Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1872-05-23

beating hearts throbbed oudibly in the ST.
lCncc.
The slight movement we made in clos
ing the curtains woke mamma, who said,
81 dreamt of George, and thought he
married Mabel, poor boy how fond he
w Mamma al ma S Rose and said, acct me my
netting Mabel, play or read something,
and ling for tea )" but instead of the grim
face of Woods as usual, awell-known voice
said, "When will you ave tea, mum"
and there was that rogue George. Mary
flew past him, "Patrick!" George WINGED
at this open neglect Of him, and rcveaged
himself by kissing mamma, and nearly
shaking my hands off.
On that evening will not dwell. We
were all happy together. Patrick looked
i'll and worn. India had tried his health
severely, but England would soon restore
him, and the wedding. day was fixed for
the following week, as there was nothing
to delay it. Why watt" mamma said;
81 wish it," and so it was settled. Pres
ents began to flow in upon MarxRand the
old time came wildly back to me. George
said carelessly, CT have invited old Trey
eIyan to the wedding" and we met once
more; not in the evening, when | could
have hidden my blushng face in the soft
shadows Of our drawing but in the
daylight Of frosty morning did | meet
the man 1 first hated and then loved.
Unromantic as must seem, | did not
know him. Bronzed, changed by climate
and hard work, altered by tremendous
mustache, altogether different, my ideal
was lost forever; nothing but confusion at
again meeting remained. Colonel Trevel-
yam was introduced to Miss Evans, and ac
tually asked after the little girl he had
driven home. We both looked little
foolish, but soon got over our shyness. l
took the earliest opportunity Of an inter
view with him, and returned the ring
which had caused me such agony. He
would not fear taking it, and while we
were speaking Mary entered the room.
With the decision which had before saved
me, he said "What handsome ring your
sister has got for you.'' Mary sprang for
ward eagerly to see it, and | was obliged
to give it to her.
You darling! so that is what you
bought for me-" The ring was on her fin
ger at last, and she called to Patrick
O'Neale to look at it; he came at her
summons, Hooked at it, drew it from her
finger with fast whitening lips, tried to
speak, read the legend engraved, and fell
down in a swoon on the floor.
The scene was awful, the accursed opal
was still clenched in his hand while con-
vulsive fits succeeded the swoon. A sud
den shock the doctors said, but what could
be the cause? Mary hung over him in an
agony of suspense for days his life was in
danger; "The ring, the ringw was all he
repeated in his delirium, and the ring was
indeed the cause Of all this misery.
Colonel Trevelyan had failed in obtain
ing another plain opal ring at the jewelers.,
and he hurridly searched the stores of the
only pawnbroker in X, and selected this,
the gift of Patrick O'Ncale to his wife,
his wife! woman who had forfeited all
right to that title, all love from her hus-
band; all respect from her sex. a woman
who had deceived and left him; a woman
whom he believed to have been dead years
ago. And now when at last life had JOY
in store for him, the ring, the fatal opal
ring, glittcred on the finger of the pure
being he hoped to call his own, no wonder
that his brain ree!ed and gave way under
the cruel shock.
GIN cHRYsTE AND THEE"
What mockery the ring was She had
trampled upen his love, outraged bis trust
and dishonored him, how lie could love
and trust any woman again is the strang,
est part, but none could see Mary without
loving her, poor girl; she bore up bravely,
nursing him, soothing him, and trying to
bring him back to life.
Colonel Trcvelyan and felt absolutely
guilty of having brought about this terri
bic grief and trouble. And our part il
=, the transgression Except one scenc) was
,, explained, and all that Mary said was
! "Poor Mabclw guessing with woman's
instinct at my secret. The pawnbrOkel
could give no account of the ring; a wo
man had brought it there eight years ago
who gave the name of Smith. There was
no clue. No one had called for it. Mary
replied to mammals anxious queries, tina
she should do what Patrick wished. If h
asked her to marry him she would. If not
well, she would always be with mamma
But Patrick never asked her, he sank rap
IDLY, the mental shock, the memory of thu
past, the agony least Mary should refus'
to marry divorced man, who had never
, told her of previous marriage; all thi
= combined to weaken his hold on life, ant
he dicd on the first warm spring day, anc
in her arms, and with her loving words IL
his dying ears. And all the long wnte
e Colonel Treveyan had been with US as
i brother, and we leaned on him in this hou
of trial Mamma treated him as an heir
K son, and to her he confided the whole his
e tory of his love for me, of my refusal t.
n accept that love, and lastly Of the cause o
4 that refusal. How could | leave my poo
S Mary, with her widowed heart, evel
. though the love offered me realized all m,
d youthful dreams, all my widest hopes
r No, | would marry when Mary did, no
till then.
!, Two years later.-George, dear old cous
4 in George, has asked Mary an old question
e and she has answered yes. Some one else
presuming on this, reminds me of prom
d Use, and complains to dear mamma of m,
t obstinacy on two points. will receiv
neither ring nor kiss as a seal of that prom
n Use, and he cannot or will not understand
r why.
o my dear boy" mamma says; My opin
- ion is that it is useless to try to under
; stand girls whims and fancies, although
G in this instance there is reason for Ma
: bells objections. Remember what tn
e ring and kiss cost Mabel"