The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1866-08-03


From that night0I dated an odd
change. My adopted child seemed
shy Of letting me hold her handmshy
even of chatting as she did. She was
graver, more womanly. / fancied she
did not care for me as she did. Per-
haps some of those farmers who
leaned over the gate at sunset, some
of those young fellows that escorted
| her home from church, had won her
| from me. / grew a little moody. I
found myself in brown studies when
/ should have been at work At last
[ determined to discover whether I
was really to lose the child, | went
down to the cottage. [ found her
there, sitting at work with Betty
After all, it was no easy task [
could not do it as | had hoped. |
| tried testing, and spoke of one and of
| the other of the young fellows near.
1--WE shall have Nellie stolen from
US, | suppose" | said, " There is
nothing so easily lost from family as
pretty girl. But who is to have
you, NeIlie?"
| She looked at me as children look
before they burst into tears-her chin
quivering, her throat swelling-then
she dropped her work, and stole from
! the room without answering me-
What ais the child, Betty?" [
asked. "Have [ offended her?'
Old Betty stood before me sturdy
and stern-a look In her face / had
never yet seen there.
Master Albert, y she said, what
ever she was when she came here,
Nellie is no child now. Oh, Master
Albert, | can't believe you've done it
on purpose? You couldn 't-such a
sweet, innocent thing but it's done
All | can say is, go away, or let her
so, and maybe the wound will heal
[ ought to have spoken in time |
was an old fool Oh, how could you
Master Albert?-how could you?''
What have [ done?" I cried Il
would rather die than harm her"
And yet you've made her love
you" said Betty, sternly. "You who
knew you never would love her.
| You've been very selfish, Master Al
bert. "
A new light dawned upon me, ra
dance brilliant beyond my hopes.
| OCbIJ Sc1l0 yO0 Oh
She must think me old enough to be a
grandfather, with my long face and
bald crown and this crutch. I've had
one dream broken; don't set me
dreaming again for Heavens sake"
Old Betty looked at me; then
caught my face in both hands and
kissed me.
/" Master BERTHE" said she, Il
shan't tell you a word more. The
child is under the grape vine out yon-
der; go and find out what you want to
know for yourself You silly, hand
some, good for nothing fellowl"
found my child under the grape
vine, her face wet with tears. / sat
down by her and and put my arm
about her waist
" Nelly, said /, " dom shrink from
me. | am your true friend. Your
friend, whatever answer you may give
me now. am older than you. | am
not vain enough to think myself a
young girls beau ideal. But | love
you dearly, Nelly. Can you love me
enough to be my wife. If you cannot,
if another claims your heart, do not
say yes from gratitude Tell me the
truth, and still retain fathers, broth
er's, friends affection, Nellie?"
bent over her, and my life seemed
in her keeping. Until that moment |
had not known myself / loved her
madly-I felt it now, better, far bet
ter, than in my youth | had loved
Aletta Stanton.
She spoke not word
"Nellie!" | said; "Nelliel " and a
brown hand was laid of its own ac-
cord in mine, and beneath my gaze
| the dark eyes dare not lift themselves,
but hid their sweetness on my breast.
| Nellie was mine.
| sat with her beating heart near
my own, and thought it all over |
remembered the child in her cotton
gown standing in the gallery of the
church, on that wedding morn. | re-
membered the child whom | had
| taught; the girl with whom | had
passed such happy hours. And | felt
that this living love, sprung, Phoenix
like, from the ashes of the dead one,
was the purest feeling of my life.
So my old fancy of keeping house
with my child came true at last; only
when she crossed the threshold of my
home with me called her wife. And
still the touch of her brown hand
brings comfort with it; still her sweet
voice is better to me than all the mu-
sic in the world And, as in my
youth, | fancied myself, surely in ny
age [ shall believe myself young, for
while we love and are beloved youth
can never die, and while we live [ and
my Nellie must love each other.