Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1873-08-16
From the Waverly Magazine.
GOODBYE SWEETHEART" !"
BY JULIA NJ. HILL.

BY JULIA NJ. HILL.
''And this is your final determine
ton? Aimee, darling, consider well
Remember it was your fathers chief
desire-his dying request.
Remember? o, Ralph! If | could
onty forget! Does it not haunt me
sleeping and waking-has it not made
me so unhappy? But, Ralph"-and
Aimee crept closer to the stalwart, dig
nified form of her guardian, Ralph
Latham, as if secure in the thought
that he could shield her from all harm;
you who are SO much older, SO much
wiser, you surely would not counsel me
to marry one L"
Zone you do not love-" finished
Ralph. But, Aimee, child, do not
ask me to decide for you; for, loving
you so well, | could but counsel you to
obey your fathers request"
But, Ralph, / do not love you-at
least in that way. When my father
asked me if could love and respect
you, I could but laugh; for did l not
already love you very, very dearly?-
But when he asked me to think of you
as my husband, | shuddered at the
thought; but still l promised-and
Ralph, / have tried-oh, so hard-but
l can only think of you as my dear old
Ralph, who used to fondle and pet me
as child, and who has always been a
true and devoted friend. D Ralph
be true to yourself-to that voice that
must whisper to you that nothing but
misery could result from a marriage
like this"
l have thought it all over, Aimee,
time and time again, and | can only re-
peat my declaration that you alone can
free yourself from this hateful mar
riage. | can not give you up; but
should you refuse to obey your fathers
wish you have only to make known
your decision to your fathers old law
yers, Latimer and Morrow, and | can
but acquiesce.
But, Ralph, you surely will not
leave me? You will still act as my
guardian, still be my best and truest
friend? o, Ralph 1 can not give you
up!" And Aimee, remembering all
that she had lost, all that shewas about
to lose, wept in a perfect abandonment
of grief and despair.
Your best and truest friend" re-
peated Ralph Latham: Always that,
/ trust, wherever l may be. But it
would be impossible for me to remain
here. The programme we had agreed
upon in the event of our marriage,
shall be carried out-only l shall leave
you behind when / commence my wan
derings."
But you will not stay long? You
will return soon +" sobbed Aimee, as
she endeavored to arrest his departure
until he had given her one word of
consolation.
THE future, Aimee, is with God
alone" answered Ralph, and the words
sounded cold and comfortless.
Oh the dreary days that followed
Ralph's departure Aimee wandered
from room to room, listless, detected
and unhappy. And when, in few
days she received letter from her IA
theirs lawyer, announcing his intention
of an early visit to "1dlewilde, she
could but know that her guardian had
carried out his intention to the very
letter, and that he had left her, perhaps
forever, without word of forgiveness.
When Richard Latimer followed his
letter few days later, he could but be
surprised at the great change that had
taken place in the once merry, light
hearted Aimee Atwood. And it was
not very long before the keen-sighted
lawyer had an insight into affairs, and
deeming Aimee's grief to be caused as
much by the absence of the living as
her sorrow for the dead, he hastily in
dited a letter to his old friend, telling
him all his fears, and cOunselling a
speedy return.
Ralph Latham smiled in quiet con-
tent when he received the letter dis
patched in such haste from ldlewilde;
but deeming Aimee 8 sorrow at the sun
dering of all old ties as but natural,
and to be expected, he consoled him
self with the thought that, as soon as
time should reconcile her to the change,
she would thank him that he had placed
a barrier to their future intercourse
and association, at least until all the
old unpleasantness had been forgotten,
and all the old wounds healed.
Nine months passed and Ralph's
wanderings had at last brought him to
a quiet little village in Switzerland,
and here he found peace and content
ment, if not happiness.
1t was with feeling of half regret
that he received one day large packet
of letters that had followed him from
place to place for months, and, almost
overcome by feeling of languor and
inertia, he decided to leave them un-
opened, when the sight of a familiar
handwriting caused his heart to thump
as it had not done for many day, and
he was obliged to wipe away the mist
that had gathered in his eyes many
timcsbefore the letters became legible.
Poor Aimeel Could he but have
seen the wan, pitiful face that bent over
that letter, and the trembling. little
hands that almost refused to guide the
pen. his feeling of disappointment
would have been lessened. For Aimee
wrote of Idlewilde; of the changes
great and small that had taken place
during his absence; of everything save
herself And yet, in the pathetic clos
ing of her long letter, lay the burden
of her whole life. :, :,
I'm a short time, she wrote, i shall
he nineteen. Why is it, dear Ralph
that | SO often forget eighteen years Of
happiness to remember one of misery
and trouble? Last year | had my deal
father and my dear old Ralph; thu
wear / will be alone.
Ralph read his letter over and ovel
again, and, when he at last folded 1t, Il
was to place it reverently next his heart
but he sighed to think he was so sooI
forgotten. and he quite resolved to enc
his days in this peaceful little village
forgotten and forgetting.
Man proposes, but God disposes,
;s a trite but true saying. And Ralpl
Latham. prostrated upon bed of sick
ness. was very different man from
Ralph Latham we'll. His langaor anl
exceeding distaste for all mental exer
tion. could now be attributed to phys
ical rather than mental causes, and tn
longing for home increased day by day
Oh the passionate craving for the IN
,ox;cot;ng odor of the hOney-suckle-