Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1877-05-05

"Oh, certainly not" was the ironlcal
remark, "it will become so in the course
of time when the tears and broken heart
has been healed in another lovers arms
and cleyerly bound up with your green
backs. Bah Go settle up the little
difficulty, and don't let me hear any
more about this sentimental nonsense.
Have you seen the ladies ?"
" No; should not dream of stealing
their precious time to-day"
The old gentleman scrutinized his pro-
spective son-in-law's face through his
haIi-closed twinkling gray eyes, as the
latter sat bowed and thoroughly miser-
able before him,
al trust you are not foolishly involved
in this affair that is to say, your honor
is not at stake ?"
"What do you mean"
Marriage entanglement--law suit
or some such legal claw upon you ?"
" No, nothing at stake but woman's
heart"
"Cheap commodity, Don't Aatter
yourself into a reproach at Offering it a
momentary substitute for your devoted
protection"
As if driven by the furies the young
man rushed out of the room, leaving
the sage gentleman chucklng merrily
at his expense.
In the hall he encountered flying
figure in the most charming ueglgcf, who
gave a little frightened exclamation as
she saw who it was.
"Why, Theo! where did you come
from?' He claspcd her hand and led
her into the back parlor,
Fate is kind to me, in granting me
this favor; my future depends upon the
interview. | have been coward as well
as u william, and there is still time for
you to escape the misery of becoming my
wife. Listen, and bear with me in
mercy, Some years since my laundiess
was in the habit of sending a very bright
little girl to my clearinghouse with my
linen. One evening she came with
swollen eyes and -bedewed cheeks to
tell me her mother was too sick to wash
for me any more. lquestioned her in re-
gard to their circumstances, and it ended
in my accompanying her to her humble
home. The woman died. She was not
the girls mother as she told me almost
with her last breath. She had been at
one time stewardess on a steamship run
ming between New York and Liverpool,
when the steamer on which she worked
was wrecked in a storm and all on board
lost but herself and a rough sailor who
happened to save this child and herself
by tying them to a chicken,cOop, and
thus they were picked up by vessel the
following day. She had never been able
to find the Chid's friends or relatives,
and as her parents perished at sea, she
had kept her and did the best in her
power in bringing her up with the
meagre means at her command.
al buried the woman and sent the girl
toschooI Mymotives were good, and my
intentions, God knows, were pure. fused
to visit her and give such books as i'm.
agined would expand her highly intelli
gent mind My idea was to educate hel
according to my theory of what self
regulated conscience would probably de
velop in brain like hers. She was by
nature refined, Enthusiastically inclined
towards high and noble things, creature
of impulse and strong affections be
came very fond of her; she of me; hel
faults were mine; her heart knew ne
other authority. To-day that girl shoulC
he nv wife if | was what the world con
sidered me, man of honor ; her chile
calls me father"
White as the dead, the young lady sa
and listened until the story was told
not one word of reproach, not one lool
of scorn from her, to the man who hat
waited so long with his confession-wht
had insulted her love by asking her to b.
his wife.
eco and bring that girl TO me"
"She is gone, my devoted, unselfsh
wronged girl.
The haggard man handed father AM
daughter letter, and with a groal
buried his face in his hands, while the,
read the tear-dimmed page.
"THEo.-Can the earth produce
glory if the Creator is not You ar
nv light and souls atmosphere, and yol
have ceased to be and | have ceased +
live Ny worthless frame throbs onl
to the signing of memory--sweet miro
, of anguish. I gaze across the little be,
where lies our dead babe, my heart
, cry: If love you, love you, will no
awaken it to love and life. Why shoul
it live, when love is dead? The tros
, lies above us two By-and-by there wi
, bloom and glow for you another spring
of which we are not the flowers, for W
, are dead.
"'Theo, soul of my being, your agon
e this morning led me to make such il
. quires as solicitude for your happine,
| dictated. You will forgive me, will yo
not, since | chcerfully give my live
clear the path for your future? The,
r | have never uttered an untruth to y0l
4 and now in saying farewell take the a
= surance that in this last word to yo
: there is nothing but love. Such love I
+ mine can not be exhausted. When al
J. no more the strength of it will lingt
!. around you to beautiiy even the dar
a hour of annihilation, as the violet Civ,
its loveliest perfume when it is crushe,
l. so leave you this blessing, l love yor
" | love youI In that quiet spot und
the trees where we have lived and love
/. as our first parents are said to have
l. Paradise, viii with my own hands d
e a grave for love, and while its pret
il ewes and its lovely form is nourishil
lt and given life to earth ] will grope n
q, way into the night, the endless nigh
Is / hold out my hands to the being CALI
God, but | can not find Him, / won
ID pray to Him, but | can not direct II
d ewes to His throne, for nature is so va
and answers only like an echo of n
e. hearts lament. Theo, my soul, 10
n you, love you and have lost yo
Farewell, EFFIE. y
c. "For mercy's sake do not let us lC
vi an instant Order the carriage Ia
a L. ;.,tar.l. I,,s.. 1