Mexico weekly ledger., 1877-02-08
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#- &~EN
For many long year T have carried
If close locked within my heart, till it
had scared both heart and brain. Af-I
ter begging and praying for a week they
have at last allowed me pen andlnk;
here on this Untouched white paper L
can tell it all. Alice Walton Wa 10y.
first and only intimate frlend.@ We
were fast friends from the beginning,
for she was sweet, guileless and cling
ing nature. / was naturally. secretive,
strong, q lf!reliant, and&soniewhat dis
posed to dominate those with whom l
was brought in contact
Il My friendship for Alice surprised my
self quite as muchsas any one else, and
I was quite as much at a loss to UNDER
standit. Elo womb w
Alice Walton. was like a lily-fair,
slender and lovely, with dove-lke. eyes,
and hair like corr silk. I was as dark
as a Spanish girl, with hair Ike mid
night, and lustrous black eyes; and
many an admirer has told me i'll the
days of my prime that no Spanish girl
could compete with my beauty or with
my grace But they were not beyond
the competition of one fair girl, and
she won, right under my fine eyes and
in the face of my rich southron beauty,
the only man whose loved [ craved-
the one heart for which l would gladly
have exchanged my own.
When we finally said "good-bye" to
school [ made an express stipulation
that Alice should come and stay a
month with me, after she had first re-
turned home and remained 81 week with
her own friends. I counted the days
till she came, for | really loved the girl,
and I lopged to share with her, as a
friend, a new and delicious Joy which
she had never known. 4 far-otf cousin
of my mother-so far as to be no rela-
ton at all-bad come in my absence to
spend the summer with US. Of curse
l had heard of him in my letters from
home, and was somewhat disappointed
at the prospect of having him there
during Alice's stay, for hearing him
always referred to as my mothers
cousin, of course, I fancied him old
and gray-hairea.
My satisfaction equaled my surprise
when, ON meeting Arthur Godfrey, l
found him to be a young man Of twen-
ty-fve, handsome, accomplished, gay,
ood-humored-in short, my ideal of
an elegant, well bred and refined gen
tleman. l was pleased enough then to
call him cousin; and, as | learned to
know him better, more than pleased to
remember that he was only a cousin by
courtesy. | loved Arthur Godfrey. [
believe | loved him from the first, al
though I did not then understand my
own feelings; and | had little doubt
but what he responded to the feeling.
He was more than kind and gentle in
his manner. Besides an affectionate
regard for me, I thought l detected in
his manner a certain Difference which,
to my mind, indicated the tender aeYo-
ton of a lover. [ knew he mad never
cared for any woman before he met me,
and I knew that | was beauliful-what
woman is unconscious of her own
charms? And so | felt justified in be-
lieving that Arthur cared for me even
as 1 cared for him, although no word of
love had yet passed between us.
I told Alice nothing of this. / re-
served my innocent triumph to be given
in confidence during our first evening
together; and, though l would have
preferred to present Arthur as my afi-
anced lover, which ] almost regarded
him as being, 1 quite intended to con-
fess to her frankly the love for him
which l had scarcely confessed to my
self.
Alice was o week later than she had
promised, and came Unexpectedly when
she did COME, arriving the day before
that on which she had told US she was
coming. There was no n to meet her
al the station; but she had been such q
~favorite ON her previous visits that she
was known to ali the neighborhood, and
q %neighbOr, VINO had by chance been at
the station when she arrived, brought
her over to US. The first | knew of her
arrival was when she ran up to me
where | sat with Arthur, listening while
he read Ienpyson in that fine rich voice
that had become the sweetest music of
my life. She flung her arms about MY
neck. and embraced and kissed me with
childlike enthusiasm. | then turned to
introduce her to Arthur.
He had risen and stood gazing on her
with aface illuminated with admiration
such an expression as ne had never
turned on me in what had thought his
most fervent moments of devotion. l
turned cold all over, and / felt hat the
color had left my face; but [ struggled
to retain my composure and presented
them to each other. Then | turned to
look again more closely at Alice.
Her gaze met his with d sweet frank
ness that half reflected his admiration
andthe pink in her cheeks deepened to
a blush. IFEfH
They would love each other-they did
already. i saw it and felti it then, as
well as when finally knewit by strong,
passionate and ardent words; and al
ready the dark fires of jealousy con
sumed my soul. helped Alice unpack