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

"Yes; In the carly spring." was the re
ply
guest.
Entire; the ship parted, and went
down like a stone. The men on shOrt
were frantic, and even tried to launch the
! life boat, but Of course in such sea it was
| impossible. 1t was madness to attempt it
and every soul on board was lost There
| were few bodies washed ON shore"
But suppose you had no clue to Their
IDENTIFY"
No; in the majority of cases they had
been too much disfgured by coming in
contact with the rocks, to be recognizable
There was one poor young fellow, though
evidently passenger, who had escaped all
| injury, and he had q small water proof case
strapped round him, but unfortunately
there was no name"
He had papers, them"
"Only love-letter. poor boy, with a
shrig Of labarnum in it, that he spoke Of as
Golden Chain evidently some parting
token, and"
Nh. Wheeler did not finish his speech,
| for al that moment Lucy rose, and totter-
ed, raher than walked, to where they were
seated.
Have you-can you show me that
letter ?" she gasped, laying her hand, part
ly to steady herself, on her hosts arm, and
he, too surprised to be cautious, simply
answered YES"
Then YOU will let me see it? l think
/ know-fhat is, / knew-the writer. No,
do not call mamma, please" she added, as
she saw Mr. Whecler's eyes seek Mrs.
Lsnsden; Il will not give you any
| trouble"
Ovcrpowered by the girls carnestness,
and feeling that having gone so far, equiv
Ocation would be useless, Mr.. Wheeler led
the way to the library, and then, after a
search that seemed longer than was neces-
sary, judging by the orderly appearance of
the desk, and which was in reality, pro-
longed, in order to give Lucy time TO col
iect herself, he placed a letter in her hand I;
and the instant She had taken out the en-
closure, the last spark of hope died out,
for the writing was Georges, and the la
burnum was the counterpart Of those bios
SONS which had come to her from time to
time, mute assurances Of her lovers con-
stancy; and, like a message from the
grave, came the words of Lucy's first and
last love letter
my darling, my darlington at last,
after all this weary working and waiting,
the right to call you mine is won-thank
God this is my last day of Indian life; and
were it not that have strange wish to
write you my first letter, here in the place
from whence, with the laburnum blossoms
you gathered for me nearly three years
ago, have sent you SO many unwritten
messages, should do nothing tonight, for
am SO weary, Lucy love.
81 atarf for ENGLAND tnmOrrOW en- /
shall see you long before your birthday
but as | may be delayed few hours,
shall send you this the first opportunity,
and shall expect warm welcome, for
my work is DONE My uncle's death has
made me lonely, and rich even beyond
your fathers expectations; and then the
Golden Chain is completed; and SO now,
Lucy, my own love, tried and true, l am
coming to claim your prOmisc-the prom
Use that has held firm in spite of time and
"GEonGE."
To say that Lucy understood the mean
ing of the words she read would scarcely
be right. She knew that George was dead,
that her happiness was wrecked, and that
the treacherOus sea, to whose summer song
she had so often listened, had come be-
scarcely felt the force of the blow; still
Mr.. Wheeler was alarmed by the whiteness
of her face. Deeply vexed with himself
for having so abruptly brought this trouble
to her knowledge, he went in search OF
Mrs. Lansden but, to all her inquiries and
attempts at comfort, Lucy only moaned
out some indistinct words about George,
coupled with request to be taken home
and so, back to the pleasant seaside cot.
tage, that henceforth would be associated
with misery unspeakable, the half-uncon-
scious girl was borne and thus ended
Lucy Lansdens birthday.
"Heaven knows did it for her good.
wanted to save her from the misery atten.
dant upon genteel poverty! and instead OF
that, my precautions have broken her heart
| declare could bear anything, any re-
prOaches, better than the gentle, uncom.
planning manner in which she goes about
never thought to pass such Christmas
as this"
The speaker was Mr.. Lansden, the place
| the breakfast parlor Of his own house
the time, the Christmas day following the
summer they had spent at Brent. As he
finished speaking, Mrs. Lansden came tc
his side, and there was panied look or
her face.
Walter" she said earnestly, ~ wish
you would try to throw aside this intense
feeling of self.reproach. No one would
think, Lucy least of all, that you are to
blame in the matter; and when she is a
little rcconciled to her loss, it will be fresh
pain to her sensitive nature to see you
looking so worn and haggard. Do try and
be cheerful just for to-day; depend on it.
it will do the child good; for my sake
Walter"
The sound Of light step on the stairs
made her turn away to the breakfast table
and Mr.. Lansden, with sigh he in vain at
tempted to conceal, looked in the direction
Of the door where the next moment Lucy
entered; but SO unlike was the pale, fra.
gilelooking girl to the one who had stood
with her lover under the pendant blossoms
of" Golden CHAIN that it was little won.
der her father mourned the change.
| During the illness that followed close
upon the information Of Georges death
Lucy's hair had been cut short, and it now
curled in rings round her head; but it was
in the hopelessly sad expression of hcl
face that the difference was most marked
and though she smiled as she wished hel