The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1878-06-19

beautiful head and Capt Langdale's pro
file
did not mean TO be a listener to then
conversation, but as I demurred abou
going forward | distinctly heard Stephe
HE say:
i love you utterly with all my heart
| am not ashamed TO say this, because
you will never see me again"
She continued talking, but her voice
tell to a low monotone. and realized my
position and stumbled backward out Of
the room and found myself in the street
; going dizzily home. Like some hunted
thing l rushed to my room and hid myseli
from oil eyes.
| remember throwing myself upon 8
couch and then starting up and walking
the room looking at my pale face in the
glass, taking up books and opening as il
to read them, doing all sorts of uuinten-
tiOnal things in a mechanical way, trying
not to think of the revelation that had
come to me, because it seemed that
should 90 mad if did. But a haunting
voice was crying in my ear, "Stephenie
lost StePhenie T.
mo, no, she is mine!" | cried in de
spair. 81 have loved her so long aud so
well, and she is my only darling What
could | do without her? Oh, Godl what
can | do?"
For the truth would not be gainsaid,
and must be faced. With mine own ears
| had heard her say to another man, 81
love you, and what | may have muir
INJURED in moments of impotence, | knew
in my soul that Stephenie st. Jean was
no coquette.
Capt. Langdale had been ordered to
his regiment and she had probably re
turned home to bid him farewell. A SOL
dier's life is always in peril, and in the
moment of parting Stephenie had con
fessed to him what had never suspected.
Heaven knows that | had no reason :;
and had good reason to think differently.
She had never plighted her troth to me,
but by word and look and sweet privileges
she had accepted my love, and | had
such utter faith in her truth that the pos
sibiIity of her deceiving me had never
occurred to my mind. The warmest and
tenderest intimacy existed between Us,
and yet she had never given her promise
to marry me.
Sick at heart, realized it now, re-
viewing the past in the hateful light of
]
and in the long hours of that utterly
sleepless night | studied the case untir-
/ ingly as if it had not been my own.
! 1t was not matter of mistaken ilen-
! tity. Leaving out the consideration that
/ my heart would never in this world mis-
take Stephenie's voice, | distinctly saw
| the outline of her bust, and her dress, re
vealed below the curtain, was very famil-
| lar to me.
It was of cream colored silk, trimmed
with black lace. On her foot she wore a
pretty black satin shoe, with silver
buckle; and the instep showed a cream
colored stocking, embroidered with silken
buds and vines.
The dress and the stocking, with its
embroidery, were all of the same tint,
and the whole costume revealed but two
colors-cream and black. As she sat
within the blue curtain, the artistic effect
was very beautiful.
All, no! it was Stephenie, peerless
! among women and in heartsck misery
| at length gave up the lost cause.
The gray dawn was stealing in at my
windot- its sweet breezes bathing my
aching temples, when | sat down at my
desk and penned my farewell letter.
''STEPHENIE-I cannot trust myself to
see you again. | bm weak as a child,
and worn out with such suffering as |
pray you never may know. Inadvertent
ly, yesterday, | heard you confess your
heart to Capt. Langdsle. | heard you
say that you loved him. Then you do
not love me! God only knows how ut
terly believed you did, and what fer
vent gratltu e and happiness there was
to me in that belief. Oh, my darling
how could you let me wreck my heart on
the shoals Of your mere careless liking?
| was only congenial friend, pleasant
companion. Your heart was his; and
yet-farewell! :"
This passionate, incoherent letter, |
directed to her, then called my valet.
"Pierre, pack some trunks. We
will 90 down to Black Rocks for the sum
mer"
The man stared.
Pardon, monsieur, it is very dull !
down there. No cunning, no fishing, and
no young ladies' !"
"And consequently no waiting maids |
for you to ogle /" / answered with a
dreary attempt at ease and lightness of
spirits.
But the fellow still looked at me.
Monsieur looks very i'll. | will bid |
the doctor call on you, and, if he consents, /
we will 60 to that horrid place to NOR
row."
"Nonsensel | shall be well enough |
after a bath and some breakfast. Don't |
be impertinent, Pierre We start on the
10 o'clock train"
Black Rocks was not frequented by
fashionable society; this was my only
reason for choosing it. Tie Neptune
house, where | took up my abode, was a
large, rambling, old fashioned inn, not III
the least in the world like modern sea
side hotel.
My valet, of course, arranged all the
coveniences of my life; consequently, | |
did not know the dark skinned old wo-
man who one day presented herself at
the door of my apartment, with a long, !
covered basket upon her arm. My man
was busting coat upon the back piazza.
'There is some one at the door,
Pierre" said to him as / sat at the |
window with book which l was not /
reading.
1T is the washerwoman. She is a
very nice laundress, monsieur"
'4es," l said indiferently. "Pay |
her.
He received the curiously covered bas-
ket, settled the bill and the woman de-
parted.
Pierre prepared to arrange my linen
by opening bureau drawer l turned a
page of my book as he withdrew the
white cloth from the basket, when my at
tention was again arrested by his excla-
nations:
Mon dieu! Laces, ruf1es."
"What is the matter, Pierre?'
ssThasa aro ladiaa' thinns Here Ia a |