Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1867-03-28

| flowers, or take off her hands the never-to-
be-concluded tail of Geordie's kite-for now
that she had found favor in the Captains
eyes all the others were ready to be COM
manded dour and threatening periods,
when he seemed as though he hesitated to
rivet the chains he loved so well to wear,
when even Geordies query, "You aren't
cross with my Laura, are you ?" met with no
rejonder.
But these were only spots on the sun-so
rare and peculiar that you would have
said they were merely strategetic freaks of a
lover who accentuated his devotion by con-
trast. And presently the hour arrived when
he resigned himself to Fate, and the dear,
blind boy, when delight overf1owed the
brief moments, when together they surprised
the wild azalia in its swamps, when they
made the woods echo with catch and chorus,
and drew enchantment from the cool depth
of the Witch's We'll, from early purple dawns,
and starry spaces of evenings sky, from
| The light that never was on sea or land"
| Life was growing idylic with Laura.
One day, as they returned from drive, a
travelling carriage whirled by them, then
wheeled suddenly about and overlook them,
while gentleman from within cried, "Lau-
renee, Laurence,is that you or your wraith!"
and directly was out, and testing the matter
with vigorous hand-shake then:
Are you staying in this neighborhood ?"
asked the stranger sis the Empress with
you? I understood that you were both
stopping at Engelhardt's."
Laurence kept frown at bay with the
ghost of smile, as he replied, somewhat
evasively:
81 t0as at Engelhardt's for time, but
alone; the Empress went to the Springs
with an invalid friend"
'.You had better look out for your lau-
rels," laughed the other, as he drove away.
"Thank you," returned the Captain
"mine are just within reach" And he bent
himself anew to Laura.
"Who is the Empress ?" asked Laura,
carelessly.
IiupitnS1
Matilda-my cousin!"
And Laura never dreamed what empire
she called her own.
So the summer was wearing away unfair
nished, brimming with q new meaning to
Laura. The high heavens seemed to bend
and bless her the stars to come out only to
look at the happy mortal; the river to ring
its silver chimes in union with her thought !;
the very hedgerows to blossom and sing be-
cause she smiled; while even the sober,
everyday sunlight wore touch of romance.
But when she drew curtains at night, across
which the trees and the moonlight wove
beautiful designs, she used to wonder if all
her summers would prove as sweet. Can it
be possible that ever she anticipated the
equinocial?
And one day there was the Major back
again. He had weed on his hat, and look
ed as if yachting hadn't agreed with him.
And George foreswore the Captain on the
instant, and returned to his old love, which
he prefaced with the pleasing report that
"the Captain was hand in glove with his
Laura; he heard Harry say so." The Major
made no reply, but put Master Geordie down,
and devoted himself to telling Mrs Devon
that death of a friend in the neighborhood,
of whose estate he was executor, had brought
him back thus unexpectedly.
Laura and the Captain had gone across
the fields with basket of fruit for sick
woman, and Geordie ran to meet them half
way with the latest news.
"And now you won't be going off all the
time with the Captain, will you, Laura
And you'll stop at home and play chess with
the Major, and l can look on and see the
bishops catch it-won't you, Laura?"
"And what is to become of me ?" asked
the Captain.
"You!" said Geordie, nonchalantly.
g You can look on too, suppose-can't he,
Laura ?"
AS for the Major, he took 1t all in, and
confirmed Geordie's fact at a glance.
"She is more like an angel than ever," he
thought. "Confound the fellow! he's
handsome as picture too. Well, it's good
to think that she isn't thrown away, at
least. There are always crumbs of comfort
falling from the rich mans table, and if she
is satisfied can go hungry"
And perhaps he wasn't so talkative the re-
mainder of the evening, but you would
never have suspected from his air that he
was disappointed lover.
He didn't make his stay at the Devons,
however, but was there from time to time,
as business allowed. doubt if it was al
ways quite pleasure to him to see Laura
and the Captain together constantly; but it
was his only chance of seeing her at all,
and he strove to persuade himself that he
enjoyed her happiness as if it were his own.
Perhaps ii was the one honeyed drop in a
deadly drought.
AT breakfast, one morning, while they ar
ranged for the days pleasure, servant
brought in the letters from the mail.
st. Paul, Mimi, now has Board of
Health on the New York plan.
The bridge across the Mississippi is to
be 2700 feet long, and the cost is estimated
at 81, ,OOO,O 900.
Chicago papers are calling for the
organization of a vigilance committee for
protection against thieves, gamblers and
robbers.
The experiment of working heavy guns
by steam was tried in the North River last