Ellsworth American., 1877-11-15

so that l. what you choose 10 call grief like
minei'
She seemed incapable Of uttering anoth-
er word. but shot him one moist. shining
look Of intense rcproach. and hurried back
Into the house. u was the last he saw Of
her Tor that year.
She returned with hcr mother 10 Beau
Sejour N the following June. Or. Bu-
chanau paid them a neighhorly visit on the
second evening Rf1er their arrival. 1t
seemed to him when he took EliZ9hcth's
hand in his and gazed into her face that
her weaTicd out and distracted look, her
uniform palior. her restrained and absent
demcanor all had altered no whit since te
had seen her before. She gave him a life
loss hand and a litelcss smile. There +
little change in your daughter" he said to
Mrs. Osgood.when, a while later. she had
quilted the room.
''As much as there will ever be" pen
sively declared Elzabcth's mother. Il
must say. doctor, thar. although Clinton
was a dear. lovely fellow. | think she over
rated him. Her loss. You know. isn't ire
parable; but | haven't n doubt that she
will believe SO ell her life"
After a few more visits DR.. Buchanan
found himself concluding that Elizabeth
had 10 truth somewha: changed since the
previous summer. However this might
be, her fondness for solitary walks had IN \
measure become modified. Repeatedly Il
nav occurred that they walked together
on summer evenings After little space
the doctor took her driving. Sometimes
there would be long chats on the piazza Of
Beau Scipur amer twilight had fallen. Mrs.
p~gnnd was Ia quiet ec.tasics. She would
now and then make suggestive and deeply
characteristic remarks 70 DR. Buchanan
when her daughter wa~ absent about there
being balm In Glcad II one would only
search with proper zeal! aud other pretty
innucndoes that sounded like "rlcx ant *
tracts" from somebody. Mrs, O~good had
learned durin. thr past winter that the doc
tor was -Ncell"ntly Well connected in BoS-
ton, ana not without fair expectations
tr"m . very old maiden aunt. In world
Is sense he vAs nn Clinton kimbal. but
then C.iuion kimhall- were rare
July became August; August mcllpwci
into autumn. II wa- durng seaside
stroll III September that pr Buchanan
asked Elizabeth 10 heCSmc hi- wife. and
received a decisive. though somewnA, hy-
>;er.rAi rcbuN.
II words were very few aud fu, of 4
simple courtesy. hut She looked AZ him
WIN trembling under ljp. a. though hc
had grossly iusgl;cl her. auI uttcrng a
'>horf. fearful cry. -hr ahru;iy lel. him.
II Glanced that ENLahcth's mother met
, her a, he hurried into the house. Mr..
Osgool. reading dire trouble cf some sort
Z to the gir's face. followed her up stairs.
1 T. VA. spmc little time before shc could
draw from the pale and a.i'atct-IooAius
creature what had occurred. aui then r .l-
ahcth narrated the circumstances as though
Il VA- really the history Of some vehement
impcrtin-ncc on Or Bnchanau'- plrt.
/ There followed long talk between Mrs.
Z Dsgnpi and her daughter. Perhaps E'Yl-
I bcth'S mother had never talked with 30
i much cemmon-s-nSe ana honest power.
T The mkt day Elizabeth wrot" Dr. Buchau-
an a drnure hiil" note OF apology. THIS
grcli-trained fellow. strong lookiug a.
/ veteran trooper. crushed the note in ut.
Z hand aftcr reading II, and then hnrled 10
/ Toto biz naste-ba~kct. \ few mru'hs lat-r.
/ however. hc mceSly went aud exiricat"i
/ thr paper. ancrward smoothing It out with
. p4Iua-raking care.
Through early September he visited
much les At Beau ~eiour previously but
+ he and Elizabeth seemed now altogether
rrconcled. Az length his visits again be-
I came a. frequent as before lie was man
4 - extreme dignity. and an admirable tx
ample ~ almost absolute control the very
last man. yon would have decided. capable
I Of falling into any awkward huml.la'ing
D
/ be- recorded Of Alfred Bschauau that. a
few days before the O>goods len their cot
tAGc tie was foolish enough % speak
words OF 3 passionate sort in E,lzabcih's
, presence and even 70 ayOw before aer that
previous experiences had not wholly des-
troycd his hopes
IIr received fAr-difrrcnt answer from
that which she had once before given HIN
under Ike circumstances. She told him.
with much calm sweetness OF manner, that
F love "a, an impossibiity 10 her. She h4l
loved nuc" with her whole souls strength
anl had lost, Perhaps II she could care
for auv one after the ri tht rt.hion once
more that one would BE- him But sh-
. could not 80 care there wa not the rcmnt.
est chance Oft. Now, would he marry her
on such tel ms ~ these:
The question was bpmb-~heu to Dr.
Buchanan. ani there can BE- ND doubt that
h- met d quite ll. Rising from HI chair
with clondy brows and hin. about
hi> lip~ likr utter evaporation, b" ioll
Elizabeth OsgoOi III tone, II cold stern
ness that hc wa- no believer in matrimonial
martyr,inm>. But that evening she re-
crlvri note ~ several pages, one sem
teuce Of which ran thus:
II Viii marry you on any terms ior |
have been looking iuto my heart. uul tiud
N''.'N r' ''' '''S'' AVA 49, =
4 frw day. later. wh.n frzlb-,h Wa,
10 town. She went a Alfred Buchanan.
betrnthed wife.
They were married IN the ensuing spring
EUZtbeth'S friends said that She mad a
very pretty bride, Though a singularly pale
ana ianYuld one. Europe had been talked
ofs> a wedding tour. but doubtless the
doctor. whose hereditary ship. 80 70 to
speak had not yet come IN, preferred wait
Ing. after all, until he might visit the Ola
World with a somewhat fatter purse. Aud
- they went aud lred a. Eyuu Scion. with
Mrs OSgoo'
DR.. Buchanan wss a paragon Of huS-
bands. Reserved and often naughty with
the outside world, he was to Elizabeth
tender. devoted. watchtui. There had
grown up within the man a sense OF deep
gratitude toward her for having married
him. lie believed that in so doing She
had made an eXquisitely sweet sacrifice oi
self. He began 10 perceive that hers was
a nature capable only Of loving once. he
had lost AL hope Of having his own intense
llye returned ia kind Moments oi un-
>pHakable regret came 70 him. but he had
hi mopents also of devout thaukfuluess
Had he not won her respect. her fe-
queDt confidence, her fun womanly trust
in his judgment. discernment and advice:
Was he not blessed in possessing this
much: and shoald il not be an amulet
against his sorrowlng for more:
1T seems to me-" Mrs. Osgood told him
one day. that Elizabeth's spirits are
greatly improved since her marriage.
arm afraid she will never be her own self;
but then"
Pray, spare me such pleasant prophe-
cies." the doctor broke in. every word
showing sort of angry sneer that struck
Mrs. Osgood as utterly uncharactcristic.
and gave her quite fright as we'll. For
several days afterward all his self-comfort-
ing philosophy vanished; he was miserable
and his motherin-lsw's presence had be-
come hateful 10 him. But after few days
a change re-asserted ITSELF and he shook
hands once more, as it were, with his fate.
little while after this there came for
him, one morning. a somewhat important
letter That evening at dinner he produced
it during dessert. and began reading II tn
the ladies' His cousin, George Mere 18th.