Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-01-30

| Hillsboro College, to govern and direct.
keeling all in pleasant order, and main
tanning the high, honorable reputation
of the institution.
1t was conceded by all who knew the
! parties, that Laura Garnett was :" lust
the wife for Martin Loeser, and the
| gentleman himself was certainly of that
| opinion. 1t had been an interest and
| delight to him, in his leisure hours to
converse with the gifted girl, to aid her
| in the studies she still pursued, to en-
courage her to still greater effort, and to
mark the rapid intellectual development
| of the eager young mind.
No less was he won by the sweet, low
ing disposition and spiritual beauty of
Laura, and when he found his love was
returned he felt himself the prOudest.
happiest man alive. And Mrs. Garnett,
when she welcomed the Professor as a
son, felt that the very summit of her
maternal ambition was reached when
her daughter was sought by this honor
able, good man, a gentleman by birth
and standing, occupying anobIe position
and filling worthily his place in the great
world.
81 WONDER" said Laura, on the even
ing following the sealing of her engage
ment by her mothers sanction, eff
shall ever know as much as Professor
Loeser. Do you know, mamma, he
talks of tour to Europe IN the summer.
What an opportunity | shall have to re-
vive my French and Italian. They are
growing rusty. | think, if you will give
me a glass of wine, | will read an hour
or two in Dante before go to bed"
A little wine. 1t had come to be a
request made every day and every even
ing. Laura said it frightened her when
her brain was weary, and she felt faint
and weak-brightened for the hour the
exhausted system, the Overtayed brain,
and added fuel to the inward fever that
was consuming the bright, promising
life.
The mother was blind to all but the
exceeding brilliancy and loneliness of
her child. She never thought of danger
deeming she was filing a mothers place |
when her love gave all that was de-
manded Of her, and her child grew
daily more beautiful and accomplished. /
1t was late when Dante was put aside, !
and Laura Crept into bed weary, yet oX-
cited, with her pulses beating ra0idly, /
her head full Of odd Chimeras. It was
dark in the room, yet wherever the girl /
turned her eyes little luminous darts of
fire seemed approaching her. Problems
of algebra, solved in the long school
hours took new and pulling forms in
tricacies Of music familiar to her fingers
seemed beating in thunderOus notes upon
her ears there were strange faces how
cring all around her, till she cried out in
terror. and her mother fastened in to
find her tossing in burning fever, raving
in the widest delirium.
The doctor was summoned, andlOoled
very grave. He had been bot a year in
HillsbOrO. but he recognized in an in
slant the queen of the school exhibition
whom he had pitied, while all others en-
WED and praised her.
Has she been i'll long ?" he asked.
''She has not had much appetite late
", and she complained of want of sleep"
." Not weak or faint ~
con. yes quite often. | gave her n
little wine every day What do YOU
think is the matter. doctor ~ asked
Mrs Garnett anXiously,
An OvcrtaXed brain, was the reply
81 will exert NV utmost skill TO avert
brain-fever. but I fear it will he in vain"
- Brain-fevcr :" cried the horror
stricken mother: "hut that is danger
GUS
Very dangerous" was the answer
of doctor who was too conscientious
to raise false hopes.
For DAYS all was done that medical
skill AMI devoted nursing could do.
Lovely in her fover-hound illness, Laura
talked necessarily of her books. her mu-
sic, her ambitions, trying to gather the
scattered threads of each long conquered
branch of knowledge. prattling in heart /