The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1871-05-18

S~ WV HsAJ - A>sSoO 8Oosoo3
nd accepted Leoo Curtis fes tes own
oeoRt -,
We trsveled abou. ustil early in
'ul3, when We took rooms for tho re.
nainder Of the season 1t saatoea. Dar-
ng these two months of travel it was
mpossibIe for mo not to observe Leoa's
J 'vodou to Lira. At irst it Vas as
he bsrothed Of his cousin, that he
'l.imed certain position of familiarity,
but it soon became evident to me that
i was upon bis owa account be was
paying ber, the homage Of . devoted
lover. could bat smile to zee how
utterly unconscious she. was VI the
change. To her he was Hubert's cous-
in and her aunts friend, and hsrs was
a heart that, once given, could never
be recalled. But there came . sort Of
sad weariness into her face q the weeks
wore on, that cut me to the heart.
With none of the little feminine time
killers, crochet, knitting, and trifaing
with silks AID canvass, she would war.
der about our private parlors With .
listless, pre-occupied air that told of
some unrest at heart. I did not ques-
ton her, but l saw that her share OF
the mailbag became less and less fre
quent, and at last her own letters to
Hubert ceased entirely. 1t was from =
full heart she spoke to me at last.
"Mark, do you know anything of the
-th? It returned after the three
months service, and Hubert, lwent out
again, but-but-1 have missed his
letter telling me in what regiment he is
DOW. 1-did-rot-hear fromi him Is
often-as I expected"
Gone out again, and had never sought
her in the interval between .:his dis.
charge and re-enlistment!
"And Mark" she continued, II
have lost my engagement ring. 1t was
while We we're at Boston, the week be-
fore Leon went home for . fortnight.
You remember, do you not7 The ring
was always too large, but Huber
thought it could not be altered without3
taking cut one Of the diamonds. I
must have drawn it off With my glove.
Oh ! Mark, If We could only go home,
avav from al this gayety."
"Do you really wish itI?" I asked.
"From my veryl heart" she said
eagerly.
So, in spite Of her,: .unt's protesta~
tious aud Icons despair, l took her to
Jamestown, and VI. settled down to the
monttonous routine Of early days. But
the old peace would not come back.
Lisa was restless and unhappy, and
books and music had lost their attrac-
ton tor her. As soon as We were eet-
tied, l went to G., and found
that Captain Wainwright had gone to
the front again with the 10th
Volunteers. I wrote TO him, pleasantly
and kindly, telling him of our regret at
not seeing him daring bis visit home,
aud giving him Lisa's present address.
In answer, I ,eceived the following
note:
"It is evident that Miss Chamberlain
has not coufded to you her faithless-
ness. The proofs we're before me while
I was at c. and I now assure
you, rs she has convinced me, that all
engagement between Us is over forever.
It is useless to write me again !; I have
now staff appointment, and no letter
directed to the 4Oth will reach me.'
l gave Lisa the letter.
"What can be mean 2" she said
piteously. "My faithless, when every
pulse of my heart beats for him! Is he
false, Mark p she added moment Ia
ter. "True friends-xe will forget
him, as he wishes" And she tore THE
letter t, atoms, and then came like q
tired child to rest her head on my
shoulder, and let me stroke her hair
and soothe her BY quiet caresses.
! My darling! She tried to forget, but
it wrung my heart to see how pale aud
wan she became, and how sick her
poor tortured heart grew under its pres.
sure Of pain. Tnen I remembered how
I had won her when child, to forget
her FIRST heavy sorrow, and with only
her peaced for my hope of reward, I
tried ones more to vim her from grief.
One little episode here. We had
been at home nearly three weeks, vhel
Mrs. Gordon aud Leon came to wilt
Us. Again eonrenewed all his lover.
like ways, and after month Of unre-
mitted wooing, laid his heart,at Lixa's
feet, to take it back after her firm, ge1.
tie rejection Of the Offering. he left
Us, but Mrs. Gordon remained to re-
cruit for new winter Of conquest.
The summer passed very quietly, aud
slowly sort Of enforced peaee came
back to Lisa. She had buried her love
far away, and she was not one to raise
her dead aud mourn over them. A
gentle sweetness, and, yet tender, WAS
10 her every word and action, and if I
had loved her in her girlish days, I
vorshipped now her vomauly lowell
ness.
Finding employment necessary. she
had coaxcd lessons in sewing and cro-
chet.vork from Mrs. Gordon, and made
Mrs. Jones, our housekeeper, initiate
her into the mysteries of Housekeeping,