The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1871-01-05

! ell, Me. IIOWley, 1t has been a long
attachment. My finishing school at Bees.
borough was situated opposite her fnish>
ing school, and we saw each other at
church and think"
81 think that you both ought to be
horse-whipped !" be said fercely, inter-
rupting me; land as for my consent to
Clara's engagement to boy like you'll
Will even go SO far as to say a whipper-
snapper like you
"A whipper-snapper, STRIP
81 repeat it, a whipper-snapper cried
old Rowley very red and spupIectic iu
appearance. 81 decline to listen TO your
Preposterous proposal for one instant.
Clara is only sixteen, and does not know
her own mind-she is a mere child"
''But we shall both grow older, Mr.
Rowiey"
'Ah, aud more sensible, hope. Good
morning.
Good morning, sir"
| did not wait TO tell him of my expec-
taIions from my grandmother, or to reason
with him Oh his want of justice and con-
sideration. | went away crestfalIen and
heart broken. l dashed from the library
in despair, and brought my forehead
against that of my beloved with concus-
sion that was nearly the means of stretch-
ing our senselcss forms outside the tyrants
den, the victims of his cruel obduracy.
|. Clara. naturally interested in the result of
my interview with her guardian, had
forced her pure but anxious soul TO listen
at the library keyn0le. l had retired in
haste, and foored her.
"Oh, my grscious!" she sobbed forth
- did net know you were coming out
like that Oh, my headl Oh, how dread
| tai! Oh, Alphonse, We must part for
ever !"
She rested her head on my shoulder,
and shed many Tears ; palted her head
| fUndly, keeping clear of the bumps which
l had raised there. / could scarcely see
! her golden hair for tears myself-the
water had risen into my eyes Immediately
we had met each other. | sought to calm
her emotion. | bade her be firm, and |
recommended vinegar and brown paper
for ber damaged brow. | said that |
should try them myself when | got home.
told her that ! would die rather than
! a burst of uncomfortable emotion we re-
rewed our VOWS of eternal fidelity, and
tore ourselves from each others arms,
crushed IN spirit, but strong yet to resist
much oppression.
i told all my troubles to Jack Edwards,
my bosom friend and adviser. Jack and
| had been school~feilows together; we
were going into the medical profession to-
gether presently; my father had resolved
that | should walk the hospitals instead
Of the rosy path of love. Jack heard my
story, and said that he wonid not have
stood half of old Rowley's nonsense but
| what he would have done under the cir
cumstances he did not impart to me at
the time, and | forgot to ask him after
ward.
| Clara and l met candestineIy. We
were lovers we had been lovers from our
yonth the hinty heart Of guardian who
had outlived mortal passion was not 30
| stand between our fresh young souls.
| | met Clara in the village scaled the
! park fence, and met her III the greenw ood; ;
and Jack, good fellow, kept watch on the
door of the Hall and old Row.eys library
windows with telescope, lest we should
! be surprised at any moment. Clara and
| passed much of Our time talking of
what we should do when she came into
/ her property at twenty~one, and my grand
mother favored me by departing from iEis
earthly sphere; but it was a sharp winter,
and our teeth chattered over our pros
! poets. Clara and used TO arrange our
| meetings in this wise {: Clara had cons
/ fi1ent IN the game keeper, Peter Stokes,
an invaluable man, with a weakness for
! tobacco, and with heart all charity to-
ward his fellow creatures. Peter was
always getting up subscriptions fer his
fellow ~creatures In the village and what
with his subscriptions and his tobacco
[ kept him entirely in tobacco--my pock ct
money knew but little rest. Still he had
good heart, and was kind to Us. He
took charge of our correspondence, which
was carried on by a circumlocutory but
sure process. Clara gave it 10 her maid
| Selma, another confid&nt-who, alas !
| proved herself periidous snake-and
Selma intrus,ed it to Peter, who took it
to gnarled monarch of the forest-an
oak-.ree in fact-and concealed ii from all
human gaze III small hollow cavity come
ten feet from the ground, where, at later
hour, found il and deposited my answer,
to be conveyed by the same process into
my dearest Clara's hands.
Peter was lank old man, and very
wiry; he could climb tree like squir-
rel, and l was agile myself. The whole
conception was romantic, if you will, but
grand thought SO, Clara thought SO,
Peter thought so The idea was from
Millais's picture, which we had both care.
fully studied and if Peter had not gener-
ally deposited his small notes to myself at
the same time, asking my ''kind consider
,oh, h,,r l.