The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1873-06-14
nv OWN RIVAL.

You think he was my lover. No, thous
and removes from that | never had lover
notwithstanding there had been many at my
feet before him. But, repeat, never caret
till this day. till found out listening TO thi
man who begged no love of me, but only tina
he might make of me IN idol unto himself
that had heart; and then how could bt
IN idol? For what idol ever had heart, OF
cared for the worshipper?
He was more than eloquent but alas! re
membered certain outbursts of his before
Murilo's pictures in the art galleries Of Rome
and recognized the parallel He was on hi,
knees before me. o, that he had risen to the
level of my heart instead-that his smOothe
flowing, eloquent speech had tripped upon his
tongue.
The nursery door must have been ajar
Anything serves Lulu for cradle song, Bend
ing, happy as any saint in high heaven, above
her sleeping babe she will yet sing so one
might fancy her heart were breaking, if one
did not know that singers, still less than
poets, feel what they sing. At this moment
there tloated down the stairs, Thou art So
near, and yet so far" My soul has possessed
her voice thought, looking down on Ri
vaux, whom might have laid my hand upon
as | sat-RivauX between whom and me there
stretched immensely.
Still | was tempted sore. Is rot half Il
loaf better than no bread: Yet how is hun
ger helped by u stone? If dared risk cir
cumstances disease, the pail of possession
there yet waited for me time, the iconoclaSt,
from whom one may escape only by deaths
door Ruin is less kind to loneliness in ma
ture than art-it denies it even the picturesque.
The ugiest old women one sees have always
been young beauties, remembered, and the
thought stung me to cry out little sharply,
had oil FL.
long the question for which knew his heart
had but one answer
"Wait" | said interrupting him in the
midst of his rapid tide Of words. do you
love me?'
II adore YOU" he answered, looking up in
my beautiful face, seeing that only, thinking
of that only, as he spoke. "a
His tone, his words, FLASHED hollow and
alien in my ears with little Scotch lnllyby,
simple, and homely, and sweet, which Lulu
now sang. A.&
"Do you love me-" | said again, with en-
phasis so marked and bitter, that II reused
him to a comprehension Of my my. meaning
and himself
He did not speak directly, and watching
his face, | knew that | had judged him
aright-he might, perhaps, be cruel, but he
could not be untrue.
ut is not for you, Regina he said, at last,
you do not need it, Love, the common love
which man gives woman, embraces tender.
ness, and tenderness implies pity, though it
DC the latent and undcveloped. Look" he |
continued, leading me before one of the mir |
rors, with which the room was lined; you
are 4 goddess-yOu are perfection. Do you
then demand tenderness Do you inspire
pity? No, love clasps at its own level, heart
90 heart, but it is thus for you, Regina !"
himself again at my feet and again
uttering, | know not what, wild rawlings of,
my beauty.
Rise Monsieur RivauX," | said, smiling
little; ut is not worth so much supplication,
that which appears to me | can grant you at
small cost to myself Every one comedies
your skill rs an artist. Come, will sit TO
you, and you shall have the portrait for your
own. Perfection, AS IA woman, must soon de.
cay-as portrait you may possess and pre-.
serve unScathed for a lifetime that which you
50 much admire in me"
But, an" he said, II little confused at the ,
urn had given the affair, did | not say
you were goddess rather than mortal wo-
man?'
Then may not wed Il mortal" | answered. i
Unjust wait for my Olympian mate" {
! spoke lightly, mockingly for | was in an |
agony, now that had fathomed his feelings {
orr me, lest he should suspect what had
me to demand of him if he loved
ne, lest he should guess what bitter longing v
possessed me for the very love above whose 7
each or need he had set me. If not mine 7
owes tender sympathy, never for me the pity II
which stingS worse than contempt, the com. h
passion whose existence seems to be insult. u
was more gay, more brilliant than he had n
yer seen me: | assumed that my "happy Il
bought, as laughingly termed it, had per ST
ectly satisfied him, with an air so assured, so a
and friendly, that it was imposSi,
lie, tor him TO demonstrate against this literal s.
OF his desires, or to urge with d
aturaneSS or persistcncy anything beyond Il
his favor which had offered him a
He left me at length a little bewildered, h
ould see, at both me and himself. and the out b.
+ door At once closed upon his retreating
orm, and opened to the incoming figure or dt
'heo, into whose arms Lulu lightly sprang lie
rom the stairs, down which .hc had FASTENED
N seeing him come up the walk Ia
"Ha. ha. little wiie" laughed Theo, kiss So
ng Lulu heartily. "Onc would think had il,
'ecn on long journey Has the child rot @,
iis teeth Does he walk or talk yet" III
For shame, Theo" demonstrated Lulu. Il A
layc mind to punish you for laughing at C,
ne by not allowing you to ser baby at all till il
morning" ar
And that would make twenty four hours b.
lapse since my beholdng this wonder of the IN
nineteenth century Monsirous woman cruel G,
yrant" Knocked Theo. at is thus set you il
1t defiance" And then heard little scram
,ling rush and pursuit across the hall, o
aughing struggle, and afterward TheO's firm rt
ieps went up the stairs and 10 the nursery "A
loor bitmoIc slowly and heavier than usual %
N account of Lulus weight.
Some impulse made me follow. As opened I,
he door OF the nursery beheld Theo's great II
ion head bent over pink mite of humanity A,
hat lay in the swinging cradle. While ON The II
,ther side stood Lulu looking down on both tr
sith an expression Of infinite satisfaction and
content. .,
Why did you marry Lulu Theos" said II
suddenly. fl
because | loved her, to be sure" he An.
.wered promptly, taking at once the mites I!
mite of hand and Lulu's into one OF his II
broad palms 20 In
But why did you love her." / pursued 4
1t was not for her beauty" | said, little :
ronicaily urrlang. but .ulu dnesp't mind