The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1872-05-31
AFATAL DREAM.


wal ering place. It was near the
close of the season. l came there tc
reioin party with whom I had trav-
eled all summer, and from whom
bad been separated the last three
weeks. OF this party, Miss Hatty
Darley was one. She and had hirt-
ed on all available occasions, for
more than a year; we had flirted des-
perately during the past summer,
for We had been thrown almost con-
stantly together. Once or twice, l
had seriously wondered to myself if
my heart was rot touched by Miss
Hatty's f4scinatious, and hal every
time come to the conclusion that 1T
WIS not, tlfst we We'e DO b heart
whole, and likely to remain so. But
tonight 1 opened the question again.
| Hatty seemed so delighted to see me
after my three weeks absence; she
raised her blue eyes to mine so ten
derly, she sighed go softly, she looked
so like an angel, in her robe of soft,
white crepe, with 'golden-hearted
lilies in her floating, golden hair,
| that when I placed my arm around
her waist for the first waltz, 1 deci-
ded that all the time must have
been mistaken, that 90as really III
love with her; and when the last
! strains of Straus' delicious music
| died away, I led her into one OF
| these little fower-screened alcOves,
that seem to be expressly for lovers,
and in terms which | cannot now re-
call, but which were doubtless redo
lent of the music, the whirl and the
intoxication of the hour, I asked her
promise to become mine forever.
She received my proposals cOolly,
Just as she had received scores of
others. "She was sorry; she was very
much surprised; she had no thought
of such a thing" short "No." l
led my pretty coquette back to the
ball room, and signing little, turn
ed away from her, feeling somewhat
ashamed, somewhat sorry, and some
what thankful-scrry and ashamed
that I had been so foolish as to sue
for a hand that I did not want
thankful that Miss Darley had seen
fit to refuse me.
Feeling the need of fresh air, and
quiet to cool my excited feelings and
flushed face, stepped through the
French window upon the piazza,
when sweet voice at my side said,
"Louis," and a little brown hand,
sparkling with diamonds, the softest,
prettiest little hand I ever saw in my
life, was placed in mine. The touch
filed every fibre of my being. In
voluntarily, l pressed it closely in
my own, and turned to meet a pair
of eyes. And such eyes! They were
soft, black, dreamy, with q shoulder
ing fire in their depths which kin
died, that instant, q fame in my soul
which time, nor absence, nor despair
can ever extinguish. The dark, love
ly face grew rosy, under my earnest
gaze, and although she exclaimed
quickly. 81 beg your pardon, l am
mistaken" I did not relinquish her
hand, but volunteered to find this
missing 'Louis," whom, provided he
was not her brother, I envied from
the bottom of my heart.
He proved to be her cousin and
her escort for the evening. Upon
seeing him I found that we had al
ready a casual acquaintance. Of
course, l greeted him very cordially
now, and was formally introduced to
Miss Francesca Van Buren. 1 found
that they were residents of my own
city, and were to leave for home ear
ly next morning. I, also, had a
pressing and immediate business at
home, and we left the place to-
gether.
1 had often heard of Van Buren,
Francesca's father, as a very wealthy,
but bigoted and tyranical old fellow.
He was a Roman Catholic, and it
was said that he had a lovely daugh-
ter, whom he had secluded entirely
from society, trying to enduce her to
enter convent, and t. devote the
immense wealth which she would in
herit t. the Church 8u to tins she
was said t. be firmly opposed. All
this, it seems, was true. The lovely
Francesca was the daughter, his only
child, and her opposition to his
scheme was so determined that he
had at last relinquished it; and now
for the first time, although nearly
twenty years of age, she was allowed
to mingle in the ayeties of society.
1 did not learn all tie sc facts re-
garding her in this one night, o.
which have been telling you; our
acqu 4intance did not end there. A
deep and passionate love sprung up
I,A 4 HI
neither of us endeavored to conceal
or to control. 1 sought her upon
every occasion, and my presence
/ seemed ever welcome to her. Month
after month of such perfect haPpi-
ness as few mOrtals ever experience
was vouchsafed TO us. It is not a
new saying, however, that the course
/ Of true love never did run smooth to
the end. We well knew thai our
loves would find no favor with the
father. Not only that l was not a
Catholic, which would alone have
been an iRsuperable objection, but
also from the fact that to a wealthy
and high-born friend Of his own the
hand Of Francesca was contracted, if
she persisted in cleaving to the
world, instead of wedding the
/ Church. We did not at all under
rate the importance of the opposi-
ton which we must encounter, but
after more than a year had passed
since our frat meeting, We had mu-
tually determined to ayow our love
for each other, and if the fathers
consent to our marriage was with
held, we would marry without it.
And now I como to the record of