The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1877-12-06
THE GUAR RDIAN ANGEL.

horizon great banks Of G canning gold |
pileu upon one another, till great sCrea Ks |
and layers OF purple and crimson and
vermIlou intermingIed. casting warm
pink reflection over the higher heavens,
and the stretch OF sea into Wulcn the sur
was sinking; and seated on the shore
the solitary figure of girl with her
head resting on her hand, and gazing
out upon the sea with dreamy, far
away look in her eyes.
A girl of about eighteen or nineteen,
with "a somewhat small but perfect tg-
ure, and a face as taultless as Greek
sculptor's ideal-somewhat too pale aud
Lhoughtful- Tor her years some might
think, but the paleness was not that Of
lll-health-while these glorious, large
brown eyes of hers would have redeemed
any impel fectlon, had there been such,
of feature or complexion, with their
wonderfully expressive splendor. Yet
one could not wish for more color Ii
would have spoiled half the charm of the
lace, 30 inte ileotually beautiful, yet 50
inexpressiUly sweet and pure--a lace,
not The least charm OF which was the
expression telling oil trusting constancy
and its ability TO love much and TO
suffer; for it is the truest, ana the most
LOVING bearts, that God scathes with
! the greatest grlefs.
'Do | intrude, Miss Hildyard"
| she looked up quickly, and smile oil
recognition came INTO her face as she
rose.
Mot in the least, Mr.. WiIton," che
answered. "Inaeed, l must thank you
or recal ling me. l should have gone
| home nearly an hour ago."
AT least, l MAY walk with you SO
farT'
"Of course" she said, taking his prof
| lerrd arm and turning in the direction
of the pretty little parsonage that lay
| emboWered among the great wide
spreading chestnuis over whose tops
rose the gilded vane OF the country
church Of which The girPs uncle, Mr.
AHiidyard, was the rector. lie was u
bachelor, and when his brUther, a brave
| but peuniless officer in The army, had
| been killed i'll the dreadful Indian mu-
| tiny, and his vile dying shortly after
wards, he took little Beatrice, then
three years old, to live with him, and
though he grumbled somewhat at first
| about his bachelor household being
turned into nursery, he came to love
tue pretty little girl as tAe dearest
| thing on earth.
Her companion this evening was q
young man OF about thirty, unfortun-
|
fortunately adVlSedly, tor nis " as ma
ture that needed some incentive to be-
come great. All things are mixed i'll
this world or ours, and while to some
natures rlches are undoubtedly bless
ing, 10 Others they are curse. Ot this
laLLer class was Ralph WIlton's. His
parents mad bUtA died when ne was u
child, and having tasted deep OF all the
sweets OF society until they sicKened
MIN, for the last seven years had tray
eled over most Of the globe and come
back Win only the taste OF the dead sea
fruit OF wisdom in his mouth, and the
: conviction OF "yanitaLIs VauItaLum" III
his heart and on his lips.
So tney walked on together these two
she so pure, trusting and guIleless, see
ing a new light in every tning, i'll tht
earth, the sea, the sky; he so world
worn and weary, with his senses 0
pleasure blunGed by safety, and a dul
feeling of unsatlsned longing gnaWin.
5 into his heart, that he Vainly strOVe /,
: hide by an affected cynlcism, TIL thel
Y reached The parsonage.
"Nlil you not come i'll and see my un
cle?' she SAID; you must excuse me
y as have to visit poor SICK woman
/ who fear is dying. 1t was very neg
: leclful of me not TO have gone before"
i Ralph Wilton had been on The point Q
!. accepting the invitation until ne hear
the rest of the sentence. and then h
\ suddenly changed his mind.
e "Nut Tonight, thank yUu," he said
k ssbut as my way lies the same as yours
4 may l not have the pleasure oil you
companyW
e "But l shall have to keep you wait
;. ing," she said.
/ "'IIs OF no consequence" he al
+ swered; 81 will smoke "a cigar in tA
/ garden here until you are ready"
+ Lett alone, he sat down, and lightin
a his cigar, puffed at it in gloomy sIlenc,
}. ~ am tool," he thought, DilterI
/ "worse than tool; what have l that
dare fer her i'll re,uIn for such "a loV
as hers-a love SO pure and molly that III
> very dreaming OF 1t makes me eel a
- the more nworthy, aud ell the meanes
y wretch in The guLLer would be giOriLe
- and raised above The rest OF human Kin
= If the nalo OF such love as ner pur
> neart could give were cast around nln
= But Ii have wrecked my lite, and lhel
- is living barrier worse than all b.
~ tween us mat can not be put aside.
~ makes one almost believe in the my Lh
heaven where sucl woman lives an
y breatnes-a he'll Is an established fac
= anu | dwell i'll its torments always"
:, ~ He saw her coming down tine stepl
aud, throwing away his cigar, jolne
uer.
a The gloom OF his thoughts still hun
II upon MN, and they walked along in b
d lence through the twilight tnat was fas
/. deepening into dark until they struc
d into little woodland path, where til
II purple shadows lay thlck and denst
: and everything was hushed and sIlen
u Except the rusIle of the wind among th
II leaves and the tiutter OF some bird ou
Il later than the rules of good society u
e lowed, as he made the best Of his wa
Z home to the nest.
l.; "How good you arew he said, suddel
p ly and impetuously. You must be on
/. OF the angela that legends tell con
:; some times unawares and Walk VIII
), men! he very air you breathe seen
h made more pure and molly. Surely Iro
b the depths OF your sinless heart you mu
{, have pity for one whose lie mas bee
Z. frlttered away and lost. GOD must HAY
a sentyOu to the earth to be a guardla
"a angel TO some pour hopeless wlett
+, like-O
d "Like me-" he was going to say, but
It ieH the little arm WITHIN his own tren
II Die, and he stopped suddenly while
n dark flush mounted TO his brow. Nv
q Will l persist" he asked himself r
II proaohlully, ''n trying to win her 10y
a- nader these false pretenses and soil til
.taialsss My with my OWN disAsasii