The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1867-10-19

Warner, and the evening passed ere they had
begun.
Time passed on, and other evenings were spent
together, and it soon required but careless eye
to see that the beautiful face of Etsy Peyton was
the only face in the world to their new friend
"Essie. your husband is falling in love once
again. Agnes said, but the said Essie made no
reply. 'N. s,>+N ev
One night Mr. Peyton said to her:
Mrs. Willis, your face haunts me- il reminds
me of some one have seen before perhaps it was
in my dreams. And Essie only answered 'per.
haps." She sat on the verandah that night, wait
ing for Agnes aud her father They were to
leave for New York the next day, and there was
a great ache at Etsy's heart Mr. Peyton stepped
through the window and stood beside her. He
merely bowed his stately head, and she never
spoke-she dared not. h't la
You are sad tonight, Mrs. Willis. Are Won
sorry to leave Niagara!
For the life of her she c.uld not have answered
him. but without waiting for one he sat down by
her side.
too am sad tonight, but my sadness has a
deeper meaning than yours. At my heart are
tuyglng love- remorse, regret. and wretched
quarreling with fate / wish dare lay bare nv
heart to you; for my soul is furnishing for human
sympathy.
You may.
And you will not think less OF me because
have sinned, and suffered.
| will not
Five years ago-nay must begin further back
Ten years ago, l knew and loved a young girl
She won my heart ere | knew it, and asked her
| to be my wife, She consented, and when we
parted, hung on my neck and wept so bitterly that
! found it very hard to leave her. l Went back
| to Germany, and carried with me all over Ger
many the memory of the gentle, loving heart.
returned five years later to find II cold-hearted,
naughty woman, who repealed my tenderness,
and threw back upon my aching heart the love it
would have felt for her, if she had been tender
and patient. But | must be just, found the
lady so changed in her personal appearance that
! l did not know her ut first, and doubles nv
manners seemed cold to her, for was mourning
for my beautiful little Esy and could not believe
this cold, pale woman was She We were mar
ried within an hour of my arrival and though at
first my soul si9kened. l did strive before God
to give her my love but verify believe she hated
Inc for she grew more and more cold and disdain.
full every day, till mad with sorrow and regret
l left my home to wander sad and disconsolate
all over the earth. Twice remembering she was
my wife, l wrote begging her to Join me, for ]
could not bear to return to the Grange where
all knew my sad history; but she haughtily re.
fused, saying in her last letter that she fancied
that our paths would be happier far apart.
| You too have sorrow, Mrs Willis. but IL is
better to mourn for the dead than the living
Lionel Peyton loved the weeper, and it re
quired all his honor and manhood, all his self
control to keep from taking her in his arms ant
telling her 80. He did not for all the pleading,
Of his heart, but continued:
Later met with one who before was aware O
it, crept into my heart---a beautiful regal WON
an, with passionate tropical nature, entirel,
suited to mine. loved the woman but daret
not tell her so; my homer forbade it, and yet
loved her! o my God, thou knowest it all.
AS the white lips grew oalmer, he said to-nigh
for oil my battling, this wild love is clamorin,
to be heard, all the anguish and regret, all tn
harder to bear, because unspoken. / thought
must speak or die; but when the storm was n
Its height great calm came over my spirit an,
something like Gods great pity came over IN,
: tempted soul and one more than | was able t
overcome.
have come to say goodbye, Essie.
: There is only one course left for me TO pu,
sue. must rejon my wife: and if she is vii
ling TO receive the prodigal, try to make he
happy
. Did you love her so much: this beautiful
woman OF whom you spoke! better than an
beauty OF italy or Spain, or any one your meet i
e your travels:
& His faco flushed and then paled.
: Better than any woman ON carth-better tina
ianything but my honor and my God and h
: held with iron grasp the small white hands |,
had taken in his hand.
: Love her! 1t would be heaven to be AWAY
by her side; to watch the flash and CLEAN {
those proud eyes, and the sweet trembling of tn
y red lips, and the shining dark hair, and tn
:, proud throat, white as snow.
It must have been hard to give her up!
nj 1t was hard. What would you have done $
d lcircumstanced?
IT would have been true to my honor and IN
+. 'God, Us you were