New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-05-10
bidding me come away from beside that

~, Aoiocc, TAKE me DacK 10 your noart.
You would never have known # You had
not brought me here tonight, and we
should have been happy now-as we were
before. 0, Horace, l am the same Marga-
| ret whom you loved so dearly an hour ago
only little hour ago-so dearly, you said;
| so dearly! l remember it, l remember
every word. You missed me every minute
OF every hour Of our separation. you said.
back. See how l have loved you. Ii you
had-had even done what l have done,
| tempted by your love for me. should have
wept and prayed tor pardon for you, and
comfOrted you, think, and chung to you
| and pitied you, but never ceased to love
you-never, never 0, my husband, let it
come slowly; love me little. just little,
until can bear its being taken all away"
pushed my hair away from my throb-
ping temples; something was burning in
my head, and the noise the. sea made in
rushing over Elsies face was deafeDing me
-deatenlng and binding me, for l could
not see Horace now; nothing but dark,
still shadow; and between it and me, girl
with long wet hair and ashen cheek.
80 Horace, take me back! We can be
happy still-we know it, we have proved it;
you have often said it, You can forget this.
had forgotten until you brought me here
and lett her face-Horace, Horace" the
words were an eager whisper nOw-''take
me up, Horace am dying here; dying at
her feet and yours; Or-Or am-l-madF
He raised me rom the grass without
movement Of his white and rigid face.
II will take you to your home," he said,
and after that wish that 1 might never
look upon your face again."
why, Horace" whispered, wirh va
IN e Skrro
not be separated-yOu and /; we are mar
RED, you know; they can not separate u.s."
I'VE are separated now" he answered
slowly; separated utterly and forever"
20 no, Horace, no cried, appealing to
him once again with eager hands and eyes.
you will take me backa 1t was for your
sake did it, and you have loved me since,
when l was just what l am now. You
valued my love then. All, yes. know you
and could not be deceived. You valued
my love then. 0. take it now, my husband;
my own husband, whom no one can take
from me-when it is hundred times more
earnest than it has ever been before!"
could see his face in the moonlight now,
aud knew there was no nope for me.
Horace " l cried, with such cry as
might have reached to the cold dead around
US, '.Horace-f0rgive
Il laughed; laughed loudly and shrilly,
there in the silence of the calm and beauti-
ful night But, when l saw his stern,
white face, grow colder still, wondered
why l had laughed.
Nothing can separate us, Horace" /
whispered. trying to fix my vacant gaze
upon him. and smiling as 1 thought that
my glad low whisper must comfort him.
Nothing can separate US now. Don't be
O hon
and will not leave you. Did you dream
that could be 80 cruela / was not half
80 cruel to her as that would be-
He turned from me, shuddering through
all his Frame and then l knew that the
love, which had been my very life, was dead
forever. j saw, in all its fullest, darkest |
horror. the long anguish of the life to which |
he doomed me; and standing still, took |
my burning head within my hands and ut
the winter night was all alive with sound,
and the beauty of the moonlight vanished |
in great, black darkness.
i have been very, very i'll. l wake to the |
knowledge slowly, as l lie and listen to the |
hushed breath and softened footsteps in nv |
room. l wake to it very, very slowly, |
dreaming a wonderful dream the while.
am lying in my own room at home, and |
Elsie sits beside my bed, just as she did
when was i'll oroe in the old past-sO many
years ago; and my father comes for tidings
Of his child, with his eyes dim and anxious,
just as used to see them in that far back
time. Horace is living with us, in this
dream Of mine, just as he did then; and he,
TOO, waits for tidings, and comes to look
upon me with a soft slow step. All, if this
lream may last little longer; because,
when awake, my husbands face will meet
ne stern and cold, as it must through all
he rest of my sin Swallowed life; and in.
'tead OF this bright face beside my bed, will
% the memory Otlthat drowned head saw
beneath the waters. 1t is far better for me
o be dying, and dream this dream, than to
row quite strong and well. and meet my
misery again. 1t is such beautiful, beau
iful dream
/ am lying now under the beech upon the
avn, and the golden leaves fall softly one ]
y one; very softly, as if they fell long
7ay-perhaps from heaven itself The
ky is bright and blue up there above them {
nd the sunlight creeps amid their shelter
0 lay it's warm, sweet kiss upon my face. j
here are no fierce, rushing storms of wind
! this beautiful dream, and no driving
raves. There is only peace and calm and i
anshine, and the rare, sweet fragrance and 8
he autumn flowers l love. dare not speak
'st should break my dream.
see my father standing against the gold
q beech, and watching me. with the old :
,ok of love upon his face. Elsie is beside .
eaceful dream, and in her eyes is shining =
lch look of loving, pitiful compassion,
lat l can not even trust myself to meet it, =
st it should bring the tears, for tears q
Ould waken me. And now, across the y
xn, comes Horace; his face, the kind and Z
easant face of long ago, the face loved :
hen j was innocent-so long ago! He ):
mes up to me-sOftly as they all come in J!
ls dream of mine-and / read the old
iendshlp in his eyes, and something more; +
Ut hatred and contempt, alb, no, but },
eat tenderness and great compassion, :,
I'd something that looks almost like awe -
remember the different face which shall | :.
Q when l awake, and silently l pray that y
may be Gods will die before the waking =
mes. ..
My hands are very weak and thin and
asted, and when he takes one into his and | lC
reels beside my couch l can see the pity re
d the fear which darken Elsie's eyes. MY Ia
ice is low and failing, but at last they I'M OF
rstand my question, reading it more from al
7 eyes than from my lips; and Elsie an 81
ers it i'll whisper, her warm lips touch ii
: my cheek and forehead between the hi
,rds: IN
No dream, my darling; no dream. We as
We you with us, and we are nursing you Va
ok to health again. If care and love M
, truest, fondest love, my dear-can give of
u strength, then you will soon be your
n self again" vi
10 the words run, in this summer dream su
mine. have no pain, only gre At faint BY
IS. If l were leaf upon the beech | III
,ve me, at the first faint breath of wind, re
should fall just so-softly and slowly to
ground.
Margaret" Elsie whispers, when her
eet face comes between those reddening tie
YES and my upturned eyes, "do you re- pc
mber that day we were together in the tic