The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1876-10-04
MORNING.


season liberty to enjoy the pleasure of living
and / never knew any one so happy a
Barton Neal He made every preparation
for our future home, and pictured To Inc in
the brightest cOlOrs the life that we would
enjoy could not ask more devotion and
tenderness than he lavished upon me, and |
petted him only to chill him. | could not
be constant. / delighted To see the
proud naughty, Self-pOSseSsed man quail
before frown from such girl as |. | deter
mined To- try him still further, and one day
in his presence openly fiirted with young
man whom | knew he detested He expos
tulatcd and plead but l only grew the more
stubborn in having my own way. At last,
wcaricd with his efforts to keep Inc from
folly | gave him back our bethrothal ring
and broke the slight tie that had bound us.
He prayed me to consider, to remember our
happy past and the delicious dreams of the
future, but | cast all his circumstances and
tenderness from me- and he left me. Ere he
went from me forever, ne said: Alice, /
will never ask you again to be mine but 81
some day when you need a friend, you will
but let me know, Will be with you. | shall
never cease to love you, but as you wish me
to leave you | will go, pleading with you To
not to be untrue to your own heart" Since
then my life has been a mockery, farce. |
| have laughed when my lips were trembling
! with pain. and received the applause of the
gay and giddy when my heart was full of
anguish. When met DR. Neal ut your bed
/ side, / felt | must 90 to him and tell him
/ that | was tired of deception and untruth.
and again plead to be his bethrothed. But
/ not by word or look did he make any allu-
sion to the past. and now we shall be more
! divided than ever, for | am determined to
/ meet him no more 1t Is more than | can
bear But have wearied you, YOU must rest.
| YES Alice | am tired, but not from your
conversation. But will you please fix my
pillows and let me go to sleep. Now kiss me
| goodbye and go ont and take walk. You
| look as if the fresh air would revive YOU"
] But Marian, YOU do not say one word of
sympathy. am hungry for a loving voice to
help me To bear my burnden." Il know |
have not, but feel it all the more, | have
! known something of this sorrow and pity
you from the depths of my soul. But God
will make it all right for you, but for me the
grave will close, with no one to shed tear
or say ''she was my wife and love" But |
| am glad that the way is not long, and that /
shall soon be beyond earthly care and trou-
BILE. You shall yet walk in the light Alice.
| You shall yet be happy"
When all alone. the sick girl reviewed his
hidden story. her innocent dream of love.
| She had learned to love the patient, gentle
| physician, who had been so kind to- her, and
vet never by word or act had he led her To
hope for any return of her affection. And
! she thanked God none knew her secret, that
She would die with it i'm her heart. And
then came the resolve that before she should
| fade away from earth, she would do what
she could To lift the burden from other
hearts more Sorely tried than hers.
Another week and the sick girl was dying.
| Not spasm of pain, not moan of anguish
just the sands slipping away, the hours grow
| isg shorter.
DR.. Neal and Miss BTay0werc with her, but
! she had never had a chance to reconcile
| them. and now she felt bitterly il was toe
| late, she could not speak, and the gentle
words she had prayed for strength to say
would never be spaken, and the last act OF
| her life that she had resolved should be one
of peace-making would never be done. Her
eyes were growing misty with the veil OF
| death. her hands cold her lips quivering
| she gaSped for breath. and her friends spranq
to raise her up. Their hands met as they
held her trembling form, and claSped each
other warmly, lovingly. They thought heI
| dead and laid her down, but the brown eyes
opened for the last time, and looked long
and lovingly at the manly face bending over
her, and the white lips whispered, love. -
They never knew it was the one word of af
lection that life had so grudged her, but be
! lieyed il meant for them. They often speak
! tenderly, reverently of the dead, they keeT
her memory green, and in their home there
is fair-haired baby girl they call Marian.