Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1865-01-04
IMAGINATION.

IMAGINATION.
why are you so cross, my darling?'
said NJ Nelcourt to his daughter; really
there IS no pleasing you, though every one
in the house, including myself, is trying
to do it
Il can't help it, papa, l am weary of
life"
''Weary of life at eighteen? Oh don't
say that, child If yor only knew what
it is to get old, and to fnd life fading away
from you, you would not speak thus
Weary of life Is there anything that
could reconcile you to 1t? | have fifty
thousand francs a year, entirely at your
disposal, besides the affection of Gather
that has only you to love in the whole
world
dearest father, wish you had been
my mother
Your mother what a strange idea
''Not at all, for I have a secret to con
fide that only a mother could understand,
at least so have found in all the books ]
have ever read no one ever conades in
their father
Except when that father has been both
father and mother as | have been
Yes, but then you have promised my
hand to the son ol your Cd friend, NJ
Dclmar, Of Bordeaux-Jues Dclmar-
whom / can never love. and you viii in
sist, no doubt, on my marrying him"
Il certainly shall, unless you can give a
good reason why you should not
That is precisely my secret l can
give you a good reason why l should not
marry this man-becausc because | love
another
Love 9nother, good gracious Why,
who the devil can that other be You
have never been out Of my sight, and
am at a loss to see who there is around US
likely to strike a young girls imagina-
tion.
''You don't look far enough back. Do
YOU remember my cousin Charles 2
My nephew, who was sent from Mar
Unique to my care? Yes to be sure do
what Of him? He has been away back
to his father ever six years now, and take
six from eighteen there remains twelve
You couldn't be in love with anybody at
twelve years old.
ooh, but was, and great deal sooner,
You know my Aunt Judith taught us to
read out Of the books she was so Iond OF
herself Well, among them was Paul and
Virginia. Now Paul remembered all
about Martinique, and this book made
strange impression on Us, children as we
were, till ut last we called each other Paul
and Virginia and when we were cruelty
Separated
Cruelty separated 2--why the hoy went
back to his father and his home"
''Yes, but that's just the way they sent
away Virginia, you know, and Paul thot
it crueI-so did Charles
WEI, what happened then p
why, before he went we swore cter-
nal love and fidelity for each other
Gabrielle said he. / am going far away;
sent to Martinique just as they sent Vir-
ginia to France In all probability. when
You grow up to bc a woman, your father,
with the tyranny and injustice Of allfath
ers-
"All fathers-am l unjust and tvran-
nical?'
''No, but al the fathers in the book we
had read of were, and Charles thought n
the time that printed books could not }e
wrong. % Gabrielle, said he, when your
father tries 10 give you TO another, remem-
Der our solemn vows and have the coQr-
oge to resist him / swore would be
faithful, and - we parted
'Six years ago; ne was then fourteen
and YOU as said before, justtwelVe years,
old WeG. YOU have never met since
then
Never, Of course, since. have not
left Paris, nor he Martinique"
Nor hsyo yoG correspondent with
him ?"
"Yes, | have CORES spondeJ with him
Good Heavens ! thought l saw al
the letters that came into this house
Letters you don't think we cores
pond by letter oh, no, iudecp- ne, It Is