The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1880-02-27

and blessed the sender. Don't smile nj
what you may call my foolish enthusiasm.
l had known very little happiness in my
existence, and love to me was life. Be
sides, girls quarter Of century ago
were much more impulsive and girlish in
their manner than now.
A sigh from the couch awoke me out
Of my sweet dream. l started and with
n beating heart turned towards Adele.
She still slept. gazcd on the uncon-
scious sleeper as if spell bound; my heart
ached with pity ut the sight of that wan
for me. Ever strong of will, then and
there, j formed the resolution Of sacriiic-
ing my happiness for my cousins sake.
felt that might he the means of driving
sorrow from my aunts door, and de-
termined ut the cost of breaking heart
to make the enieavor. Seeing Adele
stirring, hurried to my chamber. turned
the key in the lock, fell upon my knees
and prayed for strength to bear Inc
| through the trial. seemed to see the
spirit Of my mother smiling down upon
me, and j rose mp calm and resolved,
yet, even then, l felt how hard it was to
put that resolve into execution.
/ Major Cotton called us usual that
evening, but | pleaded illness to avoid
meeting him. Adele, however, went
| down, delicate ~ she was, and his pres
ence seemed to animate her with new
life. In his absence she dropped again
like q flower deprived of light.
When l again met Major Cotton it was
with Il cold restraint On my part, while l
avoided meeting his eyes, for | feared
that mine would have betrayed me. He
moved proudly away, sought my cou-
: sins side, and from that moment, as If
I by mutual consent, we avoided each
other He seemed to resent my reserve
and GOODNESS, and he bestowed all those
little graceful attentions, which are SO
pleasing to our sex, ON Adele, and which
hitherto had been accorded To me. L
suppose he regretted sending me the
valentine. which apparently caused the
change III my manner towards HIM.
What must he have thought of me /?
From the first, / appeared to take n
pleasure in his society, and when en-
cOunged by this seeming interest of
mine, he half expressed his devotion,
suddenly treated him with chilling re-
serve that must have been humbling to
his pride. | often turned these things
over in my mind, and it added to the
pain that was silently enduring, that |
forfeited his respect IA we'll rs lost his
love.
One day my aunt took me kindly to
task for excusing myself from joining III
pleasure party in which the major took
IN active part.
II am at loss," she said, "to dis
cover the cause of your sudden dislike to
Major Cotton, whom We all hold i'll the
greatest esteem"
burst into tears and remained silent,
for knew not what to say. She looked
at me earnestly, then putting back the
hair from my forehead, she kissed me
affectionately, aud never again required
to subject that had evidently given her
so much pain. But little while after,
"a she and Uncle West strolled up and
down the lawn in front of the library
windows, near which L sat reading,
few words of their conversation reached
my ears, words that pierced my heart
like the sting of injustice.
"NIabel, poor child" said my aunt
sis, fear, Jealous of the majors atten-
tIons to Adele"
l could not blame her for thinking so;
my altered manner to her guest must
have led her to form this supposition,
and vet it was hard to bear.
Yes, Major Cotton bestowed all his
attentions to Adele now, tho think he
did so ut first more to let her see that /
was an object Of indifference to him than
for any attachment he felt for my
cousin. / am not vain, but / am sure
that for long time love was on Adele's
side alone.
What wonderful change had taken
place i'll Adelc's appearance; what light
in the eyes, what q changing rose on the
cheeks, what playful grace in her move
ments, as she went softly singing thro'
the rooms. All, hope lis wonderful
magician. He waves his magic wand
and all is light and life, where before
reigned gloom and desolation. The
whole house rejoiced at the rapid recov-
cry of its pride, and was | not already
half repaid in seeing this?
One night as was preparing to retire,
Adele fingered i'll my room, chatting
merrily, from an Overlooking happiness,
| fancied. Dear cousin" she said,
with q fond caress, as she was leaving
me, - begin to think that lie does care
for me ut last, he said SO many sweet and
tender things this evening as we walked
on the lawn together. But You are silent;
all, tears, my cousin - What a sympa-
thizing soul is yours" Then in lower,
softer tone, while the pink deepened on
her cheeks, ~ often think that Major
Cotton regards me rs being childish and
wanting in self-reliance; but, dear cousin,
if it should come to pass, if such hap
piness ia to he mine, You shall be my
bridesmaid"
bore up as well al could, but when
! she left me and my throbbing temples
were pressed upon the cold pillows be
sought heavens aid to sustain me in the
approaching trial.
Strange did il appear that as each day
mode al improvement in Adele's health,
! 30 mine began visibly to fail. | had
thought myself so strong of will, but
when saw how entirely the major APP
peared to forget me, how devoted he
! seemed to be to my cousin, was weak
/ indeed. Alas! l feared that my aunt's
conjectures were but too true. and that
was often jealous of Adele. But human
nature il prone to fail, and after such
moments of weakness IL better feeling
prevailed, and rejoiced in the sweet
girls happiness.
! was soon spared further pain in wit
Messing the majors total indifference TO
myself. II would have been a consola-
, lation to me then to have possessed his
friendship, which he would not bestow
on one who had evidently deceived him,
one who, in his eyes must have been Il
heartless coquette, winning his affections
to fling them in silent mockery aside.
/ The next steamer from New York
brought my brother and his biide, your
own dear mother, May, who, as you
know, was the only child of senior
member of the firm where my brother
acquired 80 much wealth. They stayed
but few days in Liverpool before start
ing ON their continental tour, and when
they left l accompanied them, glad to
escape from spot where had found
my fate and nodded my own future OF
loneliness. ought not to speak 30. j
have found peace and rest underneath
this roof, thro' all the quiet years that
have interviewed since then. Yet, my
child, the heart has it warnings that NJ
philosophy can still-its regrets thai
time can not wholly assunge. Tho thS
soul may grow strong in suffering ther,
are moments when 1t is swayed by
hopeless sorrow to which it yields in Yer.
weakness.
| Major Cotton was absent from town