Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1876-03-24

learn to love you."
ooh, will never see my face agai J
as long as I live-never, never!
said Elsie. But are you sure-quite
sure
"Quite sure" replied the dame
"but remember, if you once see your
own face, your ugliness will return
Now go home and be light Of heart,
and every day your lack of beauty
will grow less, and every day more
love will hover around you
"But now shall l know that it is
true If l may not see my face? p in
quired Elsie.
"Can you not tell By the altered
appearance Of those around you?'
said the dame.
ooh, yes" said Elsie. How l will
watch them.
Elsie went home with a new and
strange happiness at her heart, q hap
piness that changed her nature and
influenced every day Of ber life, and
made her arniable and soft and loving
and kind and considerate and ANXIOUS
10 please and ready to serve and help
others.
Presently people began to remark
the alteration in the millers daugh-
ter, and to tell her how different
she was from formerly, and the maid
ems sought her out and talked to her
about their lovers, and the youths de-
clared that Elsie, the miIler's daugh-
ter, was the incest girl on that side
of the Rhine, and Carl learnt to think
ho" different she was from Gretchen,
and lie learnt to love her, and all
through the Fatherland there was not
80 harry girl as Elsie. And all
this time she never since saw her own
face, but turned away her head when
she dipped her pals in the stream,
and through all the millers house
there was not to be found a looking
glass. She longed (ah, how much y
to see herself in her new garb Of
beauty but she remembered the old
wcman's warning and conquered her
desire.
In the spring time came her we'd.
ding day, and early in the sweet fresh
morning she was married to Carl and
the young lowcrs pccpei out to see
her face as she passed by, and the
tender grass kissed her feet as she
went along, and the birds sang out a
greeting, and even the light feathery
clouds seemed to stoop over her head
as if with their shadowy hands they
blessed her on her bridal day. All,
happy Elsie.
Chou art so changed said Carl.
THY face is different from what it
for,nerl y was. 1t does not seem to
me that it Is possible thou art the
same Elsie. ! used to pass without
even looking back to gaze on thee,
but to-day in thy bridal veil thou art
sweet picture, which memory will
paint on my heart forever
Elsie felt herself thrilled with hap
piness, but never once toll the secret
of that change, though she herself
did not know that the real secret lay
in her own changed nature.
Now presently they were all feast
ing, and Elsie, longing to be alone for
Il few moments with her wonderful
happiness, crept down to the side Of
the Rhine and thought over the past.
"Ah, he said | ain SO altered too.
Happy Elsie, thou art indeed altered.
And he said how pretty | looked in
my bridal veil. DO |, l WONDER
What would | not give to look at my
SELF
Elsie was forgetting as she longed
to see herself, how strict lad been the
old womans warning. She stood on
the edge Of the water VITA her face
turned away, but her vanity kept
saying to her, Look once, for a sin
gle moment, Elsie, and see thyself on
thy bridal day; but she hesitated and
longed, and wondered if punishment
would really follow if she looked
at cannot make any difference she
thought, and she moved her head a
little way-a very little way round
till she could see the shape Of her
head reflected in the water, and it