River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1880-10-14
NY COUSIN ERENE.

We both sat eating b0j}-bOAS AMI wait
inc for dinner-mv little French cousin
MademoiselIc Ercne, whom was visit
ing. and |. She sat in tumbled little
heap in the corner Of her cushioned
sofa. her brilliant black eyes cleaning
with excitement under her dark eve
brows as she talked. She had light.
crisp, airy blonde hair surrounding Z
very fair, colorless face, and her dark
eyes made her appear singularly beau
tiful | was a modest little American,
with beauty ifany1 Of a quiet order;
hair and eyes brown, and my figure
slim and petite Irene was a Partisan
born. with all their tastes and ways.
She was sputtering forth impulsivcly
now about friend of her fathers, an
Englishmau of high birth, whom We
expected t. dine with III that day. They
had met him on the continent, and al
though creme said great deal against
him. / knew her SO well that in my
heart somehow felt She liked him
She never made 50 much ado about
any ono or Mon Dieu-cd" so often
when She did not.
ooh, but that was the great nuisance
that piece Of high dignity, Lord StOl-
holm. H1H Dicu! what name was that.
His father must have been Swede,
His lorJShip, then, was to dine with US
on this particular day, when we were
going to the Sante's ball at night and
needed the day to rest All, those
English they were made Of stone How
they walk, Ma fol- three miles or four a
day-she had seen them. How he
would carry his nose in the air'-they
all did-and sit stiff as n post when
every one else talked like i've people
and enjoyed themselves, Hyn Dieu.' but
it was trial And how gay would
She be when the wine came to leave
his lordship and 90 back to her good
novel, 'Nirginic' All, but she was get
ting horribly eanuyed, and would sleep
soon she was sure and She INDUCED
in Il biz yawn and held two tiny hands
over her mouth.
Here we We're summoned to dinner
| could see nothing disagreeable about
Lord Stolholm. He appeared a SEN
Sible, pleasant gentleman, of about
thirty-fvc He treated Irene and my
self with galIantry, and thought Irene
honOred him with quite as much cour-
tcous notice as he did her. He told
me that he had once known my mother,
and had esteemed her highly. He
further remarked that | greatly resem-
bled her. lie spoke very kindly, and
| was pleased that he had known
mamma, for she was dead, and papa |
had left with my only brother in Ger
many.
At the Sante Hotel that night We
again met Lord Stolholm. He danced
several times with me, and well. /
was only seventeen, the scene was gay
and fresh to me, and Lord Stolholm
was very handsome that night But
could not but feel sore ut heart when
IRENE was 50 disagreeable after the ball
and the next day Surely | had not
tried to draw Lord Stolholm's attention
from her The manner increased as
he continued to show me his regard and
| grew homesick and wrote to papa
that he must send ft0uLaH to bring me
to Germany. ! left suddenly without
seeing Lord Stalho.m, and | thought
IRENE may now know | don't wish to
interfere with her preferences. But
alas, | was sad, and knew before long
that | had grown to think much more
of this kind friend than | was aware Of
Weeks passed and | heard nothing
from him. To be sure he did not know
where was, unless Irene had chosen
To- tell him.
Ercne wrote very pleasantly now,
and frequently mentioned Lord Stol-
nolm Presently | began to lool, i'll.
EiuuLein trcttcd and said | must travel
again. So my father went down to
Italy; but ! continued pale and sad.
At last ono day | received the following
letter, written with the impulsiveness
Of EreuC's nature in its happiest mood:
Ma CnERE. PETITE CoUsINE-I write now
while / can scarcely use my pen am 50 wild with
pleasure. What will you think | when tell youl--
Lord stanton Stolhrlm loves me, This | knew
last night for the first time. Is he not fine
mutch} The world talks Of him everywhere; but.
then, he has not much money. 1t Is hi, title
that makes every one now wild about him. Papa
will. of course. consent even though he has no
wealth. for shall have 80 much. -lIoH Djeu!
am So happy, for everybody wants him. he Is 50
handsome Write me your congratulations chae
co,'siHc for in a few months | shall be Lady Stol
holm. AND uo morc-though yours still in affec-
ton IRENE l. ABTEE.'
The letter came to me in the soft
southern twilight a. / sat alone under
pierced my tired little heart like the
unexpected stroke of a stiletto, and,
like it, brought the silence of death
death to feeble, fading hope. | did
not moan or cry out but despair
numbed all my senses, and mechani-
callv, almost unknowingly, | wandered
of 10 n secluded spot amid the lime
trees, and threw myself upon the
warm, soft turf There | lay, grasping
in my hand still the letter with its hid
den sting, turning my little, wan face
up to the waving boughs above me,
through which came the CLINT of the
lights of heaven, rs if they would fam
comfort me.
No. no, naught could comfort me"
moaued within myself; and like the
echo Of my heart, sounded the distant
Observation-Disclosures, but ftint and vail
ing-burne on the evening air
''ich, meia cot, what is this 1t
was the rugged yoice of fr0uLeiH that
startled me, and Ir.alized that the long
twilight was spent and the night was
far on She reused me and took me
mp in her strong arms and carried me
home. \ long insensibility followed.
Anonth passed under the power of
the fever that seized me. Upon my re
covcry We again travelled for six months.
With my brother, who was in the uni
versitv i'm Germany. came two students.
We NIL iourncyed together. One was
u Decentralization intellectual
and iicrcely impulsiye; the other n
IIollandcr. whom thought IntOlerably
stupid. for hc smoked all the time, and
nothing more. Both Of these men
made ovcrturcs to my father for my
hand in marriage, and, though my
father urged the suit of the Bavarian.
| declined, not caring for either Of
them. And upon the HoIIander essay
ing one day to make love to me, said,
vcry decidedly:
II can never marry You. 80 pray do
not harbor such an idea
On the evening of the same day a
ban vas held at one Of the palatial res
ideuce> in Vienna. for Il was in that
courtlv city that We were now Solourn-
ing Although | was no more in love
with the Bayarian than | was with the
Hollander, he WAS more agreeable
company. and he paid me much court
This night My glass told me before
lett my dressing room that my toilet
was most becoming. Its pale green
sheen coutrastcd with my brown hair
and ewes. AMI lent an ethereal aspect
To my pale, Smali-featured face. 1t