The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1865-10-11
aNo, Miss Herbert-nevcr."
aNever ?--and why ?"


"Why Can you no. gnessi Do you
not know it is because | love you; because
| am only a poor clerk and you an heir
ess; because want Of gold must stand be-
tween my heart and its idol because,
though / have learnt to suffer, l cannot
school myself to see you and not to speak.
There is only one-hope for me, and that
Is to put ttime and distance between nss--
To meet you--to speak to you, yet never
to hope to win you, would drive me mad
Forgive me--and good bye; 1 never meant
to say so much, but the words are uttered
and cannot be taken back. Goodbye
God bless you !"
He turned to go, but the heiress laid
her hand upon his arm.
"Stop and listen to me-" she said -
9Wait here one moment" Then she
glided out Of the room, and came back
with something white in her hand.
"f am an heiress," she said !; ~ cannot
count my gold. My lands are wido. For
that reason should disdain honest worth;
should displse poverty. Perhaps those
who remember nothing but luxury may
do SO. Icannot. Paul Preston, l remem.
ber depth Of poverty you know nothing
Of. / have begged my bread from door
to door,"
The youth gaEed at her In astunish-
ment.
II came to this door q pitiable little
creature, dying Of want" she said "and
Mr.. Herbert and wife clothed and fed me,
and made me their child. My wealth
came to me through deed Of charity
Before that l remember only wtctChed
cellar, blows, and oaths, and hunger -
One person only bad been kind to me-
Shall tell you Of him 7 One day, wan.
dering along the streets, l came to q
school playground. Boys were there play.
ing at something. / watched them. :
While | watched a stone glanced aside
and struck me. / skunk awayto cry. No
one ever pitied me, why should hey then?
But for all that there was sympathy in
some ones heart. A boy amongst them
left his play and bent over me. He washed
the wound, and bound it up. He took
me to little shop, and fed me, and gave
me purse with silver in it. / could have
prayed for him, only no one had ever
taught me how. Hush don't speak set
i The silver he gave me helped me 70
escape from those who kept me to beg fol
them. grew bold and ran away. hid
!, myself in the streets of New York and
when the money Was gone, begged bread
at this very door, Since that moment
have never known want. But l have new
er forgotten my little bencfactor. keer
the memory Of bis good deed in my heart
and this handkerchief is one Of my mosl
precious relics. Look, Paul Preston
your own name is upon it. You have
} forgotten the little beggar girl, but she
has not forgotten you. She has known
you all along"
Then from the mists of memory arost
that schoolday scene The war Of brick
: bats in the playground the beggar girl
, with her golden curlS dabbled in blood
r Was this dream, or could it be the very
. truth
Paul Preston looked into Rosa Herb
erts eyes, and read her tender remem
; brance Of that hour in their sunny depths
He read more: something her woman
lips could not utter ursought--he read
d ~ love you" And SO he told bis tai,
3 more boldly, aud won her for bis wife.
1t is many years ago, and they are old
ish people now, with grown sons ant
, daughters; but their romance is not ovel
, and somewhere, in a secret drawer, thu
; matron yet keeps the handkerchief Pau
Preston bound about the forehead of the
t little begsar girl, beside the school house
: gate.