The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1869-09-11

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ETaEL RomHR's MISTAKE. !
valentines Dsyi q soft and sxset . day -
any birds could wish for mating in: promise OF
yaelsS IN it breath-peomiss Of roses In II Gun.
1Aaus. Though, % be sure. the boeeh wsse
bars a. yet. and there wore no green thing gtees
ing, cave in the pots which Ethel Romee Ia
been putting out upon the broad windovlesA GO
catch tho sunshine. The thing that nvcreS
most of spring was Ethel Romer hseseaA ~
beautiful woman as ever artist painted o eoet
sang of. Within. near the fire, sat Dr.. Halpa
Rsmsr. Spring had left him long bsfoe. II
winter frosts were not upon his head, autumn
had touched it with gray.
Ethel's musings were interrupted. The post-
mass rap did it An envelope. With o pretty
border and fanciful SEAL and her name upon it,
was put into her hand At the sight she blushed
Sosy-red, knowing well what lay within, and
went back to the freside with the thing in her
hand.
For me ?" asked Ralph. gems, e.. As9,r,
"No." she said, for me-" y
1t be had only shown some curiosity the.-if
he had only looked at her jealously; had there
been some shadow OF the lover in his face or
mien, all might have been different; but he went
ea with his book, and she carried her valentine
= her own room, to read it there in quiet.
Yes It was valentine. Three times had that
day returned since she married DR.. Ralph Ro-
ner. and each time had it brought Just such pss-
aouate lines upon the page within, written in
sead it ovsr---again and again-just as she haA
The others, and thought, oh, how bitterly! what
q beautiful thing life might have been to her,
blessed ~ith such glowing love a. this-lifs that
must always be cold and wintry, having only
the quiet, commonplace affection which her gray
haired husband gave her for all the wealth Of
golden sprlng-time warmth that she felt within
her soul--for all the beauty that many an ardent
youth had coveted in her girlhOod. "a ,s,.,
Could it be the fair-haired student who sat
near them in church or the dark.eyed soldier,
with an empty sleeve, who passed their garden
so often, on when had she made such an i'm
preston while he whose life she shared saw in
her only good little woman, who had silly ideas
or abstract subjects, and needed much sage ad.
vice and counsel.
Her poor heart ached as her head did. She
ielt wicked and ashamed, aud very, very misera-
able md forgot how time was flying, and how
her housewife duties pressed upon her, until the
sinking reminded her of them.
Even then she took one look in the glass, and
thought, if she did not say it, that great deal of
beauty had been cast away on quiet, unromantic
Ralph Romer. ho
After tea they walked out together, and stood
beside he pond in the garden, and saw the gold
tish in its depths; and he told her of the general
habits of goldfish. Tho writer of the valentine
woeld have spoken-so thought Ethel-of her
golden hair. The stars came out and he spoke
OF them, not of her bright eyes, sh
She wanted to turn upon him and cay, "Whst
arc all these things worth compared with warm
and living love?" She lonsed to ask him why
he had given her that woeful fate--why be had
Gagged the heart he did not care for "Any wo-
nah could have made your tea, and listened to
your talk OF astronomy and natural history"
were the words on her lips. g. was made to
lle. aud to be loved again" NIX
But she said nothing He saw her beside him,
ltre paler and little stiller than of yore that
WIS all.
Bal from this time forth, the little happiness
thaS'ha fingered in Ethels life was at an end.
She gre@ desperate, and seized upon the only
possible relief to the monotony of her life Very
beautiful, very lively, much courted by the vii.
lage cOtel}e she found no difficulty in becoming
thar NEST detestabl. of creatures, married Airt.
Rilph Romer never sought to keep her 1t
home; but he seldom went out with her. More
than once g golden-haired student or the dark.
eyed soldier had found it the most natural thing
il the world TO act sscort homo after some So
cial meeting, and no harm was done; only there
were too many bushes, too many smiles, too lin
gering clasp of parting bands, when one re-
membered that Ethel Romer was wife. Home
Was neglected; but Raj phi did not complain.
SO the long year rolled around, and Valentines
Day came again. Ethel had watched and waited
for its coming-not quito the same pure-hesrted
Ethel Thoughts she dared not utter had crept
into her soul. The soldier with great black ewes
and soft voice, who made his empty sleeve only
charm to win hearis-who had told her all he
had dared with his tongue, and more with glance
and sigh--must, she had long ago decided, be the
writer of those Valentines 30 full of love and ma.
thos, so tender, so different from anything that
Ralph Romer ever felt or uttered ~ !,
She had given him hint, and il it were be-
she would surely know it this day. Aud If 1t
were he, then Ethel Romer knew that il had been
better for her never to have been born; for. for
the sake of HIM who wrote those love poems she
was willing TO forsake homo and husband, and
wiley name and fame, and be the soorn sad fout
Of all the village. To be 20 loved for little
WHILE and then die. was all she asked.
" II itco,nes to Nat," she said, answering her
own thoughts show my name will rinSl I
shall DO blacker than Satan. Do they know
those proper, frozen village women, who will
scorn me so-what it is for q loving woman to
lead loveless life? Tt witLers one a. neglect
and cold hsye withered those poor flowers there"
For Ethel had set forth no Aower.pots in the
sun to-day, nor for many days. That morning
Sac had watched her husband ride away on his
great brown horse-thinking how grave and se
rious he wss--how old in all his wsys-how old.
manish was his great overcast, and his broad.
bfimmed hat; saying to herself. If were to
leave him, and he were to find the house empty
he would 80 on reading, or comfort himself with
new insect Or new planet No need to won
do hnu ha 7 -