The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1874-09-18

her breast. F
But her strong sense of right prevail
/ ed. Reaching out the hand which be-
/ fore she had Withdrawn, she said
"Allen, it is best so, or it would not
be. God wills nothing wrong in this
life. Go back to Minnie Reeves and be
true to your VOWS. Make her happy
| Never allow her to know of Isabel Has
comb, and there will be nothing to mar
her future"
In his hot-headed impulsiveness, AL
/ len Lansing would again have found
language to break this decision, which
he felt was right; but Isabel, now sud
denly invested with new dignity, arrest
ed his words.
"Let US part now he said, once more
giving him her hand. every moment
Won spend here now is wrong to your
promised wife! Leave me-"
Farewell, then, +" he cried, as hepress-
I ed the little hand to his lips and held il
there a moment. Farewell, forever!
20 to wretchedness-and you-oh, heav-
en- forbid that you should sufier as I
shall - and he was gone.
For an hour Isabel remained where he
had left her, pale, cold and motionless.
Then her mother came in; and, fright
ened at her daughters palid looks and
motlonless figure, addressed her, and
then she awole slowly to al1newled geof
what had passed.
Mrs. Hascomb was a true hearted, ten
der woman; and, gathering her first born
to h er heart, and gently smoothing the
soft curls from her white face, she spoke
smoothly words of sympathy and com
| fort -
After that, the days, weeks and months
passed away in the same manner as for
merly to Doctor Hascomb's family cir
Gle The gay season had passed. Spring
had come and departed, and summer
opened brightly with its wreath of de-
licious loveiiness.
With the spring, Lucy came back from
her uncle's looking thin and i'll. Poor
thing She had not been lying on "flow-
cry beds of ease" during her visit; fer
her aunt, Mrs Wiswell, though good
woman enough in her way, was not one
with whom young people could take
much pleasure. Never having been bless
ed with children of her own, she forgot
the promotings of her own girlhood, and
so kept her pretty niece almost 4 prison.
er in her waxen-neat domicile, until,
though often pinched at home, Lucy
| longed for the termination of her visit,
and, when it came, gladly returned to
the parental roof.
And now Isabel found no time for in
dulging in solitary heartlessness or grief.
There was need Of constant employment,
of fitting over and helpina to make the
summer wardrobe for the family, as we'll
as assisting in the domestic manage; and
she bravely and firmly put away all sad,
regretful thoughts, realizing that they
must not be cherished. Her dreams had
melted into thinnest air. This third low
er-from whom she had hoped so much
| for her family, and to whom her
whole being had gone out TO find its full
need of happlness-wa5 destined for an
other. This she said; and so, gathering
all the wealth of her first and only-lovn-
dream, she put it away in distant apart
ment of her heart, and, looking at it Sc
| curely there, turned to the busy home
life, to find, in its pressing duties, a valve
for her restlessness.
- One day, during the ensuing faA when
Esquire Burrows was at Doctor Has
combs house, TO transact some business
with her father, he told Isabel of the mar
riage of his nephew with Miss Reeves;
and I think that this news-together
with the lawyers Kindness &c her family,
as revealed during that visit-conspired
to cause a slight feeling of regret in the
girls heart that she had once caused a
thrill of pain for this noble friend when
she had refused him.
But, though Isabel thought she had
wholly resigned Allen Lansing when
she parted from him, she could not help
a pang of bitterness upon learning Of his
marriage, and she repeated, sadly
/ "T bade him forget me and he has
obeyed. Tt is well-the gulf between US
is now impassable-and hencefoTth, in
duty must find my happiness"
have said that Isabel Hascomb had
put her dream away, and dared not call
it forth. But that night, after she went
to her chamber, she lay awake many
hours, thinking seriously of the past, the
present and the future. Her fathers
health was failing. She saw plainly, and
also that her dear, brave mother was be-
ginning to look more thin and worried
than usual. Esquire Burrows had called
that afternoon concerning an old note
which some person held against her
father. This note had now fallen due,
and its collection had been entrusted to
the lawyer. But, seeing how distressed
Doctor Hascomb looked when he pre-
sented it, Esquire Burrows had kindly
volunteered to loan him the amount un-
til he could more easily spare it, and
would not rest until the Doctor'sconsent
was gained that he should liquidate the
} debt for him.
Isabel strongly felt this generosity and
) kindness of her rejected suitor. II
touched her heart, and she thanked him
with unfeigned gratitude, saying, in fal-
; tering accents, "that they had not de-
served or expected this kindness from
one whom she had once offended"
But Esquire Burrows interrupted
her
4 "Oh, no, child Do not think so lily
F.. of me as to suppose I harbored thought
of resentment because you had no heart
to Lestow upon an old, crusty fellow like
myself" he replied, in answer to her
hesitating mode-a smile lighting up
: his pleasant, kindly countenance, uutil
> Isabel thought it really handsome.
That night, as she lay awake and
n thought it all over Isabel felt her opin-