The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1876-03-16

at her fears, to tell her how utterly
careless Hugh was about writing. She
knew he weuld write to her, that he
would not forget how nervous she
grew in his absence if she did not hear
very often. 7aCl
And SO year went by. I think
e ,rlotta has never realised until that
anniversary day how long a time had
elapsed since he left us but after that
her eyes grew more pitiful, her voice
more pleading, .fas
Despair had taken the place Of hope,
and we could see that she was falling
day by day. .. i-sie. -tgI e7s.
She talked no more of her husband
or his coming. wanted mother to
let US 60 away for few weeks. but l
suppose father could not spare the
money, aud so watched my beautiful
sister slipping away from me. has
The neighbors said she was in de-
cline, and shock their heads grayely
when I insisted upon it that she would
soon, be WELL Slower and slower her
step grew, fainter and fainter the pink
fush faded from her cheek, and one
morning l had risen at five o'clock, as
usual, and her perfect stiffness had
filled me with strange awe, as ]
dressed and hurried down to help
mother. I think it was an hour after
ward that stole up stairs to see if she
would have some cream toast for
breakfast. atait' aa'" a2g 4
There she lay, with the changeful
glory Of the sunrise touching her pale
brow, her half-nlosed eyes, her white,
smiling face. sii % 2r5j ii'ssa1g
raised her soft. cool hand, and il
fell limp and lifeless. from my grasp.
4 did not scream in sudden terror, but
went down stairs and called. mother.
She sent Tor Aunt Mora, the old nurse
.-and they told me Carlotta was dead.
IL sawl her dressed for the grave, !
knew that no pulse fiuttereda in her
hand. What.ase in reading the false
fond. .worls, with which knew it was
crowded or in tormenting mother
with the old story of great hopes,wild
plans and utter failure 2 .-.,feq. .,,.,.
I almost thought she would stir and
smile when the ,lOng-expected missive
touched her hand, but she did not.
l found, late white. lily Fafloat
among the river weeds, and SOTO hide
the paper which only few. hours be-
fore she would have clssped SO eagerly,
put in her right hand the lily, which
all the world might see, fit type of her
own pure, beautiful life; in her left
the letter, hidden, like her sorrow and
grief, from all mortal eyes. ,,i.
The old parson came with bowed
head and slow steps, to talk of the
funeral on the morrow. While he
knelt by the couch of death, a bound
ing tread rang on the porch steps,
Hugh took me in his arms, kissed me
heartily and said:
"Where is Lotta? What makes the
house look SO awful still? Where's
mother?"
l hushed him by look, and pointed
up the stairs. lie bounded away and
/ followed.
With bitter grean of agony and
he fell upon his knees
by the bedside, aud when his tears,
fast dripping, wet her cold, still face.
she opened her eyes, and looked once
more upon her husband.
He was q better man from that day.
Carlotta recovered rapidly, and never
knew how near TO shadow-land she
had walked in her dream. oit'1 4
Hugh destroyed his own thought
less letter, fixed up the old place, made
/ fret rate farmer, and mother thinks
there are no such prodigies alive as
her three grandchildren. 7ai
HOW DUKES AND PRINCES LIVE.
(Jehn Pauis London Letter to II, y Tribune
AS for the noble swells themselves.
from what I've seen of them (though
perhaps one can very little judge Of
what people actually are by simply
meeting them in Court circles and the
glare of fashionable drawing-rooms)
I should say they are not a hard LOT,
and that in the main they are well-be-
haved, less given to putting on frills
than one would suppose, considering
all the fuss made over Them Their
houses, as rule. are not at all the pal
aces which an ardent republican inn.
aginati0n pictures. The Duke of
Marlborough's doesn't begin with the
house had in Brooklyn. The Bishop
OF Brooklyn's residence would put
the Bishop Of London's to the blush,
were the brick of the latter not so dim
gy that its red is invisible brown. The
Duke of N0rfOrk'si town house you
would inventory as q cheap boarding.
house in passing it casually by. APPS
ley House, famous for the Waterloo
banauets gwen there in the Duke of
Wellington's time (bloody good dim
ners they ought to have been), is a
sort of sarcophagus externally, and l
would about as soon think oftrying to
be jolly in the British Museum, among
the Abyssiniail antiquities. Even
Bucking ham Palace, where the blessed
r h.,,.