Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1874-10-15
GODFREY'S KEEPSAKE.

Give me keepsake |" Godfrey had
said, when we knew that we must part
for three long years. So, while my
tears fell fast, and my heart throbbed
heavily IN pain. knitted a purse for
my betrothed. | wanted ii to be unlike
other purses, so / wove it into a fam
tastic pattern of milk-white beads, upon
the dark green silk, and with this /
wrought the initials-G. for Godfrey
and a. for Helen-with a true lovers
knot of white silk. While piled the
shining needles, putting my daintiest
stitches into the gift / was knitting, /
thought only of Godfrey. my lover, my
hero among men.
He was not very handsome, but tall,
large, and with why, elastic frame
that told of its strength in every move
ment. He had hot temper, had
been told, but / never saw any indica-
ton of it. To me he was tender as
woman, for / was thrown upon his pro-
tecticn strangely.
/ was a dressmaker when he first
knew me, though had once been the
heiress of wealth, had received good
education, had travelled every summer
In nv own country, and sp mt one year
abroad Ny father died when was Is.
and left his fortune to his wife. Two
years after my mother married, and
after six months she too died, leaving
her money to her husband, trusting
utterly in his love to provide for me. as
he was an old man, childless, and pro-
Tossing fatherly tenderness fo< me.
My mother was but a month dead
when my stepfather coldly advised me
to learn q trade. Seeing my amaze
inent, he informed me that my mothers
will disinherited me, and he had no in
tention of supporting me in idleness,
though he would give me home until
learned to support myself.
In my indignation I turned to nv
old friends. A few-only a very few.
gave sympathy and advice. One alone
gave me practical help. Mrs. Ray
mond, scnoolmate of my mothers, a
widow, and with but a small income.
took me to her home, and under her
care and protection l learned nv trade
as my stepfather had advised.
was very lonely at first, feeling
keenly the great wrong done me, bitter
ly resenting the fact that the money my
father had earned by honorable toll for
his wife and child was In a strangers
hands, and fretting over the new con-
fnement of my work. But when I had
been month In my new home Godfrey
returned there. 1 had learned to re-
spect and admire him from his mothers
constant, loving references of him, but
ne had been three years away then, and
I had never met him. When he came
loved him, and he learned to love me.
But our love was clouded by
the fact that another absence of three
years would soon take Godfrey from me.
He was In q commercial house that
sent him abroad as purchaser of goods
In the European cities, and he was ex-
pected to remain three years at time.
His position was not sufficiently
lucrative then for him to take wife
abroad, though he hoped it would soon
be so.
There was some talk of an immediate
marriage, but it was not carried into
effect, as We felt an implicit faith In
each others constancy.
In the spring time we parted, / to
remain with Mrs. Raymond, Godfrey
to write often. One of his sorrows was
the uncertainty of letters, as he trav-
eled constantly and had often missed
his mothers, when he did not exactly
take the route he proposed on his writ
ing 10 her.
In the purse I had knitted I put
locket containing my miniature and q
lock of my hair, and he promised never
to past with either gift.
It is useless to try to write of our
loneliness after son and lover left Us.
We worked faithfully, for wanted to
take little marriage portion to God
frey. and for year we lived our quiet,
uneyentful lives, hearing frequently
from Godfrey, writing by every steamer.