Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1870-08-18
THE SPRING LANCET.

/ never saw \ handSoEaer girl or woman
than Rose Mssen. or one with q pre,,ieu
grscefal ways. though she Aad lived on q
farm always and had no opportunity for
culture Of either mind or manners beyond
that afforded al the village school, thre,,
miles away, aud the rustic society Of The
vicinity. -.
lH~fwM she was slender and round. full
of willcwy cures q she moved. She had
dark, brilliant face. and trigh. dark
eyes. and mouth as sweet and red rs u
half blown rose.
! had loved Rose Mason at least two
thirds yfmy life; and thougis with the
ccquetfy that is inbern with creatures Of
her vivaeioas and changcfaltcmperament,
she had been extremely weary &c showing
me her heart, she had in the end confcs-
scd she loved me. and cnnssnted that we
should be married in December.
In November. while | was away i'm New
York, clerking for my uncle. who belong
ed to an insurance company, she became
the wife of Carl Berthold, a handsome.
black-eyed foreigner. who had invaded
our rural precincts about the time Of my
last visit home. bewitching the girls, and
driving the boys frantic with jealousy.
| was jealous with the rest. but [ had
Roses promise. and though disliked Ber-
thold intensely, and turned chilly VIXEN
ever he was near me, had faith in nav
darling and went back 10 the city tolera-
bly, content. The first news | heard from
home was they were married.
| don't know how bore il now. II was
terrible, of course; but as many another
has done, | suppose, l set my teeth and
endured and went on just as before, out
wardly. Berthold had taken her away.
| did not hear where, and didn't much
care.
One morning. coming into the Office
from an errand down town, my uncle re-
marked to me-:
If you had been here ten minutes soon-
er, you would have seen as pretty couple
'asI ever beheld they tool, out a policy
for ten thousand dollars for each. Scnsi-
be pair. ch =
| smiled as | turned to my desk, and
opened the ledger in which was recorded
the names of the parties insuring. and The
amounts insured for. The last entries on
thu page were yet damp. Carl Berthol;l
Hose Berthold."
don't know what came over me. bu,
[ shut the book as though / had seen q
ghost. Fortunately no one observed my
emotion.
| took my pen presently and went to
work. but all that afternoon those name.
danced before my eyes in letters of fire.
r ] happened to be in the back Office. three
months after. when Carl Berthola came
into make payment. l knew his silky,
smooth voice before saw his face, with
its shining eyes and cleaning white teeth
!nvoluntarily / stayed where | was, and
watched him through the glass partition
that separated the room in which | wa.
from the front Office
As he passed the money to my uncle,
his sharp white teeth shonc in smile tha,
seemed more like sneer, and he received
his two policies back, with al almost aud
ible chuckle.
1 had been pretty sure all the time thai
Rose and he were in the city. but I had
never met them, though l never saw a
woman that in the least rcsembled my lost
darling without thinking of her, and
never attended any public assembly with
out scanning the throng for the dark bright
beauty Of the girl who Tilted me.
After / had seen Berthold in the insur.
ancc office. watched more diligently thar
before. and frcquented more than former.
ly such places Of resort as imagined Ros.
and her husband might attend.
One morning. hurrying up Broadway
| had a glimpse of what looked to me like
Roses sylph-like shape entering pictur,
gallery. Instantly l dar;ed after her NJ
the stairs.
1t was indeed she. looking little scarce
at first at the sight of ne, but bloomine
into something more than even the old vi.
vacity under the reassuring warmth Of m,
manner. She was more beautiful than ever
and l was truly glad to see lip and cheel
glowing with such fresh carnation tints
and I'd behold the clear, sunny CLEAN o
her liquid eyes. .s
Till met her SO, I had scarcely real
ICED that | had entertained any forebodins
thoughts in her connection. Unconscious
ly I had pictured her to myself a. pale ans
fading. But this creature, with her tro
pical bloom and isugh1ug rycs. n,cek-,
such visions sorely. Shc was cvidentl,
happy. must have wrongcd Bertholc
in those thoughts in which. though has
not acknowledged IL to myself. / had at
tributed to him the possibility of unkind
nf'ss or iriiussir- N any way ~ t44- MALE a
he had beguilcd from me-
A. we parted, and Rose gave me he
little hand. she named her address an,
invited me cordially To call. | sook t.,
address, but said that should not he iike,
" u ca'f she cc.crrd- slightly At N,
words. but did not urge me Prnbabl,
she felt that it might not be pleasant 70
her husband AMI myself 10 meet.
Less than q week after this meeting
having business in that part of the city.
deyiased little frem nav direct route 70
the sake Of passing By where Rose lived
met her husband half dozen door
sway, and net seeing him soon enough {,
avoid passing him. kept TRANQUILITY on m
way. His eyes did not light ON me til
We were close upon each other. as he ssrod
along with his lock upon the pavement
his lips set in the sneering smile hal
a