River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1876-07-27

neither music nor love, so master his
soul rs to become the element in which
it swan, an exclusion Of thought and
fear, of sight and sound, and all other
emotion; and, with his imperious de.
termination, he chose to break the en-
chantment the real world crept back
upon his senses, he heard the tune, be-
yond this clond that wrapped them,
breaking again into its distinctive
measure, and, exerting his Will, he
controlled their steps, and paused at
I last beside Mrs. Barnetta, and, with a
low bow. and without word, gave
Rosa back into that hdy's care, and
passed into the crowd and out of the
place, and home. 70 his lonely rooms.
It was daybreak before he sought
repOse, walking the floors till then,
hardly knowing what he did or what
he thought, but intent on conqueriEg
himself. lie would give the world for
Rosa MERCER s love, but he would not
give his pride. To him that pride
meant self.respect; to marry her, the
child of opuience, meant either TO sell
himself at price or TO reduce her TO
trouble AMI WEAKNESS in which her
! love might soon wear out. lie did not
doubt that love now; without sylla.
bles speech he felt sure of il. While
it thrilled him wildly and deeply, it
cost sudden shadow of regret; he
only hopedand cursed his fate that
forced him to hope such thing, that
presently the love wOuld laSs, and
some one who would make hcr hap
pier would claim her. Atlength, with
maledictiOnS in the act, he emptied
his pockets of the gloves handker.
chiefs and tribes there, and went t,
bed, with the sun shining through the
curtains, and worn out in body and
mind, sleptto the blessed and thorough
oblivion of the world.
When he awoke it was late in the
day. All his trouble rushed over him,
but in a moment all his will to repel it
rose too. lie dressed himself leisurely;
he meant to call that night on Miss
Mercier, restore her handkerchief
that he had forgotten to give back af
ter the dance, and in some way
let her know that he intended never
to marry, and thus seal his fate be-
You'd hope. lie went into the next
room after he had completed his tot.
let, aud after attending to one or two
affairs, looked for the handkerchief
that he remembered to have taken
frsm his pocket and to have tossed up
on the table there. II was not on the
! table; it was nowhere in the room. In
panic, he rang the bell, and when it
was answered, instituted an inquiry
concerning the thing. Yes, indeed,
Susan had seen it, and thought 1t was
| so yellow and soiled she would take it
down and wash it. ''LOrs, sir, it was
the dirtiest little rag she said. "lt
Id give il run through the tub and
! the bluing, and make it fit to be
! seen.
Good heavens - he cried, with a
! Mortified flash of remembrance of hav-
ing somewhere heard that the yellow
er lace was, the more precious it was,
and that ii never was washed on any
account except by people who did
nothlns else. "Let me have it al
once" And in five minutes after.
ward Susan stood before him holding
up little limp rag, and with a pang
as from the blow of something I'm.
known and dreadful, the conversation
| that he had heard over the transom of
the hotel door, a year or two years
swept back upon his recollection.
Five hundred dollars And gone tC
grief in a moment And he could nC
more replace it than he could fly, with
out what was the same to him rs alb
solute ruin. of course, he must replace
it; he could not be indebted through tn,
I stupidity of his servant, or through
any other means, to Miss MERCER il
that sum. Without any doubt sh
valued such bit of lace and if any
. thing were needed to demonstrate &
! him the wisdom of the course he hat
, decided on, and the utter absurdity o
, having dared for single moment t
look with love on one of these darling
/. of fortunes. it was the fact that he
{ handkerchiefs alone were items O
$500. What a shame what wicked
! ness what a preposterous folly F! Hoy
D could a young man marry lie burr
A cd with indignation then.
! But to replace it one-third of tn
} sum he was saving to redeem his it'll
r property from mortgage, all th
| money he really had in the world bC
3 yond that for his daily expenses !
I was the ruin of his hopes, his ambi
/ tions, his pride, that scOrned so to b
/ anybody's debtor it threw him bac
. in the race how long Bat it must b
4 done. lie had trine over $500 i
. the National Solvency Bank. lie dre'
J.. his check for the necessary sum, an
; folded it away in his pocket book, an
then went about his business till night
!. fall, when he came back to his drear
,, rooms. and made himself ready foI
!. call AT Mrs. Barnetta's.
. The night had never seemed SO beal
. tiful, the stars SO Large and keen an
: far above the earth, 50 remote an
cold-they typiued all the dear an
j. happy things Of life forever remove
1 from him. Ills heart was chilled an
: his face WAS white when he stood q
j last In Mrs. Barnetta' $ drawing.roon
Il and she tloated forward TO meet hin
lie had not asked for Miss Mercier.
4 1T is delicate errand. Mrs. Barner
4 Ia, said he. with a lreary attempt 4
= smiling. but the truth is that m
7 maid. in her otlicious Kindness, ha
e done snch damage To a bit of Miss Mel
+ cier's property that must replace II
= And have come TO beg you, out 0
i your friendship for me, to transact tn
e affair, II such an article can be re
J. placed here. lbelieye these little Fri
i iles are rather costly. and il you wi
y procure one and he laid the chcc
/ he had drawn that morning and IA
+ little limp rag In Mrs. Barnetta's ham
4 LAS like the original as possible, L
A "My dear MIR. Malyin, what in IA