Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1877-09-19
She turned her. clear blue eyes, ant

gazed abstractedly second at the float
ing mass Of green leaves, starred with
waxen white buds. Then she caught
Paul's arm, and hurried him home
ward.
"You will get your death standing
here in your wet clothes. Do you
know, Mr.. Jannings, if I ever commit
suicide, will die among those lilies"
sYou ?" exclaimed Paul Jannings,
cold SILVER running through his veins.
'What could induce you to commit
suicide ?'
Nothing" her laugh rang out clear
and silvery, "unless I should suffer as l
have seen woman suffer, who have low
ed and been deceived. think if any
man should win my love, and then
throw me aside for another, could die
willingly"
Paul Jannings looked down pitlfully
at the little flower-fair face, and thought
what pretty crushed lily she would
be, if the bitterness Of love betrayed
ever came to her.
"Let us hope no such dismal fate
awaits you," he said, earnestly, as they
reached the porch, and Jessie was so
delicate and assidlous IN her attentions,
that Paul almost forgot, under the be-
wildering influence of golden sunshine,
fragrant flowers, and Jessie's growing
attractions, that every tender thought,
or loving look be gave this innocent
young girl, would be thorns in her pill
low before many months. His af6anced
wife, a beauty, and the belle Of many a
waterlng-place, wrote him dainty per-
fumed notes, which be read dutifully,
and laid away with kind thoughts of the
absent one !; yet one flash Of Jessie's
beautiful eyes would drive the writer
out of his head, and he would join in
her rambles for flowers and berries,
with delicious feeling of content.
So the summer days drifted on, Paul
revealing in renewed health and a rest.
fitness that no fashionable summer re-
sort had ever given him, and Jessie slow
ly awakening to thoughts and feelings
that but a few weeks ago had been I'M
known to her simple mind.
She never gave thought to the diff
ference in their social positions-Paul, a
scion of one of the Oldest and wealth
lest families in the land, she the pretty
daughter Of an humble farmer-but al
lowed him to row her out among the
lilies, to crown her with dewy blossoms,
read to her, sing to her, and feed her
with the great luscious berries that lined
the hedgerows, never dreaming Of a day
when this blissful life should end, and
this glory, which seemed to clothe
earth and sky with supernal brightness,
should vanish forever.
Paul Jannings was no heartless firt,
no dishonorable man, and it was only
his engagement to Miss Chambers that
kept his lips sealed, and withheld from
Jessie the words she had a right to ex-
pect, and hungered to hear. For Paul
never spoke q word Of love, although
evidences ofhls idolatrous passion broke
out In thousand ways.
st would be a great match for her,"
said farmer Harper 10 his wife, as they
sat on the kitchen porch and watched
Paul and Jessie strolling through the
meadow"
''And good enough she is for him."
replied the proud mother, ''for she's as
pretty as picture" r-E
She was growing lovelier. There was
a brighter light in her eye, setter glow
on her dimpled checks, and merrier
ring in her voice, as the September days
came in aud crowned the hills with a
deeper tinge Of gold, and Paul broke off
purple clusters Of grapes and dropped
them into her lap as she sat in the ar
Dor. Once, when she glanced up sud-
denly, she was startled at the strange
look on his face, for it had occurred to
Paul that he must leave Jessie, or break
his engagement with Miss Chambers,
an alternative he shrank from, for she
was his ideal OF a truly noble, cultured
woman.
'What is it makes you look so SER
ious, Paul p,
Jessie did not hesitate to call him
Paul now.
81 was thinking" he tried to speak
lightly. "what you would say if I should
leave you and never come back"
A shadow crept into her blue eyes,
and her lips quivered little.
II would be tempted to and grave
among the water lilies, I think" she
replied, then blushed hotly at the I'M
guarded confession.
'You must not think of such a
thing" Paul said, sternly, although his
head ached with sudden dread. ''We
have been good friends, Jessie, very
good friends, but there has been moth
ing in our friendship to justify that"
''Perhaps not" Jessie said, a little
coldly.
Then she gathered up her sewing and
hurried into the house.
A moment later Paul heard her sing
ing some merry song and inwardly re-
joiced that her young heart was not
seriously interested IN him, for he could
not honorably break his engagement.
As for himself-well, he sighed and
thought drearily he would rather suffer
life-ttme Of misery than give Helen
Chambers a moments pain. Jessie
was young and would forget him, he
reasoned, while be would go through
the world with the memory Of bis brief
blissfdl summer safely buried 10 the