr.. Valentine feelings would
~ a hopeless task. Hortsnse married,
gu ed still free. A painful reyulsion took pls
or or, in his mind, and he resolved, as all seem
'gu to forget him, that he would not yet d
~ cover himself. That night he visited I
ver neighborhood of Hortense read "Stanbul
~; ue on the door. and managed to secure
ul next house, which happened to be qu