Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1878-10-30
position offered me by an old friend
"a ooveruess IN her children.

are you Borrowing Tor your wahtcd
love, Despising your lover who dcs'
erted sou IN your sorrow and lonl'eness
II Is too bitter
liat calmer thoughts came at last,
aud after long diliberation Herbert
decided upon one more effort to gain
tidIngs OF bis lost love,
In every city Tor iew weeks, one
leading newspaper contained this
advertisement
'"I.eda The letter written thirteen
years ago has just reached mc, Write
again, H."
Waiting enduring for many years
became torture after this advertise
ment appeared, aud once again Her
bert Payne resigned himself to the
future unche'red by companionshiP'
Had ho possessed Asmodeus' power
he might have been waited 70 a home
in Paris, where a sweet faced woman,
lovelier IN her gentle maturity than
ever in her girlish bloom, was teach
ing a class OF girls the hard words OF
the English language.
Accepting he position offered by
her old friend, aud refusing the assist
ancc grudgingly proaered by her nd
opted fathers brother, Leda Morrison
had travelled with the children under
her charge for nearly six years,
Then finding herself in Paris aud
able to gather class Of pupils for
English, she decided not to return to
her old home, earning more than
sufficient for her humble wants in her
new vocation.
1t was some weeks after the dis
covery Of the long lost letter, aud the
class Of girls were improving their
English accent by reading from
newspaper, when one slowly and hes.
itatingly read:
"Leda: The letter written thirteen
years ago has just reached me. Write
again. H."
In a moment Leda white and tremb.
ling, was engaged scanning the lines.
I.eda it wns nm odd namo.
Could there be another Leda who
had risked her whole lite's happi-
ness thirteen years before in a letter
to "H."
Were there two Herherts ! fit
should be-if it should be
The Your ladies wondered at the
perfect impunity with which they
murdered the English language dur
ing the rem ainder of the class hours,
but not one guessed the tumult ofhope
and fear in the heart of their gentle
teacl,er-none saw her when she was
at last alone, write a few words only {:
"If it is indeed Herbert who has pnt
the enclosed advertisement in the
paper, he will find me at No. 28 Rue
Mont, Paris. Ever his faithful, low
ing betrothed LEDA.
Then she put ire advertisement in.
to a letter, sealed and directed and
sent it across the sea to tie anxious
lover waiting and praying for tidings.
The English classes were never neg
lected the comfort of the aged wild
ow who was Ledas companion was
never forgotten. the daily duties Of
life were conscientiously performed,
but it seemed to Leda as if her whole
life concentrated upon the arrivals of
the mails after there was possibility
of receiving an answer to her short
note.
She grew pale and restless at
night when the dreams of her youth
came again to keep her wakefal.
All the old love, the old hope, the
long.ago conquered despair and pain
came back to haunt her as she waited
with renewed hope for tidings.
81 am growing old and worn,' she
said to herself one day, looking at her
pale face in the mirror, 81 am the not
the blooming girl Herbert loved, but
care-worn, pallid woman"
And her own sad eyes could not see
the rare beauty Of her sweet face.
But. still thinking of her love, she
twisted her hair in a heavy coronet over
her shapely head aud upon one side
put knot Of blue ribbons.
"Herbert liked it 80" she thought
Then she pinned blue ribbon over
her gray dress under soft lace collar
and put on brooch her adopted
father had given her, and which was
a favorite with Herbert.
And thinking sadly of the change
years had made, she was summonedto
the sitting room to meet grave mid
dle-age man, changed also, until she
read upon his lips and in his eyes bis
/ noI o,e.rnroA h.. hos