Richland beacon., 1880-03-13
FOREVER
sy HARRY HARDWOOD LEHCB.

GIOmlSc.
IL do, so!emnly."
FOreverT continued the solemn,
broken voice.
"Forever," cried the weeping maiden
by the bedside.
The wasted hands were raised over
the head of the kneeling figures; the
pale lips of the dying woman parted;
the tongue tried to utter a blessing, but
all the brightness faded from the eyes.
The woman was dead.
Two young girls knelt at the bedside.
Constance Owen was the name of one,
with sallow skin and large brown eyes !;
and Edith Ormond, she was called, with
ringlets of gold floating around her fair
neck, and whose head was leaning upon
the shoulders of Constance, who had
promised the dying woman to be n sister,
protector-mOther, even-tO the fair
maiden at her side.
The strong, faithful, homely girl
called Constance, was an adopted
daughter to the dead lady-cne of those
%aifs OF the street, whose only hope of life
is in the charity of some tenderhearted d
etranrer. She, however, repaid her
protector by a love and regard as filial
MS that of her own daughter; and when,
upon her death. bed, Mrs. Ormond babe
Constance Owen make her the solemn
promise recorded. the brave girl not
only did not falter, but whispered once
more to the stricken girl by her side:
Eyes, Edith, for the sake of the love
your mother gave to the orphan will /
love you better than myself-forever"
y \ 4
Two years passed-two years since
Edith, the beautiful, and Constance,
the Grave, had lost their best friend.
The former had grown more lovely, even,
than the promi.e Of the dawn of her
radiant maidenhood; the latter more
homely, larger featured in the lace, but
with years IN added dignity of mien, a
more intelligent light in the quiet,
tender brown eyes, and force of char
acter better defined in every movement.
There came many suitor to Bonny-
brook--eO the little country. seat belong
ing to Edith was called-but, SO far, the
little ccquette did not pay much heed
to anv of them. She was chasing the
butterflies OF fancy around the Garden
of Eden-first youth. But at length
her beauty, grace, and, perhaps, high
social posit en-, brought one day to the
yates of Bonny brook, dne DR.. Paulding,
a superior and rising young physician,
who lived in the city close by, and
when he had found his way to that
pleasant country nook, somehow he dis
covered patients in that vicinity very
frouertiy. Was it Edith's fair fact
that made him take that blooming high
way 20 often?
He wa. indeed fascinated by her bright
yitlish beauty, ard one evening after he
had been wandering in the gardens, un.
der the moon, soft, pleasant words mus
have been spoken, for after ne had gone
Edith, with . flushed face, dashed int
the rom where Constance was.awaitin(
her, said in happy, trembling voice
"Oh! darling, | am 40 happy. He hai
told me he loved me-"
Constance spoke not . word. Editf
was held q moment to beating heart
a soft Kiss touched her forehead, and
the next moment the was alone.
"He loves me, he loves me" and
Edith looked out over the gardens, f,ou
which the dews of night were distillinl
all their odors; she gazed at the beau
iful moon, and peopled the shadow
With the image. of the man who hat
first stirred her young life with the di
vine music of love.
A month after the pleasant comics
sion had been made. Edith was calle'
10 the mountains of Vermont to atten'
= dying asnt, the only sister of her dea
.mother, and she had to proceed alone
- Bouny brook would have lacked
rua,dian if Constance had accomps
ned her-Dr. Pauldine's duties utteri
denying him that pleasure:
Oonstanos was engressed in her houl
duties end saw but little society, save