The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1872-09-19
IAwYaR n1ARsuALL,s ccrY1sr

you be content and allow matters to
| remain as they are? Why will you
| talk or love. when I Ike you so much,
and want you for my friend and BROTH
CT always 2" And bertha I4yndc,
Willful little beauty as she was. shrug-
ged her shoulders and tapped her tiny
| foot in assumed vexaiion.
The boyish face, and broad higl,
brow Of the youth before her flushed
| with instant pain, at her light rebuG,
but seeming to conquer himself by an
effort, he replied calmly. while the col
or slowly forsook his face, leaving il
very pale: ,a !.
T. a3ertha, we are no longer children
| he said. 1--WE have grown up from in
I fancy together, arid l have learned TO
look upon yon as d part ofmy exist.
! ence. BIT the time has HOW arrived
when we must think OF other matters
| than childish pastimc. You are fast
| appron womailhood, and I--l
must go forth into. the great bustling
busy world. 10 carve for my scifH name
| and a fortune. Bertha, ] want some,
thing TO encourage me i'll the struggles
| which shall be forced 10 encounter
and that something is the assurance ol
| your love, not a sisters lOye-not d
| friends love, but deeper, purer, more
/ fervcrent and enduring love. Give
ne this assurance and Ill ask no more
until ] have reached a aposition which
| will equal the one you now occupy
| You are The pettcd daughter of rici
parents, I. friendless penniless or
| phan; | am going away to seek my
fortune. and ! ask you again III yol
will grant me the greatest b0Vn
1 crave in this life.
Mithnn impatient move SHE hal
| turned from him aud replied:
| aFrank you arc enough to vex saint
| I am not going to assure you of any
j such love as yon talk about. I'm SURE
l a sisters: love ought to satisfy you. and
you ought to be thankful for that
1 The proud mouth OF the boy quivcN
4 etfa Nitlc with suppressed emotion.
4 ss.But am going away Bertha. yot
may not see me again in long years tt
come. ,,,s, e
I II don't care IL never see YOU again,
| she answered, now thoroughly yexei
that he should thus ateasc her. for Sc
she consit.cred his earnest entreaties
/ ."Berika, darling you don't mean jus
that; oh! YOU doh't mean that! III
4 cried
t.Yes / do u she exclaimed, -Why
| shouldn't 1, when you yex and ammo,
me ali the time Z"
sTheh farewell Bertha !" God bless
you.n and he turned away.
| .Are you really going Frank, goins
| right away Z"
"Yes, shall only tarry long euougl
TO visit. the grave of iatLer ant
ns0fher thsy wiil be sadly ncglccset
IN coming years, fear. and then
shall bid farewell to these familiar
scencs--pefhaps forever. Good by
darling---sister--good by
] He was g0ue, and as Bertha Lyndt
4 stood In the bright May sunshine. II
seemed 10 her that everything had
Suddenly grown dark, cold and cheer.
less-as ii a light had gone out Of hel
life, leaving her heart dark and dreary
Poor child! she had yet 10 learn tha
the cup of bliss Is often dasked from
our lips by our owl, hands.
DAYS and weeks passed away, ant
1 the people OF that busy country viilag,
missed the gentIcmaniy fellow, who
with such native dignity, had perform
ed many acts of mental tabor for them,
and they almost lost sight ofthe fact
that he was irieildless, an orphan and
poor,
The boys of the village academy
missed hiIn---thcy were rid ofa dread.
full rival in their studies, and the prin-
cipsl merchant @of the town, (Mr.
Lvnde.) missed from his store faith
| ful. valued clerk.
But mos. OF ali Bertha missed him.
| She had not seer him after he had
turned. away from her with such a
| grieyed expression on his face as his
| lips murmured the words darling
sister goodbye" She had hoped he
was not really in earnest after all but
he was gone now, when she had loved
him so all the time, and she might
| have told him so il she hasl not been
SO wiifuttv rreverse. and then nigh;
i have been sure OF his returning some
day." so she ,uu1nurcd TO herself
People wondered hat had cansed
''that little sprite. Bertha Lynde. To
become so suddenly grave and woman
ish, bV she only read fhc secret from
her hearts inner pages. as she daily
visited the grave ward, and with ten
sJde,est care noulished and tcatled the
flowers she had planted upon the
mound. SO sacred to him--her play
mate, companion. friend and lover.
Months and years passed; and now,
as bertha. no longer tl,oughtless
| careless child. but a grave, pensive wo-
man, looked back upon the scenes o'
rirlhood. il seemed to her like the
| memory of some vague dream. and
her boy-lover like a creation Of fancy
Still, She knew that the picture drawn
By mcsnory's faithful pencil. was tru,
TO the life, for there was the grave
" hich had been SO sacrcdly regarded
by The abseAt Wandercr--so faithfully
| watched over by her ever since his dc.
part,lrs, which was now wears ago.
She conld not quite acknowledge
to herself that she lad loved that boy.
| and vet ils ell those years her heart had
remained untouched BY love for any
ether; she thought Of him sill! as its
( dearest object.
I .Nt length her ia,hcs. became conii-
dent that ae could multiply his fortune
| by renewing to the metropolis aud
engaging. III business on "a more ex-
tended scale. He did SO, aud ior
| while was successful. but bv-anl-by
hreynrses came; his experience and
skill were insufficient to shield him
from the inirigues of viliaihons part
ners. aud AT last no awokc to the start
\ ling trutl, that he was rnincd--penni-
less.
Hc \ras NOT N hraye man and a.
many others have done under like
circumstances, not having courage to
1 meet the stern realities OF adverse tor
tune. he rashly has,cued, unsummoned.
/ into the presence Of his maker, leavin.
| his wife. % feeble invalid. and Bertha,
an inexperienced girl, 10 battle with
circumstances for the bare necessities
oflife.
Reduced to actual want, Bertha
sought for employment everywhere
throughout the city, and az last gave up
in despair, accepting the dread alter
native OF starvation or the workhousc
when, as she listlessly scanned daily
paper, her eye caught the following no
tice:
! "WANTED.-A faithful, steady, COM
| petent person MS copyist. Must write
a good lcgible hand. Apply at No.
| 2lO---, st"
| Spnrned by urgent necessity, she re.
sponded to the advertisement in per.
son. Entering the busy street, shs
reached the number designated, and
saw before the door sign bearing, il
large gilt letters, these words:
\ n