The New era. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1865-1871, 1865-10-12

lessly prepared for me. How many times
l was tempted to believe that malig
nant fate pursued me, thwarting all my
most cherished plans, when it was the
" friend whose head / pillowed nightly
on my bosom, and who read my inner
life in the throbbings of my heart, who
thus coolly and silently stood ever
between me and the accomplishment of
my desire.
But these were but the trivial disap-
pOintments and trials of a schoolgirl.
They never over-estimated the elasticity
| of youth, nor blighted its freshness.
And it was not until Louise Elkins
would, in one final act, have destroyed
the happiness of my life, and placed her
self between me and the hopes that were
and now are dearest to my heart; that
accident revealed her plot to me, and
forever, even by that revelation, de-
prived her of all power to harm me.
can pardon her now, for am happy,
and she is misunderstanding had our
conditions been reversed, I could not so
easily forgive.
Two years after I left school, Louise
paid me visit. We had met but once
during this period, when paid her a
visit of many weeks at her fathers
house, in one of the lovely lake villages
of New York. This visit she had come
to return; but, in the meantime, our
correspondence had been SO frequent and
uninterrupted, that my affection for my
dearest friend, as loved to call her, had
never tagged.
/ welcomed her with delight. There
was but one person whose presence had
ever given me deeper joy. but even my
love for Guy Carleton, absorbing as it
was, had not weakened this long-cher
! ished, but widely different affection. We
had much to talk about, for our letters,
| ample as they We're, could not contain
the halfof the comments andapplications
we were anxious to make upon the diff
| ferent incidents they chronicled. She
| had arrived early in the afternoon; the
the hours slipped rapidly away, and the
| call to dinner surprised us in the dis
habille in which we had been gossiping.
| So the meal was served in LOuise's
| room: and then evening came, and we
! had scarcely been separated long enough
to dress, before Guy Carlton was an
nounced.
stole down fora moment before going
to Louise. ! was to tell him of her arri
val how disappointed was to perceive
that he did not share my delight, and
that his fine face clouded as / spoke
rapidly and .joyously of the long-desired
pleasure, now near at hand, of intro
ducing my two loved friends to each
other. l checked myself in alarm, as
saw this.
What is the matter, dear Guy?o l
asked, anXiously. Are you not well, or
does that horrid business trouble you
again:"
81 am quite we'll, Theo," he replied
oand the business which has given me
SO much annoyance will soon be salts
! factorily settled. But | am sorry this
girl has come. Forgive me, dear, it may
be selfish but | cannot resist the pre-
monition that she will come between us
perhaps to destroy our happiness for
ever.o
l laughed gaily.
! Louise come between us-the best
and dearest of girls destroy our happi-
ness! Why Guy, can you believe my
friend of mine, any one so loved and
trusted, could do that? But you do not
know Louise. She will rejoice in our
happiness as if it were her own-she is
| the most unselfish creature, the most
"There, that will dow interrupted
Guy, with laugh. Il did not mean to
set you off in defence of your friend but
might have known what would draw
down upon myself. lam sorry annoy
ed you, but / cannot think of having
third person always in our way, for
weeks perhaps, with every patience.
Pardon me, dear, for if had loved you
less, should not have cared"
Louise made decided impression upon
Guy Carleton. His opinion of her chang
ed even during the first evening of their
acquaintance, for as we parted he whis-
pered that she was charming girl, and
that her society would be most agree
able addition to our small circle I'M
perceptibly the change increased. Guy
was our constant visitor, and was neces-
sarily much in the society of Louise.
He paid her marked attention, but she
was very quiet, and / said he owed it to
me to do so. Still, when in our walks ]
was suffered to fall behind, alone and I'M
needed, it required all my affection for
my friends to look calmly on, aud see
them so absorbed in their conversation
as to forget my very existence.
| Louise had a rich voice, the rarest I
ever heard from one who was not pro-
fessional singer, and Guy was passion
ately fond OF music. / could not sing,