The Democratic advocate., 1878-06-29

icOo5nAAiuS fOu'
1t Is said that woman can never keep a
love secret, aud it was quite certain pret-
ty Miss Clara was rendered unhappy by
the possession of one, and upon the first
occasion she and the facinating Paul Sell
don were alone she forced him to share it
with her.
They we're as usual one morning in the
garden cutting flowers when Clara ehanced
to pierce one of her dainty fingers with a
cruel thorn. Paul insisted upon staunch-
ing the tiny drop of blood with his hand
kerehief, and aftcrward playfully healed
the wound with his lips
"Oh oh you must not r exclaimed
the rosy Clara, "for Aunt Alice will be
very angry. She is quite in earnest about
breaking up our--our-"
sour what?" he questioned in tones of
lover.
Filtration, she calls it; says l am
naughty and you are wicked, and all this
sort Of thing must stop"
"That is all she knows about it, my dear
little girl. Filtration indeed As if we
we're capable of such thing" he replied
with the jolliest of laughter.
Then bending down lower, screened by
the roses, and holding both her hands
clasped tightly within his own, he com
meneed very earnest conversation, and
succeeded in not only convincing the hap
py girl of his sincere attachment, but in
believing that he completely filed up her
own little, loving heart. And then out
came the secret of Aunt Alice and the de-
termination that her niece should never
marry one Of the Seldom blood.
ave will see about that, returned the
joyous Paul, as he kissed away the gath
ering drops from the eyes of Clara.
81 have not another moment to stay" F"
whispered Clara, aunty is calling me.
81 shall speak to uncle at once, and
then to Miss Alice" he answered, still
clinging to her hand.
''But she is very firm, Paul, dear, and
viii not relent, fear"
"Then l shall run away with you, de-
pend on that, for you are my promised
wife,"
"Oh Paul, that would be dreadful!' !'
"0hl Clara, it would be glorious !
Upon second thought 1 fancy it would be
the best thing we could do, leaving the two
old lovers to settle the matter while we
are honey incoming.
II viii not listen to another word,
laughed Clara, and snatched away her
hands ran into her aunt the happiest girl
in the world
The result of Paul's speaking to his
uncle of his attachment for Clara was
most terrible scene, and notice from the
elder Seldom that madam's rooms would
be vacated upon the following day. The
note to his landlady also contained very
scathing allusion to the fact of both her
self and niece being very designing wom-
en-, aud expressed determination to pro-
tect his nephew against their arts by all
the influence he possessed.
The second result was to send Aunt
Alice to bed with a miserable headache,
while poor Clara nearly cried her eyes
out in the seclusion Of her own room,
though presently she received long and
comforting letter from her "adoring Paul"
The next morning Miss Amesbury went
downstairs fully determined to end all in
tercourse with the Seldons, and to send
them forever adrift, bag and baggage, as
far as her niece and herself were concern
ed. But when she rang the breakfast bell
Paul and Clara fingered beyond reason,
and the maid she dispatched for them re-
turned with the announcement that the
young people were not in the house, and
that AIr. Charles Seldom was hobbling up
and down his room like a Gagged bear and
raving over a letter just received from Mr..
Paul.
"There," exclaimed Nora, the maid,
sits the young masther that has run off
wild the purity Miss Clara, an its mesilf
will pitch the ould one out ov the house
neck and crop, if yell spake the wOrrod
jist, Miss Amesbury"
Nora, be quiet, sObbed Aunt Alice.
II wish l knew what to do"
"Fwat to do? In troth an We may
that same. But sure an it's yerself as
oughter be above takin' the sass ov the
old one alone wild the young ones imper-
tineuce. Jest hear till him now. Shure
an it's afther brakin' the bell cord he'll
be, and the irate damsel hastened to
answer the imperative summons.
But almost instantly she returned and
answered.
ats yerself, Miss Amesbury, he would
be afther spakin' wild. Bad luck till him.
An ye look loike it's faintin' ye would be.
But don't be afthrr givin' in till him.
Shure if he sinds mud jest give him
shtoues."
Aunt Alice was in reality plucky little
woman, and even if she was, as Nora said,
pale as death and looked like faintiug, she
walked very firmly up the stairs and into
the presence of Mr.. Seldom.
"Madam r he exclaimed, ''read that
just read that !" and he rudely thrust the
letter of his nephew into her hands.
1t contained the simple announcement
that he Paul. and Clara had been marri-
ed that morning at an early hour, and
had gone to New York and taken rooms
at the Fifth Avenue, where they would
wait for the forgiveness of uncle and aunt,
believing them both too generous to with
hold that which would make them all
perfectly happy
hot Il al. L II