The Plymouth Democrat., 1870-10-27

George, said Lucy, rising, and facing
him with very grave look on her usually
sunny face, :" if 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 it
seems to me, now you have brought them
SO vividly 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 shOul-
ders, and looked up in his face with a
smile on her lips, but with more than a
suspicion of tears in her eyes; and George
thought he would have some difficulty in
finding in India picture fair enough to
cfiace 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, as George gazed,
the last remnant of his bad temper van
ished.
My darling" lie said, almost cheerfully,
:" / shall think of you every day, every
hour: but somehow, of all the times and
places in which have seen you, | think it
will be this, our last meeting, that will be
most impressed on my memory. | don
suppose there are any laburnums in India,
but"
All, 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,
(and as she spoke she plucked a handful
of the blOssOms,) "even when they are
nothing but dry leaves, shall be a chain be-
tween u.s.
(which your father will not recognize
until it is a golden one" said George, laugh
ing slightly.
After that came a 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
SONS, and was at the garden gate as usual
to meet her father that afternoon, only in the
evening, she stopped short, with something
like smothered sob, i'm the middle OF
Logic o Buchan' and though her father
made no remark, from that time the choice
of her songs she sang was left to herself
For a 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 a 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 alOne) she had no sooner
done so, than she covered it up in her litth
black silk apron, and rushing up stairs into
her own room locked the door and coated
herself her hands tightly clasped over hel
treasure, and a happy smile resting on hel
face as through the open window came the
rustic of the laburnum, and the date when
it had been gathered, but Lucy understood
and though she told herself over and over
again that no change of circumstances, nc
/ lapse of time, cogld make her waver in hel
faith, still this proof that George was un
changed insensibly strengthened the tit
/ between them.
Dear George murlnurcd the girl a,
she caught the reflection of her glowing
face in the glass on the table, chow | wisl
1 Il Ii 10, hnI l,
: of sitting idly at home. and waiting;' ant
Lucy felt half indignant at Fortune, whc
asked nothing of her but passive endurance
. instead of giving her some means of dis
! playing her hero-worship; vet the mex
moment she caught herself wondering how
she could tell her parents of the packe
| she had received, and questioning hersel
as to whether they would consider it il
The light of a letter, and whether as such
would meet with but scant approval.
However, the task of introducing Georg
and his various merits into the converse
ton proved an easier one than Lucy ha'
anticipated; for when she re-entered tn
breakfast room she saw her parents stand
Ing in the garden, inspecting Il bed c
spring flowers, Mrs. Lansdens especial fa
rOritcs.
Overhear their conversation /; but the gOlde
glory of the laburnum blossoms had blinC
ed her to the beauty of everything els'
and she remained absorbed in her own RI
Elections Until a remark of her mother
reused her from her rcvcrie, sending tn
blood tingling to her cheeks; and yet tn
remark itself was only commonplace.
By the way, Walter, it is exactly yea
since Mr. RVlStOn WAS here "
"Ah, yes well, | suppose it is, was til
rather absent rejoinder.
Lucy never speaks of him" said Mr.
Lansden Il wonder whether she Ia
quite forgotten the liking she used to hay
! for him?'
Forgotten il, said Mr. Lansden II
doubt she has. She would have talke
: about him fast enough if she had not.
, never heard of a girl yet who could kee
, her own counsel i'm love affair"
Il am glad if she has done So, replie
: Mrs. Lansden; but Lucy is not tickle"
No." returned Mr. Lansden; "bl
still it would he better for her to look ft
Il husband little nearer home India al
doubtful expectations are a poor groun'
work for housekeeping, am afraid
c Here Lucy thought she had hear
enough; so, stepping through the ope
! window, she laid her hand on her mother
D arm, and said, with downcast face, G
: which smiles and bushes struggled for Il
Il mastery, Mamma, dear, you must te
+ papa that he is quite wrong. | have n
e spoken about George because | fancit
that if did so you might think | VI
e fretting but | have not forgotten hin
$ and-and ! know he has not forgottt
q me-"
" Not so fast, pussy" said her faths
It . you may be fidelity itself, but how C;
/ you be sure of George?'
e Because he has sent me somethil
t this morning" she replied
And gave him to understand that
Y, would have no letter-writing," said NJ
e, Lansden, rather testify.
did not say letter, papa"
r. Well then, a present-that's worse" :"