Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1876-01-26

greater for the mood in which it
found me.
81 shall not lose sight of you
again" said NJ. L'Estrange. "You
will 60 home with me tomorrow,
to Strasburg. Marguerite-you
remember"-and he smiled moro
brightly than before-"Marguerite
will be glad to know my friend.
Very often have talked Of our
days together.
Marguerite Shall | confess that
for one moment / shrank as from a
pain, a hidden dangerl My friends
wife was vestal to me even in
thought sacred as if shrined and
guarded by inapproachable dis
tances. ] would go with him.
Why had he not written met
Simply because he had lost my adj
dress "only this and nothing more"
1t would take too long to tell of
our delightful journey, and / pass
on rapidly to the hour when the
towers of Strasburg rose before us
and the lofty spire of her cath
edral pierced the clouds.
My friends chateau was outside
the walls of the city on rising
ground.
"See !" he said, with a sweep of
his hand, as the carriage rolled
along, "this is not so grand, so
fresh MS your great New World;
yet it is fair picture"
He might well say so. The seven
gated city lay at our feet; the blue
Rhine wound along between storied
banks; the Ill glided through the
town, picturesque with it's many
bridges; in the far distance rose
the Vosges mountains, and the
black forests of Germany.
And now we are at the chateau, a
stately pile, ivy clad and moss
grown, yet bright, seemingly, with
an eternal youth.
Marguerite, this is the friend Of
whom you have so often heard me
speak-Edward Ripon," said LES
TRANCE, as | entered the saloon an
hour after, and fair, sweet, wom-
anly face, the face at the Madeleine,
looked up from bit of embroidery
over which she was bending.
'Is she like the picture-my
Marguerite! p asked my host but
before l could reply, he went on:
"By that name you first heard her,
and by that name you are to know
her now. We are to live in Area
dia for a whole enchanted month;
and, as is fitting, we are to be to
each other Marguerite and Edward
and Hippolyte. Have not the kind
fates proved that we are akin, as
told you years agol What else
have they brought us togetherl"
/ bowed low above the lady's
hand but did not call her "Mar-
guerite." Neither did I call her
Madam L'Estrange." Some sub
tile, underlined feeling prevented
that. / compromised by not call
ing her anything.
must not make my story too
long. You anticipate all l would
say. There were no other guests
at the chateau. We three were as
isolated as Adam and Eve in the
Garden of Eden. That was truly
an enchanted week, in which We
rode, we rambled, we talked, wo
read, we sang-happy dwellers in
Arcadia. And-then-I awole
one day to find there was no safety
for me but in fight. This "Nfar-
guerite" was growing too danger
ously dear. / who prayed daily,
"Let me not be led into temptation
what business had / there, dal-
lying with dangeri
! / was not william; l was not an
idiot / had no more conceit than
my fellows; yet could not help
seeing that Marguerite's soft brown
eyes grew softer still when they
met mine, and that the long lashes
drooped over them with subtler
grace when / drew near. did not
look for this, but il was there and
saw it-I must go.
A determination that I made
} known to M. L'Estrange next MORN
ing.
|: "But You are not goingw he
said. at is too soon. Did / not
| say yuu were to stay n month