Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1879-01-09

drew her to her cid position at he
feet, where, hesita,ing moment, sh
!, said
The story may do you good, Carrie
and I'll tell you You have heard m,
speak of my sister Eveline. She wa
a cousin of mine, and pa adopted he
when only tour wears old, both he
parents being swept away in on,
week by an epidemic. HIS twin girls
ne used to call US, for, though yer,
unlike, we loved each other dearly
and our affection grew with ou
growth; we played together, studied
together, and when we were eighteen
made our entree into society together
| remember so well how beautiful,
Eva looked that night; the whit,
drapery, so becoming to her blonde
complexion, flowed around her II
soft, graceful folds, the hazel eye.
looked darker from the JOY. beams
dancing over her sweet face, and the
golden hair, which rippled over hel
white shoulders, | would allow no one
to loop up but myself, and when had
fastened the dropping blue hyacinths
IN it carelessly, and stepped back to
view the effect, You look angelic
burst from my lips angels always
| dress in white, and wear blue hya.
clnths in their hair was the demure
reply, while the little rose of mouth
was compressed into rose bud to
keep the laugh back. I laughed. too,
but bad secret conviction, all the
time, the angels would not feel annoy
ed at the comparison. / remember,
with thrill of pleasure, / took more
interest in her attire than in my own.
SHE shall be the belle Of the evening,
| said, fondly, and she acns She was
soon the centre of circle, and | for
got my part in watching the bright
CLEANS come and 90 on the fair face,
and IN listening to the peals of laugh
ter that came from the gay throng, at
the wit that leaped from her lips as
naturally as bright waters from a
fountain Presently / noticed gen.
tleman leave the circle with wearied
air, speak to my father, and in a
moment more | was introduced to the
Rev Hazelton Murford. | will not
dwell upon that evening, save to say,
of all there Mr.. Murford was the only
gentleman for whose good opinion I
really cared l was not jealous of
Eva, but it made me proud that he
had turned from her to me. His con-
versation showed him to be so superb
or to the coxcombs around me, of
whose insipid talk | was heartily sick.
He was trifle grave, perhaps, bnt |
liked him all the better for that. There
was a spiritual atmosphere around
him which no one within his influence
could help feeling. Yet there was no
cant about him; none of your religious
whining, which had made me hate
more than one of his profession, and
yet the most worldly felt, There
walks Christian man, and vice sank
abashed from the purity it could not
fail to admire His sweet, exemplary
Christian department won as many as
his words.
From the hour l first met him l
was a different beng. l felt there
was something more to live for than a
round of gayety. IF ever the ladder,
with the angels ascending and de
scendlng, was let down to me, it was
then. / placed my foot on its first
round, and knew | was mounting
beavenward, but it will be long way
ere / reach the top, Carrie, a long
way, for despite all the angels can do,
will stop, sometimes, to let fall some
tears on the love which | left dead at
the foot of that celestial ladder. Could
l have only taken that along, the
climbing would not have been so
hard, it seems to me ; but we all must
have crosses, suppose, to bear with
US in our heavenward way, and that
was mine
Kate turned away to brush some
tears that would come, and Carrie
whispered-sBut at the Pearly Gate
the cross will vanish. and in its stead
the immortal crown
Yes, that has upborne me, that and
the angels, for | believe there are
good angels to take our hand when
the toiling up is bard keep looking
at that Pearly Gate, and gay a.
seem, sometimes, | know it is left
sa;ar' for me. I hardly know how it
ali came about, or why was so blind
Mr. Murfors was with me every day
after that. We walked, we rode, we
SAM together, and in it al Eva min
gled, for | would have her share my
every joy, and before | knew it my
whole heart had gone out to Mr.
Mu.ford, as it never had before 10
living man, and as it never can again.
I must have been Uery blind he new
er spoke to me of love, but / was so
all absorbed in him | never thought
but that the feeling must be mutual,
until one morning Eva came to mo
with those wondrous eyes all ablaze
with light and cheeks with dye of
autumn sunset; she didn't stop to
speak. brit ran and buried her face in
my bosom, and sobbed her JOY out in
delicious tears. / needed no word to
tell what it meant, for from my win
dow I had seen her aud Hazeltou
Murford walking in the garden to
gether, and he had left without asking
for me | don't know how it was my
heart beat on through all that agony,
but it did, with dull, leaden sound
like the knell for the dead. One brief,
bitter struggle, and l buried it all
that brigh. young love, never to know
a resurrection.
NO one entered into the wedding
prepar atoms so gayly as l.; no one
wove such webs of future bliss tor the
young couple, and / dressed Eva for
her bridal-for him, with smile on
my lip, while the only gladness that
could come to my heart again, was
that she was happy. Dear. idolized
Eva, how little she dreamed, in her
fondness, she was walking over my
crushed heart during all those days 81
bridal preparation! The only display
of my agony was when, at parting,
said to Hszleton-'It you do not make
her happy / shall kill you, for she is a
, part of myself And, Truly. he could
not fail to make any woman's lite