The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1879-08-02

est, l0v6lIeSt COMMENTARIES uAo pNo4
heheld. Even the eyes of the picture
seemed to thrill the observers very soul.
/" Seeing her" proceeded Sir Leicester,
"you win not wonder when i say loved
Gertrude better than lite. She--capable
1 of the purest and trueBt affection-re-
turned my passion; and / being then
the presumptive heir, my uncle fostered
nv suit. Gertrude and ] were conse.
quently looking forward for the conflm-
ation OF our happiness when my grand
father died, and it was found tbEt, owing
to personal animosity to my uncle, an
other grandson had been put in my place.
cat the same period, q Lord Worth,
elderly, but immensely rich, paid mark
ed attention to Gertrude. Secure in
the knowledge of our mutual love, no
fear assailed us, until one day, to our
horror, my uncle informed us that / was
comparatively beggar, our engagement
must be broken, and that Gertrude must
accept the addresses of Lord Worth. j
shall not describe our agony, our useless
supplications. ] was banished from the
house-my cousin was kept prisoner in
her room. Yet by her maids assistance
we managed to meet, when we decided
to elope.
"Ah, why did ] not mistrust that
woman7 Why did not the fatality
which attended all my plans put me On
my guard3 ] thought of nothing but the
joy OF soon calling Gertrude mine.
"The night arrived. Gertrude accom-
panied by her servant, met me, and
in the postchsise I had provided we
started for the cottage of the maids
mother, where the former assured us
there would De clergyman waiting to
unite u.s.
Son our meeting in the dwelling, sit
uated in q lonely part of the country,
we found no minister there. The maid
assured us the falling rain might have
prevented him, but that certainly he
would be here before morning. We
waited. The night went BY spent it |
outside the cottage. Iwould not pass it
even beneath the same roof that covered
my poor Gertrude. My anxiety was
all for her; and st dsydswn ] would
have started for another clergyman,
when the maid, entreatine me to forgive
her, stated that in the confusion she
must have made mistake in the date.
for the clergymsn's reply came the 9th,
not the 9th. She showed me the letter
and i believed her. We yet waited,
The night came, and 30 did the clergy
man.
"We had already taken our places be-
fore him when the door was burst open
and my uncle, Lord Worth and three
serving men rushed in. Instantly was
born from Gertrude, firmly held by the
servants, and Knocked by my uncle, while,
Lord Worth, grinning rand grimacing,
took my place opposite my beloved 81
ner bridegroom. In vain the poor girl
resisted her faLher threstsned her with
public exposure. He confessed that the
cottage was one of il-reppte, and that
her stay at it in my company had ruined
her name forever were the circumstances
known adding, that she would not find |
another with a love like Lord Wo1th's.
81 saw ali then we had been cruelty |
trapped. With shrek, Gertrude
tainted, and j verify believe that she
was not conscious during the ceremony
which took place. Yes; sew her we'd
ded to anetherl saw her greyheaded
husband take her in his arms and carry
her to the carriage waiting. AT that
however, breaking away, she
flung herself ON my breast, that
wildly against hers, while my lips pas
pressed her cheek. i could |
not embrace her, Tor my arms were pin-
toned.
When they dragged her away, j 4
found she had lett in my bosom this tiny
bunch of forget-me-nots preserved here"
and Sir Leicester held mp 8 crystal v al. |
ST entreat that it msy be buried with
mel"
I bent my head, and he went on:
When she was out o my sight, bliss
full Oblivion ensued. A year after, by
the unexpected death o my cousin, j |
became Sir Leicester Connington, and |
the owner of wealth but no riches could |
bring me happiness, for had learned |