The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-07-31

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thus struggling with herself. She looked
down and attentively regarded the ia
voluntary agitation of the skirts of he,
dress. The steel point of the can,
which touched the hearth beat a tattoo
Presently she looked up with a signif
cant smile aud said to the IandIady.-
"You see that 1 want another cane
one IS not enough I must have two.
Thereafter she walked at a snail,
pace and like a quadruped. The land
lady heard no more of the letter from
France, neither did the maid: it disan
peared and the old lady kept her owl
counsel.
Shortly after this she declared Oh
one beautiful morning, when the air was
warm, and the sun was bright, that she
was tired, and she refused to ride. The
maid, whose eyes were wide open,
regarded this infringement upon old
habits with solicitute. She remarked
that her mistress fell asleep more easily
than before, and that it was harder to
arouse her.
There were two amusements which
occupied the invalid's time in wakeful
hours, one being pretty game of soil
talre, and the other the sorting and re-
arranging of numerous pieces of lace
of delicate and intricate fabrication. In
the early part of the afternoons she
would dissolve some Jumps of sugar in
a glass of water, place it ready to her
hand, and then trife with the cards
| gathering them and distributing them,
until she fell asleep. After her sleep
she would have her boxes brought, and
world tenderly separate, smooth out,
and quietly admire her few yards of
! treasure.
One day she asked her maid
" Is not this the thirtieth of Septem-
Der ?"
eyes. Madape."
"Then it is high time 1 should be
prepared. Take these there is a cap,
collar, and a pair of sleeves-and
place them where you can reach them
at moments notice tomorrow, when
I am not so tired, will select dress,
and you will put that with the lace.
Be ready to dress me in them at any
time"
Pretty soon the old lady deemed it
wasteful to require that a carriage should
be brought to the door only to be sent
away again empty, and so she stopped
it. She compensated for this pleasure
by sending for physician every day.
Now and then, while moving her thin
ming hands, ring would drop off and
roll away upon the carpet. "Ah r.
she would say, half aloud, "the vanity
of gold and vanity of flesh begin to de-
sert the skeleton at the same time"
1t did not appear that her present
abode was a resting place only. She
never limited of going away; she never
spoke of unfultilled desires, CT pro-
jected designs. She seemed tranquil
and fixed.
Seated, hour in and hour out, in her
deeply followed chair, she pursued a
melancholy pastime. When her cards
and her laces palled upon her, she
searched for evidences of her failure,
for flaws in her health. She examined
with unrelenting persistence the little
trlfes which went to show that her
death was approaching.
When she fancied she perceived a
winter palIor in her cheeks, she spent
the day with a hand-glass. If she i'm |
agined that the cords in her neck were |
stiffening little, she would endeavor !
to catch the old studied poses that she |
had used in the days of her cOquetry. |
Ii she dreamed that her memory was |
something less active, she would chant |
and hum the most ancient of her songs, |
the most difficult of the foreign airs and |
roundelays, and perhaps in the midst of |
them would begin to nod and would |
fall asleep.
She forbore to interest herself about |
the other inmates of the house until |
one day when she was at a loss. She |
was seized with desire to ride, but it |
was stormy and therefore impossible. |
She began to gossip with the landlady, |
who had come in to inquire after her |
health.
"There is lady upstairs who inter
ests me-" said the visitor, " she seems |
to be very poor, but cannot bring my |
self to treat her harshly,"
"Tell me" said Madame in pleas
ant voice.
''She is a Cuban" continued the
landlady, "and her name is Aldama.
She has a husband in France, and he is |
coming to see her pretty soon. She has
been here nearly three months, and she
has reached the top of the house. She |
commenced by living in the parlors over
this one, but as her stock of money de-
creased she assembled, and she is now
just under the roof. She has pretty
child, five years of age, and she Is very
beautiful herself.
"And what does she do all these
long hours?"
"Oh, responded the other, " she
tries her fate upon little table with
pack of cards. 1t takes up her time,
and it amuses her to decide something
one way or the other"
"Do you think she would like to
come and visit me here ?"
YES" replied the other think
she would"
"Then arrange it for us"
When the invited lady entered Ma
DANES apartment, she found her IN
good spirits. She arose with great ef-
fort from her chair, and after posing
herself she put out one of her small
hands and smiled more warmly than she
had upon any one. The lady pleased
her.
She was small and pale, and she was
dressed in black. Her rich hair adorned
her head, not burdened it. Her coun--
tenance betrayed a profound sadness OF
heart and at the same time a divine
sweetness of spi it. The carriage OF
her head, the attitude of her body, and
the very step, which was tardy and gem
til, was that of one who had suffered
deeply.
She advanced toward her aged host
ess with the indescribable manner OF
one who flies to repose. or who hastens
to shelter.
The tinid hand clasp became a kiss;
the kiss became an embrace it was the
of two hearts; that OF
mother, and that of daughter.
There was a fire upon the hearth, and
thev sat down before it with their chairs
close together. They entered at once
upon that sudden intimacy which is
obtainable only by perfect accordance.
Nothing can equal the love generated
by first glances.
On one hand the questions were.
Why do you suffer so much? -? Why did |
you leave your home to come to this I
barren land? How much longer must
you wait for relief? On the other
Why are you here? you who have been
so great. so admired, so honored. What |
terrible disaster has befallen you, the |
divine baroness ? tell me, SO that may |
take heart again.
By degrees the answers came from
either side, and they were not given as
answers, but as complete and voluntary |