The weekly union record. [volume] (Oroville, Calif.) 1864-1866, 1865-09-30
Married and Widowed.
. Pshaw 2
BY ANY RANDOLPH.

"Pshaw.'
Like miniature Congreye rocket, the half
consumed cigar went flying across the room
iuto the crate. and the unread volume descend
ed somewhere 10 the neighborhood OF the great
rosewood sscrstarie, while at the same instant
Brande Eller,on started up, and began to pace
restessly up and down the whole length Of The
apartment.
a man must be made of cast iron, or mar
bic, to smoke and read, unconcerncdly, the
evening before be is married % solloquized
Brande, with bis large dark eyes full of dream
ing light =" l csn't do it; that I'm certain Of.
The best Havana that ever crossed the ocean
would be as havorless as bit Of dry stick +;
and as for reading; pshaw Alice Moore's
bright eyes dance over the page ike pair of
will o-the visps. There's no use 10 trying to
play the stole philosopher it isn't in me, and
what's more never will be. So I'll just leave
off martyrizing myself, and think unrestrained-
ly about Alice little Alice. who will be all
my own before yonder purple brightness stains
to-morrow's sunset sky. l wonder if Alice is
thinking Of NE now ~
he paused a moment before the FIRE, and
looked thoughtfully into its garnet depths of
glmmering brightness.
al think she loves me" he unused Oh vet
it is passing strange that she, young and beau
tful as an angel, should fancy brouzed, mid
die aged man like me a man who is in all re-
spec,s so widely different from her lovely self
Sometimes | am afraid"
But there Brande Ellerton stopped be SEEM
ed 10th to shape the underlined fear. even in bis
own vague musings.
And so be dreamed away the long, long
evening that closed the chapter of his single
life
Alice Moore was the lovelest of little brides
dimped aud blue eyed. with hair that fioated
away in bronze gold ripples from her rosebud
Of face, and mouth ike the velvet petal of
scarlet rose. But Brande Elerton saw with
a vague, regretful pang that the eye lids droop
ed heavily, and the soft, peachy bloom had co.
tirely deserted her cheek
=" Does she repent the step she has taken ?"
was the first fancy that occurred to his mind.
Truly, men are strangely ingenious at the act
of selftormentng
Alice Love! the carriage is waiting-we
shall be too late for the train -
In one moment, Braude. II have mis-
laid my cassoette."
Her voice reached him. strangely low and
muffied, from the lower stair way-a singular
place to seek a missing trinket. Brande dis
engaged himself from the rustic of silks and
tarlaiane, the varied hum of comment and con-
graduation, and followed the sound of his
wife's voice And as be learned over the bal
ustrade, he saw
With his own eyes he saw this wife sob
bling OF The shoulder of the tall, dark, dashing
looking man his arm close. close around her
waist, aud her golden ringlets stirred by bis
every breath.
You will cease to love me now, Alice"
was his low, passionate exclamation, every
word Of which seemed imprinted 10 letters of
FIRE on Ellerton's brain and be distinctly heard
her answer:
Never, never. Nothing but death can
ever break off the ties between US for-Hush.
did not hear footstep?"
Only the crowd up stairs You do love
me still, them"
with my whole whole heart And now
Hugh, let me go; it VIII not be long ere we
shall meet again
Brand Ellerton drew back into the gloomy
angle of the wall beyond, as Alice's siken
dress rusiled softly by. One moment be stood
there--one moment, that seemed like whole
year of agony-and then be Joined the gay
throng once more, with strange, .joyless smile
quiveriug eoovulsively on bis lip.
" Are you warm enough, Alice -
Mr.. Ellerton drew the crimson curtains of
the superb hotel parlor. and stirred the anthra-
cite fire, as his young wife slowly united the
strings of her travelling hat and drew off the
delicately tinted gloves she had worn.
Quite thank you. Are you going out
BTande?"
For be bad bent to press a cold kiss on her
forehead.
Yes. Goodbye"
d" Good bye, Braude.'
She looked wistfully after him, as if she
would have liked to ask a question or two, but
there was a stern, impel pable something in his
face that chilled the words upon her lips Ii
was scarcely kind of him to leave her at such
a time as this without explanation Or apology;
and the tears started to her eyes as the sound
of his footstep died away OF the softly -carpeted
stairs.
Died away to return DO more For the
bride Of a few short hours was widowed now
as completely as if the grave had closed over