Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1870-11-03

have gone out 30 cneenuily 70 wOfA lO1
you, Lucy, and he's sent me of with sore
heart, that's all.
"Now, George, dear, ! will not have
you be cross come, now, tell me what Is
the matter. am quite sure papa would
not saw a word or do ANYTHING unkind"
"WeIl, perhaps not" said George; "but
it's not exactly pleasant TO have ones feel
ings coolly put aside, and be told that one
Is next door to brute for thinking Of get
ting married at all.
did papa say that" exclaimed Lucy,
opening her eyes very wide. "Oh, George,
think YOU must be mistaken
After much coaxing the history OF MI
Landen's resolve was told; but Lucy did
not seem near so Disconnected by II az her
lover had been, fol Ct its conclusion she
laughed little son laugh, and said, look
ing down: "Why, George, dear, you did
not think that we've could be married
before you went out!'
"And don't see that there would have
been anything SO very dreadful in that, "
said George. I'm twenty-three,-old
enough"
ITO know better, you goose! Why,
George, dear, we are in just the same posi-
ton we were before. I'm sure shouldn't
| like to face your uncle at first and besides,
| 1 don't want to live in India. Why, this
morning you were talking about what you
could do in three years; and do not see
that what papa has said need make any
difference"
"And suppose, in the meantime, you see
some one you think"
George" said Lucy, rising, and facing
him with a very grave look on her usually
sunny face, IL we trust each other at all,
let us do it thoroughly. am going to
stay at home, seeing the same places, meet
ing the same people that have seen and
met with you, and which will insensibly be
connected with your memory. You are
going into entirely fresh scenes; and 1t
seems to me, now you have brought them
so wildly before me, that you are most
likely to find temptation to forget me- OF
course | should have liked to write TO you,
and should have dearly liked TO have had
letters from you: but still don't suppose
that people were less faithful when there
were no such things as post-offices."
Lucy put her hands on Georges shout
dcrs, and looked up in his face with
smile on her lips, but with more than q
suspicion Of tears in her eyes; and George
thought he would have some difficulty in
finding in India picture fair enough to
| efIace the memory Of his first love as she
stood there, the sunshine peeping down
through the branches Of the laburnums
that shaded the summer house, lighting up
their clusters of yellow blossoms, and rest
ing lovingly on the girls fair hair and
sweet. earnest face, until, rs George gazed,
the last remnant OF his bad temper van
ishcd.
My darling" he said, almost cheerfully,
Il shall think Of you every day, every
t.t,f onp,nhnur Of oil hn
places i'm which have seen you, think it
will be this, our last meeting, that will be
most impressed on my memory. | don't
suppose there are any laburnllms in India
but"
"Ah, then, you shall take some to re-
remember me by; and George" continued
Lucy, "you could have chosen no better
type Of our parting and our next meeting.
Don't you remember the old childish name
we had for laburnum in the country
Golden Chain Well, these flowers"
land az she spoke she plucked handful
Of the blossOms,) "cven when they are
nothing but dry leaves, shall be chain be-
tween us"
(which your father will not recognize
until it is a golden one" said George, laugh
ng slightly
After that came little love talk, sound
ing very sweet to those two, no doubt, but
which would have seemed ridiculous to
any one else; and then came the parting,
bitter as such partings usually are, Lucy
going back to the house with bent head,
the large hot tears she had managed to
keep back while in her lovers presence
falling fast almost before she had reached
her own room. But she had put away her
grief with her share of the laburnum bios
\ ~.l>,, a..
to meet her father that afternoon, only in the
like smOthered sob, In the middle of
"Logie o. Buchan = and though her father
made no remark, from that time the choice
of her songs she sang was left to herself.
For q whole year from the time Of
Georges departure, there came no word
nor sign from the absentee, but on the an
niversary Of that day Lucy received letter,
the writing ON the envelope Of which was
sufficiently unlike that belonging to any OF
her lady correspondents to make her Gu
rious as to its contents, and it was opened
rather hastily, and afterwards Lucy was
glad she had been alonc) she had no sooner
done 10, than she covered II up In her little
black silk apron, and rushing up stairs into
her own room, locked the door, and seated
herself, her hands tightly clnsped over her
treasure, and happy smile resting on her
face, as through the open window came the
rustic Of the laburnum, and the date when
it had been gathered, but Lucy understood
the meaning II was intended to convey |;
and though she told herself over and over
again that no change Of circumstances, no
lapse Of time, could make her waver in her
faith, still this proof that George was un-
changed inssnsibly strengthened The tie
between them.
dear George murmured the girl, as
she caught the reflection Of her glowing
face in the glass on the table, "how wish
could do something to help him, instead
Of sitting idly at home, and waiting;' and
Lucy felt half indignant at Fortune, who
asked nothing Of her but passive endurance,
instead of giving her some means of dis
playing her hero-worship; yet the next
moment she caught herself wondering how
she could tell her parents Of the packet
she had received, and questioning herself
as to whether they would consider 1t in
the light Of letter, and whether as such ii
| AL ..sA1. h,,A