Charles City intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Floyd County, Iowa) 1864-1866, 1865-11-02

heiress to Ross Haven, and an i'm
mense fortune invested in the town
| and vicinity, and Aunt Helen and
Maude kept house in the old mansion,
were Ladies Bountiful for the circuit
of many miles, and had settled into
the monotony of single life, looking
for no change till death should sum
mon them.
From gay-hearted girl, full of Ca
prices and whims, follies and faults,
Maudc had maturcd into a woman, full
Of Christian graces, womanly and ten
der, humble and lowly-minded. The
girlish face, full of rare beauty and
winsome coquctry, was lighted now
by the soul-lit eyes, and an express
sion almost holy, in its calm serenity.
She had passed through the furnace,
and come forth purified--and elevated.
Five years have sped away, and for
the first time since he left Ross Haven
on the eventful night / have recorded,
Rodney Coleman stood in his native
city. He had gone to his old landla-
dy, taken his old room, and was en-
gagged in the sad task of unpacking
what he had left behind him in his alb
rupt departure five years before. He
had travelled far in these years, had
gone through Europe, traversed the
holy Land, wandered far from civili-
cation across burning plains, wide de-
serts, and tangled woods. In cities
and towns, far out on the widest
moors, he had carried ever with him
the memory of the bright girl he had
loved and lost, the haunt Of her pallid
face as it was last upturned to his.
As he turned now over large trunk
full of papers. books and odd matters,
his hand fell upon a miniature-case.
One moment, and Maude's face was
before him, in all it's wealth of merry
beauty, the saucy eyes, full of life, the
pouting lips parted in smile, the
graceful carriage of the head full of
laughing defiance. He stood spell.
bound. How beautiful she was, my
darling What right had | to try tc
chain this bright spirit in the iron fct
! tiers of my hard life--to expect ma
ture reared like bird, amid sunshine,
: and love, and flowers, to be cold, calm
a and monotonous as mine, bound from
, childhood in the icy grasp of poverty,
toll and dependence? My darling
who looked for gentleness aud tender
coaxing, and met only sternness and
harsh censure. Oh, my own, | know
; now, too late, how your bright heart
should have been wooed Pshaw !"
] he mutiered, half aloud" these are
} pretty sentiments to be bestowing up
{ on Horace Elliot's wife +" and the
} miniature-case was closed with snap;
, only, instead of tossing it back as he
motioned to do, into the old trunk,
Rodney Coleman slid it into the inside
pocket of his vest.
Il was of course his duty to go to
Ross Haven at once, and call upon the
man to whom he owed every kindness
of his orphaned life. He had heard
nothing in his five years Of wandering
of the pleasant home he had left so sud.
!. denly, but he pictured the old gentle
, man there alone, with perhaps occa-
! sional visits from Mr.. and Mrs. Hor-
, ace Elliot, SO one sunny summers day
, he started for the long ride between
! P and Ross Haven. 1t was late
, in the afternoon Of a hot July day,
!, when his horse. walking slowly, came
to the bank where the whole current
of his life had been swept from its an
ticipated course. With a strange
/ thrill he sprang from his horse, fasten-
D ed it where it could crop the luxuriant
grass, and forcing aside the thick foli-
, age, stood OH the spot from which
, FIVE years before he had made his per-
ilous descent. The bough to which
| he had chung for his hold upon life
! was swept away now, and he stood
dreamily gazing into the water, living
over again the terrible scene Of that
, picnic day. A gasping cry near him,
made him turn his head. Clinging for
support to tree, her eyes fixed upon
| him with an expression Of bewilder-
l ment, almost terror, stood Maude Hill
ton. For a moment, the desire to
spring forwards and catch her in his
arms was almost irresistible but he
conquered it, and raised his hat
"Mrs. Elliot ?n he said, politely.
Her eyes fell "No," she said, in
low voice" Maude Hilton"
4 Then he was by her side" Maude!
. my Maude ?" and she did not resist as
he drew her to him in close embrace.
1t was a long walk home, and they
traversed it with slow steps, leaving
, the horse to his fate, while the story
of the past five years was given with
many tears, yet thankfulness through
all.
, Tried by suffering and long separa-
ton, the true, strong love, answered
the call from each heart, and in a
. wife's true devotion, Mande buried the
memory of the past Irritation.