The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1875-07-01

1DAY, JULY }, 1870
renee had said was her very self; a
ribbon brocaded with gold bees he
had brought from fair; the treasur.
ed oak-leaf, bearing her name: tie
wing of some tropical bird, Ito brush
the cobwebs out Of your sky" he had
said a South American beetle sep
ulchred in gold; a fantastic shell they
had found on the beach, wherein he
had scrawled,
"Life is sweet, love is sweet, use to-day
while you may:
Love is sweet, and tomorrow may fail
Love is sweet, use to-day"
Each one solace and wound.
1t was getting late into October,
and the naples under which Major
Thorne had met his disaster were each
a burning-bush, and the willows be-
meath which Laura had danced with
Captain Laurence were losing day by
day their fresh youth all the fields
were turning brown and barren, and
the naked nests began to show through
the scant drapery Of the woods, and
the early morning air had twang of
frost, an odor of ripe apples and lusty
grapes.
Harry had been out during the
day at neighbor's, where he STUN
bled upon Ned Breeze-a college
chum of his-whom he brought home
to dine with him and a merry time
they were having of it, touching up
their pranks at the University, dis
cussing the pros and cons Of halffor-
gotten races, the muscle of LIE Breton,
and the mathematics of Brooks.
"And what are they doing in the
city?" inquired Rose, growing weary
Of Brooks and company.
"Pretty much as usual. Somebody
or other has composed a new Opera,
which is to be brought out directly by
some other body. I'm not strong on
the Opera, you know, but I can give
you list Of the latest marriages, if
that will make amends"
"Have any Of our friends sacrificed
themselves?"
"Let me see-there's Laurence
his came off just before I left"
"Not the Captain ?" cried Harry.
"Not the Captain? Why not the
Captain? I don't mind giving my
affidavit that it was no other than
Captain Belisarius Laurence, and
high time too; why, he's been engag-
ed to his cousin Matilda these FIVE
years-rather a lukewarm affection on
his part, I hear-an affair of plus or
minus; but while ago he followed
her to the Springs and hurried mat
ters up just as if he were afraid of do
ing something rash, as Lytton says.
She's a very fine figure, they tell me,
financially speaking. Will you have
something more, Miss Laura? Sha'n't
I help you to the forbidden fruit
DO make me useful, if only for the
sake of a balance ofpower."
"Thank you" said Laura, with a
title smile-and her voice was never
so full nor freer from tell-tale tremolo
l-"I don't see that can oblige you
in that way; but if you are ambitious
Of usefulness, I pray you go on with
the matrimonial quotations for the
sake of Rose and Harry"
| "Is it yowr Captain Laurence p
asked misunderstanding Geordie, climb
ing on the back of her chair, and pat
ting her cheek with his chubby fin
gers.
mo, DEAR
| And the gentleman stroked his
mustache, and stared at Laura, before
proceeding with the chronicle.
! I think it was very little that Lau.
ra heard Of succeeding gossip, he1
mind returned swiftly to that day
when the Empress Matilda first cross
ed her path merely as a name. Be-
sides, she was going over those dea,
scenes for the last time, those scenes
that had moved across her lonely sky
like some lovely mirage, like the i'm
age ofSir Launcelot across the magic
mirror of the Lady of Shalott. By th'
time Harry's friend had exhausted hi
budget and they rose from the tabl'
she was ready to close that chapter o
, her life forever and aye; then sh'
stole up stairs again and lighted ,
, fame in her little CRATE, and made ,
holocaust of those sacred treasure
which had afforded her such sad pleas
ure, with a feeling as if she were turn
ing to stone and had no longer an,
tears to shed-only, as the last fam
, flickered and fled, dropping a hand
full of white ashes on the hearth, .
, sense of the irrevocable subdued he1
f and wrung from her one agonizeo
, sigh-no more
i So she became the same Laura a
r of old-with difference.
.. She no longer went to Cragstow
\ with the family, nor rode to Tangl
: Wood at its coronation, nor slakec
her thirst at the Witch's Well 20,
E never saw her lingering in the fields a
f sunset, nor dancing beneath the will
, lows on Geordie's tete-days, nor watch
ing the fishing boats from the Causey
:. she was never heard of at Christina
r festivals nor St. Valentines ball, q
t picnic or party.