North Branch democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Pa.) 1854-1867, 1866-03-28

l
patient, | had several opportunities of
conversing with this excellent beauty aud
her modest elegance and graceful ease cap
tivated my soul.
One evening was permitted to accom-
pany her in search of a conveyance; and
as had resolved to express my sentiments
freely to her on the first available occasion,
| was. as is usual in such cases, much en-
barrassed when it presented itself.
"Your patient is dying, | fear"
"She is conscious of the approach of
her deliverance; and as such she regards
it," .sa ..
1T is an angels office you fill in smooth
ing her path to the grave"
"Do not fatter me, Sir. 1t is but little
| can do, and fattery seems to me to make
that little less than not hing"
81 assure you | express my admiration
in most stinted terms; were l to tell you
all think and feel | might indeed sur
prise you"
Then let me entreat your forbear-
ance"
at is unkind, not to say harsh, in you
to forbid the utterance of heart SO sim
cere aud full as mine."
at is my kindness, my consideration for
you, that induces me to check this excess
i've language, because know you will re-
pent it,"
"Impossible I not only admire you
more than any being ever saw, but L feel
that you are worthy of my worship, and
that love you."
Say no moro, entreat. If you knew
who and what 1 am, you would confess
the folly of which you are guilty. You
tell me you are unfortunate and unhappy:
| pity you-but there is gulf between us,
and you would only render yourself more
wretched by attempting, blinily and rashly
to cross it,
"Are you married?'
"Do not ask. Here let our acquain-
tance cease. You have no more occasion
to visit my patient; and you surely would
not deprive her of her last remaining
friend, as you will do if YOU persist in in
truding upon her. Here then. let us part
and forever"
She stopped cab and allowed me to
help her into it, and left me in mystery and
gloom. She had crossed my path like a
heavenly apparition and her disappear
ance rendered everything about me hope
less and dreary as despair.
X
The treacherous law, after having lured
us on to ruin, decided against our claims,
and extorted the last remnant of our prop
erty to pay its costs. To communicate
this fact to my mother would have been
intlicting her death blow and after medi-
tating long upon the subject, found my
self unequal to the painful task, and went
once more to our old lawyer, to ascertain
whether there was no possibility of COM
promising the matter 30 as to postpone the
evil day, and leave my mother awhile in
possession of her home and comforts.
met lady descending the stairs who
| had Just come out of his office, whose ply
siognomy was of that unusually repulsive
characted which imprints itself indelibly on
the memory, and ever after, in dreams and
reveries, in sleep and wakefulness, rises
| from time to tine to our mental vision with
horrid dIstinctness, shocking us with the
fullest sense of the dread ugliness of human
malformation. | thought of the wonderful
contrast between this creature and the
delicate beauty loved in vain.
The old lawyer was in, and grasped my
hand with sympathetic cordiallty. stated
the object Of my visit.
"Well, my young friend" said he
| have anticipated your wishes, and have
just been talking with the successful party.
She is by no means inexorablc but to
tell you the truth, there is no ground of
compromise left. You have lost all-the
widow has won all. IF she accords yon
anything it will be simply a donation
nothing more or less"
'Is there no recourse left by which /
can, for a time, ward off this final, and to
my mother fear, fatal blow ?"
None in law
I'm what, then ?"
ain yourself"
"How in myself 7"
''In your person. You are young and
handsome. don't say so to fatter you,
but to make my meaning clear"
DWELL %
"Well, marry the widow"
"Ma:ry her 1 would rather rang my
self at once"
"You should know best how 6t you are
to die. | am afraid your education and
habits have totally untitled you for business
and usefulness"
But this marriage is absurd ; impossi-
ble."
81 am not in the habit of proposing alb
surdties and impossibilities. If you will
authorize me to act, you will find 1t no
such thing. Will you do so p
"Not for the world"
Understand that / have not urged this
matter on your behalf, but for the sake of
your mother aud sister-especially on ac-
count of your mother, for whose life you
pretended moment ago to feel an amount