The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1869-11-25
Jie geaforl 0azettr.
ELOHSE.
BY CAROLINE CONRAD.


rather sad but sweet in expression,
rose at once from her place in the class,
at Madame Renters boarding school,
and followed the servant from the
room.
Madame met her at the door, saying,
in voice Of strange compassion:
"My poor darling?'
Eloise's dark eyes flashed pained in
quiry in Madame's solemn face,
"You have news" she cried, in
stricken voice ''you have news of
mamma! Oh, Madame, tell mel"
"Poor babyl poor little one! how
can tell thee?" Madame murmur-
ed.
"Don't tell me that?' she cried
''don't tell me 1 shall never see mann
my any more-my poor, suffering,
abused mammal
81 wish had it not to tell thee, "
Madame said sadly.
"Is she dead ?" the child asked.
Eyes, dear"
Madame bent presently to look on
the little girls face.
"Don't child-don't look like that! !"
Madame pleaded, shuddering. "Cry
Eloise-cry here on my bosom it will
do thee good"
Eloise lifted her great solemn eyes to
Madame's.
''He had done it, know; / know
he has," she said, in strange, unchild-
like tones. mamma said | should
not be sent away from her; she would
teach me herself. She said it would
kill her to take me from her, and it
has"
"Hush, dear; you are crazed now
with grief"
MADAME, am not. Madame, |
will tell every one | see that it was
that bad man who killed her."
"Child, you must not speak so. E
loise, try to bear it-try to be calmer.
He is here he has come to take you
home with him."
He! the man who married my
beautiful mamma only to torture the
life out of her? had rather die than
go with him."
"Child, he may come in at any mo-
ment."
Madame, l am not child. / am
only fourteen, but am old enough to
remember"
"And obey" said deep voice be-
side her, and without looking up,
Eloise knew it was her step-father who
had stolen noiselessly into the room,
and heard she knew not how much of
her passionate talk,
The child trembled like leaf, and
shrank into Madame's compassionate
arms with low cry.
'She has tainted"
Sidney Herbert took her out of Mad
ame's arms, and laid her upon sofa.
"She will be better soon," he said in
cold voice; "and pray prepare her at
once for her journey"
Tonight" ?" Madame asked, aghast
"She is not fit to travel SO soon."
81 will attend to that" Mr.. Her
bert said. in unanswerable tones, and
Madame with smothered sigh return
ed to her task of ofrestoring the child.
Poor EIoise had to be carried out to
the carriage, where she shrank away
into one corner, and pressed her face
against the lining, for fear of meeting
the cold, icy looks of the man who set
opposite and watched her with merci-
less eyes.
By the time they reached home she
was in high fever, and moaning with
delirium.
Her step-father carried her into the
house himself, and himself tended her
through the long illness that followed.
When the child grew better he thus
addressed her:
'You assured Madame Renier that
you were not child. | expect you
therefore to exercise something of the
discretion which belongs to more
years than yours, and to let me hear
no more such wild talk as that to
which you treated Madame. | desire
to be to you an indulgent guardian;
but whether | am so or not, will en-
tirely depend upon yourself"
Eloise made no reply. She only
looked at him grayely, with pair Of
dark intent eyes that her step-father
felt vaguely uneasy under, but made
no effort to avoid while he pressed her
to promise to do as he wished.
But Eloise would promise nothing.
He might as we'll have talked to the
post door, for all eliciting any response.
That night Barbara, who had been
Eloise'e nurse IN brighter days, crept
stealthily to the child's bedside,
'sYou mustn't brave him, little dear,
she whispered the child; sit won't do
no good, and he'll make you suffer
for it. You won't get out of this room
till you promise, if you hold on till
you're gray"
"But L can't promise not to talk
about her. Somebody must tell me
about it. / couldn't keep such prom
ise, if l made it,"
"I'll tell you, darling, all there is to
tell only you agree to anything he
bids you. It's best; take Nurse Bar
| by's word for that"
Eloise rather astonished her step
father by suddenly asking, when he
came back to the room.
"May / go out in the garden to-mor-
row, Mr.. Herbert, If | will promise