The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1866-03-07

every exhibition of gay dressing tnas pesseo :
It, when Adele rushed into the room, and,
her books with great mop on the
floor. exclaimed, mother, mother, what do
you think ?'
ooh don't know nothing pleasant tho
I'm sure, for nothing pleasant ever does hap
pen to u.s."
"Ohi it isn't anything Of such great i'm
portance one way or the other, but it's fun.
Here. look here this is q love letter to Sig
nor Zralldi, am to deliyer, and Mary Som
ers wrote it.
and turned it over and over, much dIsap-
pointed at the sight of the seal, aud thus she
Illuminated, speaking her thoughts aloud.
s.Mr. Somers would give good sum for
this we might put real guipure round our
cloaks."
Nonsense. mother betray MaryY"
"Bstray Mary" exclaimed Mrs. Jones, |
looking up in surprise.
Il mean for so little. No, no; there's |
more to be made out OF this than paltry |
guipure trimming. just let me manage this
affair. and warrant you Pll make a fortune
out of it,
"Wen. Adele, you know best; dear, dear,
| how much Young folks do learn at school.
never had such advantages as you have; 1
| hope YOU will never marry such poor, help
| less man as your father, and be like your
| moor. poor mother. Oh. dear, wish could
have a good carriage ride" 80 saying Mrs.
Jones restored the note 10 her daughter
| The next day Mary received, through the
hands of her friend, glowing epistie, ap-
poiptine meeting, which, owing to circum-
| stances connected with Mary not beng able
| to get free before, had to take place after
| dark. at the back gate of Mrs. Jones' house,
opening into an alley where no one passed
Il was on Saturday day Mary Somers was
supposed to spend with her mother, but
which she really spent with her friend, either
in peram bulating the streets, going to the
| matinees, or in secret contradictions on the
! mysteries of life with Adele, all alone in Mrs
Jones' little uncomfortable parlor.
Mrs. Somers ought perhaps to have pre-
ferred that her daughter should be with her !;
but then as Mrs. Somers was religious wo-
man. an active member of fashionable
church, leading name on all charitable
committees. institutions, and charities, she
had no time to attend to Mary beyond send
ing her to the fashionable school, to which
ali mothers with husbands in the high social
position of Mr.. Jones sent their daughters.
Mary was, therefore, not afraid of being
discovered by her mother, but Adele said her
mother would never forgive her, and would
betray them both if she came to know OF the
meeting therefore had she oontrived that 1t
should take place after dark. They crept out
at the back door. down the narrow path, the
gate is opened By the experienced hands
Adele, and Signor Zralldi is found waiting on
the other side.
Mary could not see him distinctly, but she
! heard his beautiful broken English, and she
heard him tell her that she was the only be-
ing he had ever loved since his removal In
this cold land from the sunny south, etc.
The interview lasted but few moments,
ending in fervent kiss ON Mary's brow and
a solemn promise on her part to write 10 him
for this italian prince, whose only resource
was to become tenor, was forced u depar
and TO follow the orders of the miserable man
sger who paid him.
But he would return, he would dsdicate his
life to her one of these days be should re
cover his estates, etc, aud then he would re
turn to claim her, the idol Of his heart.
With this exit speech he closed the gate
between them, while Mary threw her arm:
round her friends neck and sobbed.
The tenor prince kept his word; the letter
were frequent, oil, OF course, enclosed III al
L envelope to Adele, which preeluded all dan
ger.
= Mary continued, of course her delus,on aEt
| her letters; the tenor would not return 70
. over year, so prolonged was the tour, bu
Mary learned to love him desperately frou
q | their impassioned correspondence.
Meantime her friendship forss Adele increas
: ed in proportioned to the development she dis
u played, and such conversations as these tool
place:
Mary, now don't stir, let me look at you
, why, how we'll you look, to be sure, and wha
= = "A stylish hat; oh, if | only had one-but Nc
- what am / saying?"
" ''You shall have hat, darling Adele, ain
% | rich and amt you my friend? ?"
Il Il wondAr," it would be another time
whether / shall ever have MORE antiqu
dress" and a MORE antique was the reply.
y For two years this went on; then Mar
= Somers,after Irritation of about two months
4 married the very man she ought to have mai
" red, and became Mrs. Herbert.
Is She tried hard to persuade herself that sh
's was q prosecuted heroine, but the fact wa
~ thas the Zralldi affair was the mere within
10 her girlish imagination. whilst her afeetio
20 tor Herbert was the genuine feeling of be
W heart.
s. Adele remained her friend, rather cor
d, tinued to visit her on intimate terms, tor HI
d ~ had lost her esteem for her, and woul
g. gladly have got rid of her but she was afrai
there was that terrible secret betwee
y them. Adele continued to profit by III
friendship, making quite an Income out OF /
St for though she never referred 10 the Italian
Is she always asked favors in such way tn;
W implied she was not TO be refused.
d. One day Mrs. Herbetr, reading the paper, lutte
an ed half suppressed exclamation.
= "What is the matter 2" said her husband
"Oh. nothing, merely my delight at the ni'
concert are going tic have;' and she gaze
u at the advertisement, seeing only one name
OF Zralldi, not with love- but with lothing for he
ss self and the past; and with fear trembling at h
r. heart for she, a woman now, had learned to EST
as mate at his true value the man who would so e
~ tangle young girl.
IT, Adele, of course, was summoned to consult
D ton.
to ''Get my etters-that is all ! ask