Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1870-09-15

forward and ran swiftly to the LANDING
but, on reaching it, found that he wa
: I'VE minutes too late The boat was 8
, dozen lengths from the shore, and reced
J ing 50 Rapidly down the stream as to rem
J der vain any effort to signal her.
!, How Hardy cursed his own folly fnidal-
J lying to sing serenades to stranger when
time was so preciousi IF he had not
loitered by that fatal garden gate he would
have been in time. There was no other
boat until the next day at noon : he must
either wait for that, or drive twenty miles
across thescountTy to railway station,
where he could catch a morning train
for Cincinnati. he chose the latter plan,
and gained the train, but only to, encoun-
ter fresh detentions-a damaged bridge,
an, enoumbered track-no danger; only
fatal. delay. They missed connection
and, to make a long story short, when
Hardy reached Cincinnati the wedding
was over, and the bridal party, including
CLARA Avery, had been gone twenty four
I'hours. .%Taz -s4 ns = Is -....,g, go. =
But therworst was yet to come. When
EHardy failed to appear at the wedding it
became necessary to supply his place as
gFeomsmanSr The choice of q substitute
| fell on Jack Fillmore, ayoung lawyer from
St bLouis-a handsome fellow, with q
4 killing pair of eyes, pretty turn for sem
4 ltiment, the ability to waltz all night with.
/ out tagging, and any amount of assurance.
| CIara's tickle fancy wasseaught. In q
/ week she had transferred TO him the whole
| small stock of her affections and when,
/ at the end of q fortnight, Hardy, again
delayed by business, managed to join the,
bridal party at Niagara, Miss Aver, was
engagedto his rival. brs 5. ,,-,....- -
He was not man to contest the posses
sion of such woman's heart. He offered
neither reproach nor ,remonstrance, but
proudly renowned all claim upon her,
and departed IN the very next steamer for
But the poor fellow was hard hit. He
had honestly loved the shallow and selfish
beauty, and. moreover, he had believed in
her and 1t is "a sorer thing to have all
ones dearest illusions, as well as hopes,
shattered at once. If he had been com
PEELED to work for his living he would
very likely have found speedy cure in
employment, but, unfortunately, he had
any amount of leisure In which to brood
over and magnify his sorrows. He ram
bled over Europe, seeking ont all the
most melancholy places to, go and be
wretched in, and finding q kindof dismal
solace in the thought that there, was no
solace for him. But he was too .amiabled
for misanthropy, and too healthy for per-
petual gloom (, Thackeray, that wise
student of human hearts, tells us that, let
a young man be everso greata sufferer from
the griefs oflove, there comes time when i
he begins to sleep sound o nights, and to
have some.yelish for beefgteak. So when,
at the end OF two years, Hardy yielded to
the solicitations of his parents and re-
turned home, he was really not wholly |
miserable. He still, indeed, regarded him.
self asi a "blighted being y BE was fond
Of turning off the gas and sitting alone ct
his window on stormy nights; of think |
of believing that for him the dream was |
Dreamed the cup was drained, etc, etc.
He was very absurd L admit !; but then
his wound had been deep, and he did not
know yet how neatly healedj il was, al
:. He was little annoyed on first reach |
ing home, TO find q guest IN the house, q
friend Of his sister j ulisr On being pre-
sented to Miss Ada Morris, he noticed
merely a quiet and very oself-possessed |
young lady, who, accepted his civil and |
rather istless attentions with 1anguid in /
differences |; and he could not haYe told,
after she left the room, whether she /
was brown or fair, handsomeIior plain.
Heffound her very little in his way, how
ever. The young ladies had their own /
pursuits and their own circleloE gay asso-
eiAtes, with whom he fancied that he had
little in common: They seemed to have i
no need of him and SO, though he was
careful to pay Miss Morris such attentions
as courtesy demanded, he really saw. very Il
little of heEs and was not at all attracted
Charmed with her friend's brother.
She,thought him rather dull and unin-
teresting young man, too selfabsorbed
and indolent be agreeable, and, after
the first day or two, took little notice of I
him IN any way. % 't'i' eJIV -tai
One evening-it was Sunday, and 80
The family were alone-Mr, and Mrs.
Hardy sat reading by the paflor fire; Julia
md her friend, on a sofa in the corner,
were talking in low tones while Lau-
renee, in a small, fnnlighted room, was sit
ing by the window dreamily watching !
he stars Old Mr.. Hardy laid aside his +
book and turned to Miss Morris. a-si - II
"Ada, my love, are you not intend
ng to give us our Sunday evening
aCertainly, my dear sir, if you wish it. .
am glad youfdo, for L always play to t
papa on Sunday evenings, and it seems .
ike home" >" "''~ ''.@ = 20 Gf ! l.
> She rose and went to the piano. Lau- i
'ence, who had not lost his passion for 3
music, listened curiously. He had not 9
een enough of the guest to be aware that {
he played. But he soon saw that her
ouch was true and delicate, and the I
Iuiet, DEVOTIONAL airs she played were !
veil chosen. It was very pleasant, peace :
ul music and Laurence, sitting there un- /;
cen, listened with kind of enjoyment
hat was new to him. Al the end Of half :
u nOur NILES MOrfb fOSe HUN the InsGru~ :
nent. sfo-, .t.rc,1
spray, do not go yet, my dear child" '
aid the old gentleman. E"Sing me some
She reseated herself, and her fingers
lightly over the keys for a mo- 9
nent, as d, of their own accord. At length
hey struck the notes of a familiar tune, ]
nd in an instant she began to sing:
'Time grows not old with length Of years. etc.
At the third line she was joined by '
me, full tenor, coming from the dimly- t
ghted room behind her, She started at c
be sound, and turned to listen, but she a
ang on. About the middle of the third
erse Laurence Hardy emerged from the il
helter of the inner roo,a, and stood lean 4
ng against the doorway, sill carrying his t
art of the tune, and looking attentively | T
t Miss Morris, who, with her head turned 9
yer her shoulder, was looking at him.
The song came to dead stop as the two | a
myers, as if by a common impulse, came
astily forward. They met halfway, the I
entleman clasping warmly the extended q
and of the lady. Both spoke at once. ID
And was it really your" she added,
yhile he exclaimed, f" Three times and out q
knew it could not fRil." So -,-a :