, 1880-05-24
Forever.
. Promise !"
~ -

& l do, solemnly."
broken voice.
Forever" echoed the weeping
maiden by the bedside.
The wasted hands were raised over
the heads of the kneeling figures; the
pale lips of the dying woman parted,
the tongue tried to utter blessing
but all brightness faded from the eyes.
The woman was dead.
Two young girls knelt at the bed
side. Constance Owen was the name
of ore, with salIow skin and large
brown eyes, and Edith Ormond, she
was called, with ringlets Of gold float
ing around her fair neck, and whose
head was leaning upon the shoulder of
Constance, who had promised the dy-
ing woman to be sister, protector
mother cven-to the fair maiden at her
side.
The strong, faithful, homely girl
called Constance was an adopted daugh-
ter of the dead lady-one of those
waits of the street, whose only hope Of
life is in charity of some tender hearted
stranger. She, however, repaid her
protector by a love and regard as filial
as that OF her own daughter, and when
upon her death-bed Mrs. Ormond
bede Constance Owen make the solemn
promise recorded, the brave girl Eot
only did not falter, but whispered once
more to the stricken girl at her side:
eyes, Edith, for the sake Of the love
your dear mother gave to the orphan
will I love you better than myself
forever" .aElE
y X x i x
Two years passe5,-two years since
Edith the beautiful and Constance the
brave had lost their best earthly friend.
The former had grown more lovely
even than the promise of the dawn of
her radiant maidenhood; the latter
more bomely, larger featured in the
face but with years and added dignity
Of mien, more intelligent light in the
quiet, tender brown eyes, and force OF
character better defined in every move
ment. There came many suitOr to
Bonny brook-so the little country-seat
belonging to Edith was called--but, so
far, the little coquette did not pay much
heed to any of them. She was chasing
garden of Eden-frst yo1..n. Bat at
length her beauty, grace, and perhaps
high social position, brought one day
to the gates Of Bonnybrook one Dr.
Paulding, superior and rising young
physician, ~ho lived in the city close
by, and when he had found his way to
chat pleasant country nook, somehow
he discovered patients in that vicinity
very frequently. Was it Edith's fair
face that made him take that blooming
highway SO often
He was indeed fascinated by her
bright, girlish beauty, ana one evening
after be had been wandering in the
gardens, ander the moon, soft, pleas
ant words must have been spoken, for
after he had gone, Edith, with flushed
face, dashed into the room where Con-
stance was awaiting her, and said in
happy, trembling voice:
go ! darling, l am SO happy. He
has told me he loved me-"
Constance spoke not word. Edith
was held a moment to beating heart.
and soft kiss touched her forehead,
and the next moment she was alone.
s'He loves me, he loves mel" and Edith
looked out over the gardens, from
which the dews of night were distilling
all their odors; she gazed at the beau
tiful moon, and peopled the shadows
with the image of the man who had
first stirred her young life with the di-
vine music of love.
A month after the pleasant confess
sion had been made, Edith was called
to tie mountains of Vermont to attend
a dying aunt, the only sister of her
dear mother, and she had to proceed
one, as Bonnybrook would have
;ked a guardian if Constance had &C.
mpanied her-Dr. Paulding's duties
or1v 1onv;r ~ b;,,, khok ,o1ooc,,,n