Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1868-08-06

y
, are begging. To the office with you
come along!"
1.-The young man interpOsed. He took
hold hastily of the mendicant, of her
whom he had before seemed afraid to
touch, and addressing himself TO the
policeman, said, reprovingly, This wO-
man is not beggar. She is one whom
know" "BuC, sir-said the officer"
II tell you she is an acquaintance OF
|, mine" repeated tine young stranger
Then turning to the girl, whom he took
for an old and feeble woman he continu-
ed:
"Come along. my good dame and per-
init me to see you safely to the end of
the street." Giving his arm to the un-
fortunate girl, he then led her away,
saying, Here is a piece of a hundred
sous. 1t is all l have-take it, poor
woman
"The crown Of hundred sous passed
from your hand into mine," continued
the lady, land as you walked along
supporting my steps, L then, through
my veil distinctly saw your face and
figure"
my fgureI" exclaimed Frederick, in
lamaZement.
'Yes, my friend, your figure" return
ed his wife. at was to me that YOU
gave aims on that night. 1t was my
life-my honor, perhaps--that you then
saved!"
"You mendicant-you, so young so
beautiful, and now SO rich" cried Fred
erick.
"Yes, my dearest husband" replied
the lady, II have in my life," received
alms-Once oniy-and from you; and
those aims have decided my fate for
life.
\ "On the day following that miserable
night, an old woman in whom 1 had
inspired some sentiments OF pity, ena-
bled me to enter as seamstress in a re-
spectacle house. Cheerfulness returned
to me with labor. L had the good for
tune to become favorite with the mis-
tress whom | served, and indeed l did
my best, by unwearied diligence and
care, to merit her favor She was often
visited by people in high life. One day
Sir James Melton, an Englishmen of
great property, came to our establish
ment along with party of ladies. He
returned again. He spoke with my
mistress, and learned that was of good
family; in short, learnt my whole histo-
ry. The result was, that he sat down by
my side one day, and asked me plainly
if would marry him.
l. yOu. CIlcu L, Ill
'Sir James Melton was man sixty,
tall, pale, and feeble locking. In answer
to my exclamation of astonishment, he
said, Eyes, l ask if you will be my wife?
[ am rich, but have no comfort-no hap
piness. My relations seem to yearn to
see me in the grave. L have ailments
which require degree of kindly care
that is not to be bought from servants
have heard your story, and believe
you to be one who will support prosperi-
ty as well as adversely. | make my
proposal sincerely, and hope you will
agree to it,"
'At that time, Frederick" continued
the lady II loved you;I have seen you
but once, but that once was too memoir
able for me ever to forget it, and that
something always insinuated to me that
we were to pass through life together
AT the bottom of my soul, l believed
this. Yet every one around me pressed
me to accept the offer made to me, and
the thought struck me that might one
day make you wealth. At length my
main objection to Sir James Meltons'
proposal lay in a disinclination to make
myself the instrument of vengeance in
Sir James hands against relatives whom
he disliked, without good grounds. The
objection, WHOM stated, only increased
his anxiety for my content, and finally,
under the impression that it would be,
after all carrying romance the length OF
folly to reject the advantageous settle
ment offered to me, l consented to Sir
James proposal.
''Fhat part of the story, Frederick, is
really like fairy tale, L, a poor orphan,
penniless, became the wife of one of the
richest baronets of England. Dressed in
GifikS and rty i'm II Il
pass through the very streets where, a
few months before, L stood in the rain
and darkness-a mendicant!"
Happy Sir Jamesl" cried NJ. de la
Tour, at this part of the story; ''he could
prove his love by enriching you'll"
He was happy" resumed the lady
"Our marriage, so strangely assorted
proved much more conductive, it is prob
able, to his own comfort than if he we'd
ded one with whom all the parade of
settlements, of PIN money would have
been necessary.
"Never, believe, did he for an instant
repent of our union. 1, on my part, con-
ceived myself bound to do my best for
the solace of his declining years; and he |
on his part, thought it incumbent on
him to provide for my future welfare
He died, leaving me large part of his /
prevail upon myself to accept. l was
now widow, and, from that hour in
which l became SO, / vowed never again |
to give my hand to man excepting him
who had succOred me in my hour OF dis
tress, and whose remembrance has ever
been preserved i'll the recess of my heart 1
But how to discover that man? An, un-
conciOus migrate! to make no endeavor
to come in the way of one who sought
to love and enrich you! L knew not
your name. In vain looked for you at /
balls, assemblies, theatres. You were /
not there. Ah, how L longed to meet
you!" /
AS the lady spoke she took from her
neck ribband, to which was attached
piece of hundred sous. at is the same
the very same which you gave me-"
said she, presenting it to Frederick; 'by |
neighbor, and I earned enough after
ward in time to permit me to recover. 1
vowed never to part from it.
"Ah, how happy was Frederick,
wnen saw you in the street. The ex-
cuse which L made for stopping you was /
the first that rose to my mind. But what /
tremors felt even afterwards, lest you
should have been already married! In
that case, you would never have heard I
aught of this fairy tale, though l would
have sought some means to serve and /
enrich you, would have gone to Eng
land, and there passed my days in regret,
perhaps, but still in peace. But happily I
it was to be otherwise. You were sim
gle.
Frederick de la Tour was awakened,
as it were to the full capacity of his hap
piness. What he could before but lock
upon as a sort of freak proved to be the
result of deep and kindly feeling most
honorable to her who entertained it. The
heart of the young husband Overflowed
with gratitude and affectien toward the
ncblshearted being who had given her
self to him. He was too happy for some