National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1873-12-19

/ companionless She grew sick nj
+ heart and angry and bitter, and, like
true woman. she vented her anger OF
} the nearest object, her chosen lover
, They rode along YEARLY until they
! came within sight Of pretty little cot
; tage which looked upon the sea,
and near which boat and some nets
were lying. Gabriellc's quick ear caugh,
} n sound as of wailing within the cot.
! tage. She had often seen the little
house before, and had spoken to neat
Old dame who usaaily sat at the door
engaged in some piece of domestic
work. Gabrielle checked her horse and
listened. Yes, there was sound OF
woman's weeping within the cottage,
and her heart impelled her to go in.
Her lover, amazed and quite unable Ia
understand her emotional impulse,
obeyed her orders and lifted her from
her horse, and remained obediently
outside the cottage, while she, throw
ing the skirt of her dress over her arm,
gently opened the door and entered.
The old woman was there, and was
kneeling in sobbing prayer beside a
bed. Gabrielle advanced and touched
her shoulder with gentle. compassion
ate hand. At the same moment Gabri.
ellie saw what was lying on the bed.
A dead body, the corpse of what had
been a handsome dark -complexioned
man in the pride of youth and noble,
vigorous form. And Gabrielle started
and almost screamed, so like at the mo-
ment did the features and form appear
to those of Eugene Nalmy. Perhaps
N o,anAunI III al
creation of her fancy, made morbdly
sensitive and suggestive by her painful
dwelling on thoughts of him. Perhaps
there was genuine resemblance. Two
men of about the same age and size,
dark haired and dark bearded, with
clear and striking features, may well
bear resemblance enough for one to
suggest the other to gazer's mind
Certainly Gabrielle felt for moment
almost as if she saw beneath her eve
the dead body of Eugene Valmy.
My son my son - the poor old
woman sobbed. /" My poor boy
stephen !"
Gabrielle sat beside her and took her
hand, and soon learned her simple, sad
story. The youth was her only son; he
was fisherman; he went ont in his
boat the night before last; storm came
on; he was drowned; the tide washed |
in his body. That was all These things !
happen every day where there are waves
and fishermen. 4" Men must work, and !
women must weep"
q knew something would happen"
the old woman went on, relieved to
have found a sympathetic ear. "He
didn't care for life any more; think he
wanted to die. His mothers love was
not enough for him."
"Was he in love ?" Gabrielle asked,
gently, and still absorbed in wonder
and painful emotion at the resemblance
to the vanished Eugene Valmy.
"ln love, ma'am He was deceived,
made a fool of by a vain creature,
hing with a pretty face--at least he
hought her pretty; / didn't-and with
,ut a heart. She played with the boy,
md set him mad, and then she threw
lim away because she got an offer from
man who owns a few boats and houses
lown yonder. She flung my son away;
nd when he tried to touch her with !
lis words and his love, she only mock
d him and treated him with scorn.
lie came home to me, and he said,
Mother, it's all over with me. I'll
ever be the same man again-I've got
right in the heart And so he went
ut in his boat, and the sea was rough,
nd he didn't take any care, | guess
nd there he lies dead ! And she who r
rove him to it is now alive and merry
Veil, God forgive her o God, for j
i've all such creatures, who have no i
carts of their own, ana play with the f
carts of men My son my boy i
tephen y /
go God, forgive all such women, in T
said My Lady Disdain, with S
treaming eyes. And she thought to o
erself at the same moment, "How a
luch worse am l than this other crea- o
ire, even as this poor afflicted mother s.
ictures her For she did not really a
we this young man, while II did Il
we Eugene Valmy. | do love him il
nd l cast him off and scorned him |" a
All this time her fance was waiting d
atiently outside. At last he ventured p
} look in, and she was thus reminded fC
his existence, and felt new pang CO
lereat. She must return home, and h
his society. Some two or three W
eighbors of the poor widow dropped la
to keep her company, and Gabrielle II
romised to come again early next 81
orning. As My Lady Disdain was h
aving she cast glance back on the h,
,ad body. The moon had already W
sen and flung a sad gleam over the SC
hite face, and she thought, with a b,
art and a shudder, that that face look dl
more like than ever to the face of OF
ngene Valmy. W
rode home i'll the moonlight m
d and silent Even her lover began to
understand that her soul was not co
tn him.
slept but little that night.
lie looked into her own heart and into
r life she thought and wept and lie,
aged. She rose in the morning puri- tn
d, strengthened, and elevated. I'm en-
ne's soul, in fact, had entered Un- no
ne's body at last.
Soon all the world knew that, for ch
ne reason or other, the engagement Tt
tween Gabrielle Ransome and Ger me
Sc Trenchard had been broken Off
gene Valmy did not hear of the fact tn,
after his return from Alaska, whittier to
had gone-that region being the new no
subject in his line-to make a vol rig
e, and try to cure himself of his fatal ma
e. lie returned to New York un- of
ed. For time he kept entirely out cor
any society where Gabrielle might
sibly be but he soon told himself a c
t this was a weakness of which he ant
yht to be ashamed, and that he must the
man among men. So he went gre
dly into society, and he met hay
4 4 4