The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1873-04-05
81 WILL IF YOU WILL"

last slipped on the balcony, and stood liste
ing as Ely sung:
Could we forget could we forget,
Oh that Lcthc were running yet
The past should fade Il morning dream,
In Il single drop Of the holy stream.
All! we know what you would say,
But we are too tired to hope or pray;
For hurt with ceascless jar and fret,
Body and soul cannot forget
Can they forget will they forget
When they shall reach the boundary set
When with the final pang and strain
They are parted never to meet again:
Ever to them shall rest be given,
Scnseless in earth, or happy in heaven;
That which has been il might he yet
II We could only learn to forget;
But the stars shall cease to rise and set
And fall from heaven ere we forget.
Ely sung with an intensity and Patio
which borrowed none of its force from with
in, for she was goodnatured, inconscquen
sort of girl, who never had Il trouble in he
life, The gift of musical expression is Otter
quite independent of feeling or experience
Ellys music hurt Emily cruelty, and stirred
and reused the old sorrow which had but
Just begun to fall asleep for a little She had
loved deeply and fondly ii man who had
crown tired of her and left her, because he
was greatly her inferior
Much as she suffered, rcjoiced when her
engagement with Lewis Leighton was broken
] had known Lewis from his earliest child
hood, and | had always dislkcd him as a
selfish, conceited prig. The last | heard OF
him, he had turned Catholic, and joined the
Jesuits and hope he got well snubbed dur
ing his novitate As she leaned over the
balcony while ELY sung, and looked ont into
shadows and starlight, her heart was wrung
Ina ia Of .i,l,
sense of her own blind iniatuaton. "Oh
God" she said to herself, "when nil the bit
lcrncss Of this death be past?" Then she be
came conscious that Mr. Millburn was speak
ing TO her; but he had more than half finished
what he had to say before she realized that
he was asking her to be his wife.
lie spoke ut very unfortunate moment.
lie and Emily had been very good friends
that summer They had wandered in the
woods assembled Mount Washington and
been to Glen Ellis together She had liked
him. but She had never dreamed of him as a |
lover, and when he presented himself in that
light she was shocked, and startled, and
little provoked. ........
ION hush" she said sharply. 1T never
can be-nevern'
De you tfen dislike me so much :" said |
Evert Millburn, trying very hard to speak
quietly
Mo- she said, making an effort to collect
her thoughts, II have liked you-you have
been good to me but all the love | had to |
give is dead and buried, and there is no resur.
rection." |
He made no answer but she felt that she
had hurt him.
am very sorry" she fatered 81 never
mcant-'" | understand" he said quickly.
III Is no ones fault but my own. Goodnight"
And they touched hands and parted.
Eyert went up to his own room, where his
friend, Dick Bush, was sittig in the dark.
Dick was boy Of nineteen. He had been
trying to work his way through college, and
had worn himself out in the effort, and Mr.
Millbum had brought him to the mountains
for his vacation Dick made hero OF Evert,
and he had been mortally jealous of Emily
May. ~
Dick said Mr. Millburn, after IA little,
we will go over to the Glen tomorrow"
And then Dick understood the case, and
mentally abused Miss May as " a cold.hearted
iiirl' when eplthet she did not in the least
deserve.
Evert and Dick went away early in the
morning. Emily heard the Stage drive away
and turned her face 10 her pillow, and |
thought bitterly of the horrible pcrverseness
Of things in this world
She knew that Evert was good, and manly !
and sensible. He was in Il fair way to win
reputation at the bar, and, If not ust hand
some, was attractive and gcntlemahly.
There are dozens that would be proud and
happy to accept his love; and nothing would
do but that he must throw it away on me, 4"
thought Emily, impatiently But its never
worth while to pity men very much. They
mostly get over their troubles very easily, if
there is no money lost" From which tmay
DE inferred that Miss May was perhaps u bit
1fa cynic. F#H Il
Emily May lived with her mother, in an
inland town in New York She had little
property Of her own, and, with what she
could earn by her pen, she managed Ia dress
herself pay for summers journey now and
'hen and keep her own house over her
head.
II was her way TO look after her sick neigh.
Uors poor or not; 10 visit, now and then, at
the hospital and county house, and do what
u.r hand found To do. She made no fuss and
aid down no rules, and wa, undcrno ccclcsi.
l.'ical direction" in particular; but am
inclined 10 think she was rs useful. and far
more agreeable, than if She had made herself
hide0us in poke bonnet, and committed
mental suicide.
When her holiday was over that summer.
ne came nome, and settled down 10 her
work
She Wa, busy at her desk, one day in Oc
tObcr, when a carriage drove rapidly up ia,
street, and stopped at the door, and Dick
Bush jumped hurriedly out and rang the bell
Emily went to the door herself, upon which
Dicks hurry seemed suddenly to sub~idc
and when he came into the paror he ap
Dearcd to find great difficulty in cxprcssin.
himself and Emily, greatly wondering, asked
sitter hi, friend, Mr.. Mill6urn.
Dicks tongue was loosed
oh, Miss MAY" he said, with Sinking
voice. "Eycrt is dying"
Where: How" said Emily, startled. and
sincerely sorry.
Vow Dick had been rather mclodramati
cally inclined He had meant to net like ia,
hero Of lldy', novel and administer severe
iy iufeXibie reproofto the woman who had
iridcd viii Evert but in Miss Mays pres
ence he found this plan imprac,icable, anu
wisely rcirained.