Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1872-03-07

very VOuCn Ol Lllelll SetS uly ueINes vi ule
OIL this fendish pain! can't Clare come and
rub it for me? wish you'd 60 and call her."
Mrs. Ransome had more than once an
nounced her determination never to trouble
her head more about Clare's settlement in
life; but she could no more refrain from lay
ing plans for her daughters future than the
sun can refrain from shining, and it was i'm
possible, utterly impossible that she could
hear of Mr.. Francis Arnold's intended move
into the neighborhood without Immediately
devising ways and means for enticing him
frequently to the house, in the hope of attain
ing desirable result.
Warned by experience, however, she was
very guarded in her maneuvres, and Clare
whose mind was full of other matters, was for
long time unsuspcious, until at last she be-
gan to notice the frequency of Mr.. Arnold's
visits and the extreme suavity of her mothers
manner toward him. This put her on the de-
fensive directly, and she frequently framed
an excuse for not going down stairs when his
arrival was announced. The easy, unsuspec-
ting bachelor had fallen readily into Mrs.
Ransome's tolls; he thought her girls charm
ing girls (except that Miss Ransome was per-
haps little stiff her sociable dinners charm
ing dinners, and her house altogether very
pleasant one to frequent in neighborly way.
At last the desirable result was attained
only in different form from what had been
anticipated. Mr.. Arnold actually propos-
ed-but not to Glare. Minna had been al
lowed to come down on one or two occasions
to the drawing-room, and her fairness and
frailty had taken the heart of the wealthy Wis
itor by storm. This young lady was an apt
pupil of her mothers school ; she thought of
his handsome establishment, his liveried foot
men and his stylish equipages, and accepted
him without the smallest hesitation.
Clare once more breathed freely, and Mrs.
Ransome was in her glory. In the height Of
her satisfaction, she became more gracious
and afectionate in the bosom of her family
than she had been since the termination Of
Clare's engagement. Dear little Minna was
now her pet, her darling, worthy of all the
caresses that could be lavished upon her and
Mr.. Arnold was the most delightful man in
the world. Nothing could be more eminently
satisfactory than the whole arrangement.
How heart.sore and alone Glare felt! how
she longed for something better, truer, than
this worldly atmosphere which surrounded
her!
Was the dream she had once cherished nev-
er to be realized? We shall see.
One day, sealed package was brought to
her by express. She opened it, and found
therein volume of poems, daintily bound in
green and gold, with the name of Paul Owen
as their author, upon the title page. Between
the leaves was slipped perfumed card, on
which was written:
From one who still cherishes the memory
of the past, and is rash enough to hope for the
future"
Clare kissed the card and put it by. There
was no date, no post-mark, nothing to give her
clue to Pauls whereabouts, but she knew
that soon she would either see him or hear
from him again.
Her spirits rose and her eyes grew bright,
and she went about her daily duties with
joyful alacrity that surprised her mother; !;
and Minna one day exclaimed,
"Do you know, Glare, it strikes me that you
are looking much prettier than usual, lately.
I was beginning to think you were getting a
little passse, but I declare you are quite youth
full and nice again"
Clare smiled indulgently. If Minna at
seventeen chose to consider her passse at twen-
ty-three, the mistake could be excused in con-
sideration of the six years difference in their
ages. Besides, she was too happy to be affect
ed by such remarks.
A fortnight elapsed, and then came note
in the same handwriting as the card 1tsaid
that Paul Owen was in Richmond, and only
waited her pleasure to know whether he
should call. II say this" it went on, "be-
cause I cannot bear to meet you only as a
friend. The hope I once entertained, though
you crushed it then, has sprung up and BIOS
somed anew. Send me a token that these
blossoms are not to be again scattered to the
winds. Unless you can do this, it is best we
should not meet, though feel that to stand in
your presence once more would be joy so
great as to compensate for these weary months
ond uoore of doDht and main I"
And Clare sent him note in reply, and
the only word it contained was, "Come."
He came, and my readers can imagine the
joyful meeting, the explanations and confes-
sions, and the vows for the future, that passed
between the reunited lovers. Paul would
have come long before, he said, but fear held
him back. If he could only have been sure
of her love.
"And 1 thought you had forgotten all about
me" said Clare.
forgotten you ! When your memory
haunted every hour of my days, and your
image moved among my dreams at night
How could I forget you, my destiny's guiding
starr"
Glare blushed charmingly. "You are a
poet, and can say whatever sounds the pref
tiest and BEST" she answered.
"And you have been my inspiration. My
best and truest poems have been written since
I have known you. Under your influence, I
may still become famous
"Mine is "a very poor influence, Paul" But
fortunately, you do not need it, for you are
famous already. You can't think how proud
I am of you, now that I have q right to be
nroud "