The Orangeburg democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1879-1881, 1880-06-11

heart by your charms years ago,
seems now to he increasing TO q
/ deeper and stronger sense of your
loveliness. Pardon me if my con fes-
sion >adlens you, but l love yon,
Mabel, with tie purest and holiesl
sentiments of nv heart, and feel that
without you my life will he o hopeless
future Of sadness and gloom. u ad
never seen you us ! now behold you,
time might possibly have erased from
my NJ mory the tender associations
of the past with which you are con
nected, but now feel that the impres.
sion of our loveliness can never fade
from my mind"
He ceased speaking, and stands
awaiting her reply.
Her eyes have been fixed upon the
rippling water while he is speaking,
but us he fnIshes she raised them to
his face. Not shade of color man
Ties her check, and she looks at him
almost haughtily.
"Mabel, darling, do you under
stand me? | l3ve you more than life,
for without your love life will be
worth nothing to me! Mabel will
you he my wifc?"
And still she is silent. A minute
passes, bat it seems an age 10 him,
and then she extended one little hand
toward him. With a glad cry he
caught it in his own and carried it to
his lips. And this is all. He would
give wo Ids for The privilege of clasp
Ing her in his arms anil pressing unr
passionate kiss upon those ripe, rub,
l'ps, but he knows too we'll Tie cold,
naughty nature Of thus glrl who has
"ut just plighled her faith TO him.
They turned and walked silently
away in the gathering twilight, down
the lung road that leads To the village,
and night spreads her aombre mantle
ger the earth.
The day Is done and darkness,
Comes upon the wings of night,
AS II tea her is waited downward,
From an eagls' in its flight.
q
But the scene changes. Spring has
failed in,u Summer nnd the last days
OF Summer are slippin' away.
II is social gathering in the viii
lage. The soIt, mellow lampliyht
falls upon many a beautiful face
there, that needs hut the opportunity
and they would ou,rival the boas,ed
charms of many an acknowledged
''el!e Of lhe c,ty ball roum. Again do
l see the maiden l saw upon the
hridne in the early spring time. Blu,
the youth is not with llcr now. Bv
her side sands dark, coarse man.
who seems TO have more Of the brute
in his composition than is usually al.
ln,ted to man. And yr, lhis refined
di2nllied girl is smiling up at him rs
she ne, cr SMILED upon The yOu'h who
plead SO passionateIy for Il l. love
but few months ago Where is he
nov: Ah, l have jus, discovered
him. He stands further hack in The
shadow beyond this couple. and they
are certainly mol aware nt his pre-.
-rncr, for he is / Z SUBJECT Of their
conversation. Why does he lccn for
ward and listen SD in'entil to their
conversation? Why indeed! He has
jn>L learned that the oulv womun he
ever luvr'i is false to him-ihal she
has iu>"h with his hearts deepest ai-
fiction N,llfullv, aud worse than all
else hc haas canned That sue loves The
dark. evil man / her side.
M"' hanicaiiy he tears The glove he
has just drawn from his hand into
small rirccs. and d.ops them, one b,
one N on the floor. there IS u hitter
ia ca>l'c smile upon his lace rs III.
watches the couple, WHO fancy them.
selves unolservch amid the crowd.
Unobscrvrd by ihrm he leaves the
room and the hruse.
All alone, with zone save the AL
seeing eye to watch the struggle, does
he wies with that love. And, rs
'lic grey dawn lifts nights dark cur.
am from The earth, he has conquered.
But At what cost! In this battle
What has he lost? Confidence in wu-
men. hope Of heaven and faith in
God. And he has gaincd-nothing.
The scene has closed. The past
JOINS to The present. The pictured
face smiles down upon me from the
wall. | arouse myself from the
dream and am again the hard, cold
man of the world, and
II take up the burden Of life again,
Saying Sadly. 1T might have been"