Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1872-03-02


were many pleasant people, lovely walkt
and drives, and the beach was really
"splendid."
Among my new acquaintances was q
family who owned cottage at the
beach. Their name was-ict us sa,
Norval. The principal charm of my
new friends was, that they had come
directly from New York early in June
and, consequently, could not have been
at the hateful place." or have heard OF
my sad adventure. | found rest and
comfort in that thought.
The Norvals were old acquaintance
of Aunt Mary, so she made no objec.
tions to my intimacy with Susie. We
bacame devotedly attached to each
other, and had it not been for Nelly.
should have liked to accept Susie's in
vltation to spend week at their house.
We had been at the beach about a
month, when one morning Nelly, who
was sitting by the window in our room,
suddenly clapped her hands, and said
son, Belle, you are going to be the
lovely niece again. Here is the man.
Come, quick y
came, and, sheltered by the screen,
| beheld the odious creature. He had
come by the early train, and there he
was grinning. and looking after that de
testable trunk.
Was his coming accidental, or was he
hunting me down? Whichever it was,
he should not see me. No, not if | had
to sprain both my ankles. and break
my neck besides.
Suddenly bright thought came to
me. | put on my hat, and my thick
barege veil, took my parasol, and thus
armed and protected, | went to call on
Susie Norval
They lived at some distance from the
hotel, and as | had walked fast. was
SO very hot and tired when | reached
their house that could do nothing but
rest and fan myself. Susie had Just re-
ceived some new books she wanted to
show me, but | was too tired to look at
them. And again she urged me to
come and stay with her for week and
this time | accepted her invitation.
AS it was almost a matter of life and
death to me, my eloquence prevailed.
Aunt Mary gave her permission, and
Nelly said she would try to live without
her lovely cousin.
That same evening | went to the
Norvals'. And as my walk had given
me a severe headache, | also went with.
out my dinner.
Susie and had planned to have "a
splendid time" together, and to give up
the world for a while; and we did as we
had planned.
forgot to mention that Susie had a
brother. John Norval was about
ty-fve-tall, dark and really hand
some. He only spent the Sundays at
the Beach, for he was in business with
his father, and one of them had to re
main in the city. But it so happened
that he took vacation while / was at
their house, and we became we'll ac-
quanted with each other.
When | had first met him, he was
very shy, and seemed TO avoid me-
Susie said he was afraid of me. But, of
course, | did not care at all about it.
Why should |? Still, when knew
him better, | was rather glad to see that
he did not really dislike me, and we
were soon quite friendly.
| spent ten short, lovely days at the
Norvals'. At the end of that time, Mr.
Black had taken himself elsewhere, and
| returned to the hotel. OF course
Nelly teased me about him, and abouD
John Norval. But | bore the teasing
we'll; that man" was gone, and, sin
cerely hoped, gone forever
We remained at the Beach till Sep
tember. said that John Norval and
bad become friends. Well, we had; so
much so that, before we left, he asked
me to be his wife.
What could do but tell him | had
resolved never to marry? | do not
know how he felt, but it nearly broke
my heart.
We returned to New York, and al
though Susie came to see me often,
was careful not to 20 to their house, eX-
cept when | was sure that John was
away. Even then, it made me sad to
think Of what might have been, if that
man-no; it WAS my fault, but | could
not help hating him for it.
Nelly was married the next spring,
and Aunt Mary said the Norvals must
be invited to the wedding. She seemed
to think a good deal of them; and,
dear, good soul, she always said John
was very superior young man.
The wedding-day came, and John
came with it. OF course, | had to be
polite to him, as we'll Us to other people
| do not know how it happened, but
things were soon as good-or as ba1-
between us as they had been before, and
once more he asked me the happy,
dreadful question.
This time, begged for one week 10
think about it, | could not kill myself
at once.
| thought a great deal on that sub
ject, and the more | thought, the more
it seemed to me that, after all, this was
the only thing l had done to be really
ashamed of, and it had not been done
voluntarily. | could not tell him about
it now, but afterward | might. And if
| did not find courage to confess it dur
ing my life, | would write it down, so
that John would know it after my death,
and would forgive me.
This decision quieted my conscience
and at the end OF the week, | made two
persons happy, to say nothing of Aunt
Mary and Susie, who were both de-
lighted.
We were married the next Septem-
Der, at the Beach. On the eve of my
wedding-day, | wrote an account of my
terrible mistake. | sealed it, and adj
dressed it, " To my husband to be read
after my DEATH" And | cried while |
wrote it, for it seemed like deceiving
him.
year had passed. year OF happi-