The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1880-08-03

working governess, going to spend
Christmas with an old school friend
who had been recently married. Lau-
rette did not like Christmas. To her 1t
was time haunted with sad memories.
Every year as Christmas Eve came
round the picture of certain Christmas
Eve long ago rose up before her eyes.
She could see 1t all. The pretty draw
ing-room, lighted only by the fiickering
fire, in the roomy old house at Black
heath and Herbert Linday's earnest
face as. he asked her to be his wife. How
happy they were that evening and how
eager Herbert had been to ask DIR.
Lyons consent, never dreaming of
refusal They had sat side by side hope
fully planning for the future and listen
ing between whiles for her fathers step.
And when they heard him enter the
house and cross the hall to his study
Herbert had risen up at once, anxious
to get the interview over and return to
her.
"Give me one kiss before I go,
Laurette," he had said.
But she had laughingly refused.
81 will owe it you," she had said,
kissing her hand to him as he had
turned to look at her at the door.
She had never seen him since.
The interview proved to he long,
and alas stormy one. DIR. Lyon re-
fused Herbert's offer in harsh, almost
insulting terms and the young man,
deeply wounded and mortified, had
hastily left the house, and shortly after
wards quilted the country for Australia.
Before sailing he had written once to
Laurette.
"As your father sets such high
value on money, and requires so much,"
he wrote, 1 have resigned my situa-
ton, and am going out to Australia to
make my fortune. 1t will be a long
process, fear; but a strong will and
stout heart can do much, and 1 shall
not want for these if 1 am assured of
your faith, Laurette. Will you be true
to me, as shall ever be to you, even
though years may pass before you hear
from me again, for 1 shall not write
unless L have good news to send. Think
we'll before you answer, and do not
promise unless you can do SO freely and
with your whole heart. 1t is no light
thing that i ask, and it may, and proba-
bly, will, involve years of weary waiting.
If you have any doubt of your own
feelings, of your own strength, beseech
you tell me now. Remember, your
promise once given, shall believe in it
implicitly, and on the strength of it
build all my future happiness"
To this Laurette had answered simply
"I love you dearly, and as long as 1 live
I will be true to you."
Two years later, on Christmas Eve,
DR.. Lyon died suddenly. His daughter,
in common with most persons who
knew him, had imagined him to be a
wealthy man; but after his death it was
discovered that he had lived far beyond
his means, and when all claims were
satisfied a paltry e2O a year was all that
remained for Laurette.
Iti hard thing for any girl brought
up in ease and idleness to be suddenly
turned out of luxurious home and
compelled to earn her own living as
best she may. Fortuna ately Miss Lyon
was girl of sense and resolution, and
she had at once bravely faced the posi-
ton; and though her heart ached for
her fathers loss and she keenly felt the
change of circumstances, she had never
theless calmly accepted the inevitable
and had taken, without ado, the first
situation that offered. Eight years ago
tonight DIR. Lyon died, and for eight
years Laurette had been working hard
as daily or resident governess. Ten
years had rolled away since she and
Herbert parted, and all that time mo
news of him had reached her. How she
had thought and dreamed of him and
longed with heart-longing for letter.
But no letter had ever come; and year
by year hope slowly waned In her
breast, and now it was well nigh dead.
81 shall never see him again." she
thought. "He is dead, 1 know, or he
must have had some good news to send
me all these long years." She kept her
faith to him inviolate. 1t is an easy
thing to be true to an absent lover If no
lover at your side tempts you to break
your word. But Laurette's faith had
been tried by temptation, and her quiet