River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1878-02-21

| i did not mean to be listener to thell
conversation, but as l demurred about go
ing forward, distinctly heard Stephenit
say:
II love you utterly, with all my heart
l am not ashamed ito say this, because
you will never see NE again.
She continued talking, but her voice
fell to 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 from all eyes.
| / remember throwing myself upon q
couch and then starting up and walking
the room, looking at my pale face in the
glass, taking up books and opening as ifto
read them, doing all sorts of unintention-
al things in a mechanical way, trying not
to think of the revelation that had come
to me, because it seemed | should go mad
if | did But haunting voice was cry
ing in my ear, "Stephenie-lost Stephenie. "
"No, no, she is miner | cried, in des-
pair. II have loved her so long and so
well, and she is my only darlingl What
could do without her? o, God. what
could / 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.
| Captain Langdale had been ordered to
his regiment, and she had probably re-
turned home to bid him farwell. A sol
dier's life is always in peril, and iii the
moInent of parting Stephenie had con-
fessed to him what l had never sus-
pected.
Heaven knows that had no reason,
and had good cause to think differently
She had never plighted her troth to me,
| but by word and look and sweet priv
leges she had accepted my love, and
had such utter faith in her truth that the
possibility of her deceivng 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, review
ing the past in the hateful light of my
sudden discovery. Twas a lawyer, and in
| the long hours of that utterly sleepless
night studied the case untiringly as if
it had not been my own.
1t was not matter of mistaken identi-
tg. Leaving out the consideration that
my heart would never in this world mis-
take Stephcnie's voice, 1 distinctly saw
the outline OF her bust, and her dress, re-
yealed below the curtain, was very famil-
lar to me.
It was a cream Colcrad silk, trimmed
with black lace. On her feet she wore a
pretty black satin shoe, with a silver
| buckle, and the instep showed a cream
colored stocking, embroidered with silk
en- buds and vines.
The dress and the stockings, with It's
embroidery. were all of the same tint,
and the whole costume but two colors---
cream and black. As she sat within the
/ blue curtain the artistic effect was very
beautiful.
All, no 1t was Stephenie, peerless
among women; and in heartsick misery l
at length gave up the lost cause.
The gray dawn was stealing in at my
indow, 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. | am weak as child and
worn out with such suffering as | pray
you never may know. Inadvertently,
Yesterday, | heard you confess your heart
to Captain Langdale. | heard you say
that you loved him. Then you do not
love mel God only knows how utterly
| believed you did, and what fervent
gratitude and happiness there was to me
in that belief o, my darling. how
could you let me wreck my heart on the
shoals of your mere careless liking!
was only a congenial friend, pleasant
companion Your heart was his; and his
alone--farwellp
This passoniate, incoherent letter ! di-
!, rected to her, then called my valet
Pierre, pack some trunks. We will
go down 70 Black Rocks for the summer"
The man started.
"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," l answered, with a
drearg attempt at ease and lightness OF
spirits.
But the fellow still looked at me.
:" Monsieur looks very i'll. I will bid
the doctor call on you, and if he consents
we will 20 to that horrid place to-mor-
row.
"Nonsense! I shall be well enough
after bath and some break fast. Don't
be impertinent Pierre. We start on the
ten o'clock train"
Black Rrocl< was not inhabited by
fashionable society; this was my only
reason for choosing 1t. The Neptune
House. where | took up my abode, was a
large, rambling, old-fashioned inn, not
the least in the world like a modern sea-
side hotel.
Ny valet, of course, arranged all the
conveuiences of my life; consequently |
did not know the dark skinned old WON
an who one day presented herself at the
door of my apartment, with long cover
ed basket npon her arm. My man was
busting coat on my back piazza.
There is some one at the door,
Pierre / said to him, as l sat at the
window with book, which | was not
reading.
at is the washerwoman. She is a
very nice laundress, monsieur.
Yes" 1 said, indifferently. Pay
her."
He received the carefully-covered bas-
ket, settled the bill, and the woman de-
parted.
Pierre prepared to arrange my linen by
opening bureau door, l turned a page
OF my book as he withdrew the white
cloth from the basket, when my atten-
ton was again arrested by his exclama-
tons.
Mon Dieu! Laces, rutfles"
whats the matter, Pierre?"
SThese are ladies things. Here is a
wrapper with fluted rufiies, white skirts
and,-ha, ha.-embroidered stockings
Mees Betsey, Mees Betsey, come
back
| II. lor A. 4