The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1873-09-10
LAMBERT WILLIE N.J ,wEDNEsDAY, SEPTEMBER TO- 1873

ninu the Dearu, y lace that twenty years ptioic
was the dearest in the world to me-thc face
of Duncan Ashley We parted one day ex-
pccting to meet on the next but that even
ing he was called away, and wrote instead
of coming. In his letter he said, what he had
said before with his eyes--yes those same
beautiful eyes-that | was the choice Of his
heart, and the desire Of his life.
Answer me, . said he, q cannot wait till
see you.'
So answered "a long, foolish letter. though
there was no need Of writing for hehad read
all could say long before, with those eyes Of
his. Then watched and waited for him I;
but never saw him or heard one word more.
If you are young, you can imagine tho slow
dying out of hope and expectation, and if you
are old, you know how such things can be
lived over, and hidden in secret graves.
But now, as though the grave had been
opened, and the Judgment set, came this sud-
den reproachfnl question up from the buried
past. I fairly caught my breath, rs l turned
back my eyes, and looked him in the face
again. @
Forgive me, y said he directly, in gentler
tone. 81 did not mean to speak. You
brought it out with your eyes that question
ing turn was so familiar. OF course you were
quite right, and never blamed you. never
meant you to see me again; but the tempta-
ton to feel myself beside you, only to be in
the soothing charm of your presence, was too
great 1t has been a blessing ! shall carry
with me all the rest of my life"
He was rising to go away, but put out my
hand. ~ did write, Duncan Ashley said
I, 1.-THE letter must have gone astray.Y
"You did you wrotel" he cried, sinking
back in his chair again, and looking at me
eagerly. "What did you say ~
, "Therc was only one thing could say, and
I said that" answered, blushing as though
had just written the letter..
Amiddle-aged woman in hood and water
proof But dear me lit was only my face that
was middle aged, after all my heart was as
| young and silly as ever. And as for Duncan's
face, the marks of care, and thought, and time
fell off, leaving in it only the eternal youth Of
love. tt# 80 So # $50 eg
T It was the old story Of lost letter, and the
older story Of a proud man, believing himself
, rejected and Inundated, and fleeing to the
ends of the earth with his pain. teA a
} Twenty precious years wasted = said my
New Zealander. We will not be separated
another day while we both live. There is a
clergyman among our passengers, and we will
be married this very hour
That was SO like his headstrong decisions
Certainly he did need a sober second thought
like mo for ballast THAT cannot be |"
without license or something And woult
by no means do anything so sensational ant
conspicuous ,,sr ~ NJ $1,000
But bless your heart /! ! might as well have
tried to wipe up the Atlantic with my pocket
handkerchief. He was so grieved, and so inn
patient (arid indeed, when one comes to think
of it, twenty years is long enough for an en-
gagement,) that / finally dropped off my wat
erproof and my sea-sickness, and stood up
behind the pinnacle, and was married before
eight bells that very morning-ring and all.
Duncan produced it from a small casket
where he had carried it in his wascoat pock-
ct for the whole twenty years.
81 could never bear to put the little thing
away he said, looking at me tenderly.
The next day we came to port with the sun
shining and our flags flying There was a
hurry of.good-byes, hosting of trunks, a
welcoming of friends OH tho shore, and n glad
hurrying to and fro. eA
Among the rest was an instant's nesting
of Miss Armours's lips on my cheek, and a
little cling of her hand in mine, the vanishing
of a sme-and she was gone, like the flash
of freely, out Of my sight forever. sBut
wherever she is and however she fares, she
has the daily blessing of two middle-aged
hearts, whose way to each other she uncon-
sciously lighted. Chambers journal.