The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1879-11-06

Of youth had their sweetness thnt it was
good now t. remember, W'' Puts
grandfather hal chosen for hiu ;n ma
ry, may spcak about il no., sup
pose; she long since ceased 10 care; she
was, she il, my dearest friend, and Plul
has always loved her rs brother. She
has had many suitors since; with one Of
them she plighted faith, and so she has
kept her tryst with death. But II
thought because / adored Paul, all the
world was at his feet; and when his grand
father said this other was to be bis
choice, with her great fortune at com
mand, and remembered that had only
this old house and its belongings for my
fortune, why. then l looked well after
my lover. Yes, he was my lover. /
had felt sure of that, although he had
never said 80, never exactly said so in
words, but we do not always need words.
And now, all at once, all in twinkling,
as if the sun had gone out at noon, he
was the lover Of another girl. And |
could not have believed or dreamed that
the fortune would have made any differ.
ence with Paul, or the grandlather's
wish, or heavens thunderholts even,
before / saw it for myself. saw it my.
self. / saw him 60 and turn the music
as she played upon the harp, and bend
over il with the color on his cheek, and
an angry fire in bis eye when the eye
fell askance on me. | saw him lift her
from her saddle at her gate, just down
the street, and go in with her, and stay
till, an hour afterWard, groom came
and led the horses off, l saw him loi
tering with her in the lane, but they did
not know l saw, and heard his miser.
able old grandfather come hobbling up
our steps, rubbing his hard hands, and
talking to my father of Paul's lucky hit.
And so l knew that he had forsaken me
me, the child that had worshiped
him from the cradle. Aud l meant TO
die as soon rs / could; but in the mean
time, il it killed me itself to hide it, they
should never know l cared. Yet l was
not angry; in some way, some atrange
way, it was Paul who was angry, who
would not speak to me, would not glance
at me, would not come near me, said
sharp and bitter, almost lnsolent, things
in my presence, aud seemed to try to
hurt me all he could. 1t was not in his
manner, as il he had found some one
still dearer to him than l, but as if he
hated me, 1 thought, for just existing
now. Ah, well, il broke it my heart l.
And as gathered those roses that morn
ing remembered that We had been go.
ing to make grandmamma' pot-pourri
together. But gathered them with my
back turned to that garden across the
high box hedge, and the dew on those
roses was salt. John, the old house
servant Che has been dead and gone this
many Year., came Juggling out the big
Chelsea iar--the same jar, RoSamond. -
1t has never had nick. l wonder if
you can say as much for it after half
century John left it, with the spice
boxes and the dish Of salt, on the mar
BILE step, to be handy for me, and l be-
gan to shred the roses into it. And "a /
scattered the velvet petals, it swept over
me in surge that Just so the days Of my
life had gone, and 1 too was withered
flower; and as 1 knelt before the jar, all
at once my arms fell across it, and my
head fell between them, and / was cry
ing such storm of sobs that l wonder
no one heard me. But some one did
hear. Directly shadow fell between
me and the sunshine, and voice made
my heart stand still, and my sobs cease.
What does it mean2' cried Paul. Il
demand to know. / will have no more
of this. What are you unhappy about
Because you have abused me, because
you have outraged all my feelings, be-
cause you have refused even to answer
my letter.
'What-what letter. / stammered,
throwing back my head, with the tears
streaming all over my face.
''What letter. he cried. Are you
playing with me stillP Have you re-
ceived no letter from memo letter that
! gave JohnP Do you pretend to say
Ipretend to say nothing l returned,
in storm and fury of irrepressible tears,
springing to my feet, and starting to run
away and hide my face out Of sight, and
pray that every fresh food Of tears might |
drown out my very being-T pretend to
say nothing but that you have broken
nv heart
But he had caught me, and he held !
me by the aim, and got my hands and
kept them, and would not let me hide
my face.
Il have broken your heartY he said,
in such grave and tender voice. i
have not broken your spirit. Tell me
why you spurned my letter.
IL never had your letter, sobbed. |
Never had letter telling you--tell-
ing you all you knew without il, but as-
suring you that, grandfather or no grand
father, only you should be my wife; and
II not you, then no oneH What, never
had that letter, little onep 1t is mislaid,
then; and we have had all this misery
for nothing--we, who worship each 9th.