The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1870-12-15
"Ah, and more sensible, 1 hope. Good

peCIdIlOuS lTOIu my SIoiuNHA VI
reason with him on his want OF justice
and consideration. l went away crest
fallen and heart-broken. l dashed from
the library in despair, and brought my
forehead against that of my beloved
with q conclusion that was nearly the
means of stretching our senseless forms
outside the tyrant's den, the victims OF
his cruel obduracy. Clara, naturally in
terested in the result of my interview
with her guardian, had forced her pure
but anxious soul to listen at the library
keyhole. I had retired in haste, and
hoored her.
ooh, my gracious" she sobbed forth
"I did not know you were coming out
like that! Oh, my head Oh, how
dreadful Oh, Alphonse, we must part
forever"
She rested her head on my shoulder,
and shed many tears. l kissed away
her tears L patted her head tondly,
keeping clear of the bumps which l had
rails d there. l could scarcely see her
golden hair for tears myself-the water
nad risen into my eyes immediately we
had met each other. l sought to calm
her emotion. l bade h,r be firm, and l
recommended vinegar and brown paper
for her damaged brow. l said that l
should try them myself when L got
home. l told her that would die rather
than relinqui,h her; she said the same
thing in a burst OF uncomfortable emo
ton; we renewed our vows OF eternal
fidelity, and tore ourselves from each
others arms, crushed in spirit, but strong
- CT ,p,nb nnnrnssiOn.
[ told all my troubles to Jack Ed
wards, my bosom friend and adviser.
Jack and | had been school-tellows to-
gether; we were going into the medical
profession together presently my father
had resolved that l should walk the hos
pitfalls instead of the rosy path OF love.
Jack heard my story, and said that he
would not have stood half of old Row.
ley's nonsense; but what he would have
done under the circumstances be did not
impart to me at the time, and forgot
to ask him afterward.
Clara and l met clandestinely. We
were lovers; we had been lovers from
our youth; the finty heart of guar
dian who had outlived mortal passion
was not to stand between our fresh
young souls. -,
met Clara in the village; 1 scaled
the park fence and met her in the green
wood and Jack, good fellow, kept
watch on the door of the Hall and Old
Rowley's library windows with tele-
scope, lest we should be surprised at any
moment. Clara and l passed much of
When tige set ta!ang daGg Gf What ntr we sh9pd DO
f>, DIM NJ h.r 50
vored me by departing from this earth
ly sphere; but it was II sharp winter,
and our teeth chattered over our pros
poets. Clara and l used to arrange our
meetings in this wise. Clara had con-
fidant in the game-keeper, Peter Stokes,
an invaluable man, with a weakness for
tobccco, and with heart all charity to-
ward his fellow-creatures. Peter was
always getting up subscriptions for his
fellow-creatures in the village; and
what with his subscriptions and his to-
bacco-l kept him entirely i'll tobacco
my pOcket-money knew but little rest.
Still he had a good heart, and was kind
to US. He took charge of our cores
pondence, which was carried on by n
circumlocutory bat sure process. Clara
gave it to her maid Selma, another con-
fidante-who, alas proved herself per-
tidious snake-and Selma intrusted it to
Peter, who took it to gnarled monarch
of the forest-an oak-tree in fact-and
concealed it from all human gaze in a
small hollow cavity some ten feet from
the ground, where, at later hour, /
found 1t, and deposited my answer, to
be conveyed by the same process into
my dearest Clara's hands.
Peter was lalk old man, and very
wiry; he could cllnb a tree like suuir
rel, and was agile nySe!f. The whole
conception was romaItic, if YOU will.
but grand! l thought so, Clara Thought
so, Peter thought SO. The llea was from
Millais's picture, which we had both
carefully studied; and if Peter had not
generally deposited his small n4es to
myself at the same time, asking NV
"kind considerashun, as a gentlemn
born with warm hart, to an atiictin,
kase in the PARISH" the romance would
have been pure and unalloyed.
Clara defed the obdurate guardian
for two months; it was February when
Selma Muggins betrayed US. 1 was ad-
vancing, in an innocent and unsuspect-
ing manner, to the secret post office in
the wood, half mile from Mr.. Row.
ley'S house, when / became conscious of
the whole perhdy. l was close upon the
tree-that brave old oak which had held
so many secrets-when voices in another
direction filled my soul with horror.
They were the voices of Samuel Rowley,
Esq, j. p, and Peter Stokes. my Mer-
curry. | sank down in the long grass
there was rapid thaw that morning,
and the damp struck to me at once
and trembled for my love. 1 was not
an instant too soon; their footsteps were
upon me. Mr.. Rowley's right foot was
nearly y upon me also; he shaved my fea-
lures by hairs breadth, and passed on.
The harsh tones of his voice rang in my
ears an instant afterward.
"You don't consider yourself an
abominable scamp, suppose" Mr.. Row.
ley said, "an unprincipled old vaga-
bond, to act as a go-between to silly
schoolgirl and that idiot of boy You
never thought of the harm of encourage
ing this. did you!"
I'm VERY sorry, sir" whimpered
Peter.
Teaching my ward to be deceitful
for the sake of few sixpences, sup
pose?"
"lve never had q ha'penny, your hon
or, much more sixpence."
Neither had he. They were generally