The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1875-05-08
THE FALSE LOVER

i think It must hr almost time tor him
t. come nov
Gertrude Fisher slanc, d up al the clock,
a tiny mother-of- pearl d,al. resting IN a
tangled mass Of ulded wheat ani IVY leaves,
beneath an elaborate glass shade the hour
hand was fast verslng on the figure eight.
! And then Gertrude sighed softly L. herself,
| and once more took up the bit Of delicate
| necdiework with winch shr was occupying
| herself.
! Gertrude was a tall, noble booking girl.
with Jet-biack hair brushed plainly back
! from her clear, pale face. and feature, pure
and emntionIrss a those IT "A classic statue.
| Her dress VAS Of rich wIue-colored silk,
but very simple and the garnet ornaments
that she wore, set ia heavy Etrusrtn gold,
seemed peculiarly adapted t. her style "f
beauty.
All the htJIngs and appointments Of the
room around her were elegant and luXur-
Ious, betohenIng the retnemrnts of ealth.
The carpet Was uf suft pearl-gray with
white buds strewu over II, drhcately
shaded into crimson the walls were gray,
panelled with gold and the furniture was
of darkly-veined rosewood. upholstered
with gray velvet while the pictures,
hanging from a giided rod when ran round
the inner edge II the cornice. the statu-
cites Oh their carved brackets ana the ala
Olstrr vases. hlled with real trailing ferns
ana hothuuse blossoms. wrrr selected with
the utmost taste ANA care. For Gertrude
/ Fisher was an heres>. and she had learned
the best and trur>t Way ~ enjoying
wealth.
The time seemed &, pass away very
slowly as she sat there listening To- the
silver tick uf the clock and the occasional
fall 1f 4 glowing cnder from tile CRATE int
the polished lender hrluA. and waiting
for her engaged lover 20 make his appear
aucr.
/. tie Is not often -p .tte as tuts, thought
Gertrude drawing wat her little ieHellrd
watch, aud comparing It with rhe clock,
with a sort ut unacaupwleIed hope that the
mother pearl dial Nas too fast. But,
no the Two rimePccrs taliIcd exactly, and
Gertrude had uo refuge but - SIGH again,
and blame herself t,r being tro particular.
'Of course. ! cannot expect hlH 60 meas
ure time by the second. she sand. But,
nevertheless. she dad ieel little dlsap
pointed i wonder where reclle Is A
mused Gertrude Even her merry un-
reasoning chat would b- better than this
dead silence and loneliness. suppose
she has gone up 70 her room Ter the
night
But Cecile Moore had not gone up to her
own room, as her COUSIN supposed. She
was III the little pdrluur down stairs ; and
George Tracy was with her the recreant
for whose coming sweet Gertrude Sighed
IN vain.
Cecile was AS different from Gertrude as
glanclng iretiy Is from the steady glow
ii star, or babblIng. sparkling stream
from the silver surface of a lake. She
was small, aud perfectly shaped and pi-
quaint, with golden hair and a transparent
skin. and those peculiar tortoise blue eyes
which often accompany blonde style
of beauty. She had come o. London. at
| Gertrude's invitation. tu spend the winter
with her and Gertrude 5 generosity had
| supplied tre soft, blue merIno which she
wore, with its sapphire velvet trimmings,
and even the set of pink coral which re-
| lieyed her waxen skin, with its deep rose
tint. Gertrude had grown very fond OF
| Cecile. whom she regarded as a sort Of
plaything a live doll, ~ Tiny white kit
| ten-an Cecile found her Cousins luxur-
1
/ farm house, where her uncle aud second
wife bravely tolerated her a. nurse, seem
stress, and general drudge to their many
children.
Answer me. Cecile, persisted George
Tracy, holding both her small white hands
in his, and looking directly into her tor
toise-blue eyes.
Cecile struggled to escape.
l. t.at IL
Gertrude say
i don't care two straws what Gertr Ide
says am only Interested III you, my
darling Tell me do you love me
George
For love you, little pet. better than
all the world besides. There, it s out now,
and don't care who knows it.
Ceciie put her hand on his lips. with
all apprehenslve glance towards the door
Why is this : he asked
She must not know, George should
be sent home tomorrow.
Then you will try and love me, dearest
he pleaded.
She gave hun a glance from below her
long, curled eyelashes glance half ten
der, half coquettish, and entirely bewilder
ing. George Tracy had been waverinq
and uncertain before now he lost his self
possession entirely. And while Gertrude
sat waiting and wondering in the drawing
room above, George aud Cecile arranged
the treacherous plan which was TO wreck
her happiness for ever, with calm, smil
ing faces, and voices which never faltered
| once.
Sarah, 90 upstairs, and call Miss Moore
to the breakfast table, said Gertrude next
morning to the parlour-maid, who had
brought in the Kissing urn. She is latel
than usual.
Sarah went accordingly, but presently
returned with a scared face.
She's not in her room ma am, and the
beds not been slept in.
And that was the last Gertrude Fisher
heard of her cousin Ceeile and her betroth
ed husband, George Tracy, for long sac
years.
What did she do What do peopl'
generally do when the weight of a grea
misfortune falls upon them, crushing thu
very life and vigour out of their hearts
They suffer and endure, and live on. Ger
trude did this and after the first bitterness
had died out Of her nature "a kindly and |