Louisiana capitolian., 1880-01-10
FOR E V b r !

ken voice.
Forever" echoed the weeping maiden
by the bedside.
The wasted hands were raised over
the heads of tho knccling figures; the
pale lips of the dying woman parted; the
tongue tried to utter blessing; but all
the brightness faded from the eyes. The
woman was dead.
The two young girls ki,elt ut the bed
side. Constance Owen was the name of
one, with saIlow skin and large brown
eyes; and Edith Ormond, she was called,
witt, ringlcts Of gold floating around
her fair neck, and whose head was lean
ing upon the shoulders of Constance,
who had promised the dying woman to
be sister, protcctor--nothing, ovcn--to
the fair maiden at her side.
The strong, faithful, homely girl call
cd Constance was an adopted daughter
of the dead ladyt-onc of those waits of
the street, whose only home of life is in
charity of some tender hearted stranger.
She, however, repaid her protector by q
love and regard as filial as that of her
own daughter; and, when upon her
dcath-bcd Mrs. Ormond badc Constance
Owen make her the solemn promise re-
corded, the brave girl not only did not
faltcr, but whispered once more to the
stricken girl by her side.
"Yes, Edith, for the sake of the love
your dear mother gave to tho orphan
will love you better than myself--for-
ever"
Two years passed--two years since
Btlith tho beautiful and Constance the
brave had lost their best friend. The
former had grown move lovely even than
the promise df the dawn of her radiant
maidcnhoOd; the latter moro homcly,
larger featured, in the face, but with
years an added dignity of men, q more
intelligent light in tho quiet, tender
eyes, and force of character refined in
every movement. There came many u
suitor to Bonnybrook-so the little
country-seat belonging to Edith was
called-but, so far, tho little coqnette
did not pay much heed to any of them.
Sho was chasing the butterflies of fancy
around the Garden of Eden--first youth.
But at length her beauty, grace, and
perhaps, high social position, brought
one day to the gates of Bonnybrook ono
Dr. Paulding, 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 discovered patients in that vicinity
very frequently. Was it Ediths fair
face that made him take that blooming
highway so often
He was indeed fascinated by her
bright, girish beauty, and one evening
after he had been wandering in the gar
dens under the moon, soft, pleasant
words must havc been spoken, for after
1c had gone, Edith, with flushed face,
dashed into the room where Constance
was awaiting her, said in a happy, trcm-
bling voice:
80! darling, am so happy. Hc has
told me he loved me-"
Constance spoke not word. Edith
was held moment to a beating heart,
a soft kiss touched her forehead, and the
next moment she was alone.
"lIe loves me, he loves me " aud Edith
looked out over the gardens, from which
the dcws of night were distilling all
their odors; she gazcd at the beautiful
moon, and pcoplcd the shadows with
the image of the man who had first stir
red her young life with the divine music
of iavc.
A month after the pleasant confession
had been made, Edith was called to the
mountains of Vermont to attend dying
aunt, the only sister of her dear mother,
and sho had to proceed alone, as Bonny-
brook would have lacked u guardian if
Constance had accompanied hcr-Dr.
Pauldins's duties utterly denying him
that pleasure.
Constance was engrosscd in her house
dnties and saw but little society, save
few rustic ncighbors, who only recon-
mcndcd themselves by their goodness of
heart and certainly not by the brilliancy
of their wit or understanding. Once in
while DR.. Paulding would ride out to
Bonny brook, as Constance told him,
"trom the force of2habit," but soon it
seemed that the man III medicine and
science did not carry on tho conversa-
tion with the old ease, grace and spirit.
What had come between Constance Ow-
en- and himselft Something ineSplica
Sle. The noble woman found strange,
rare pleasure in the society of the gifted
man; the scholarly man a sympathy with,
the largc-hcarted, intellectual woman
which he had never known or experienc-
ed in any of her sex. O
True" he had said to himself, "she
is not beautiful; indeed, measured by
the rules of beauty, she is positively
ngly. But who can guage the charms
of Il melodious voice, or define the ten
dcrness of an honest, kindly eye''
An she, too, mused in this wise:
"rhis DR.. Charles Paulding is mar
vellously gifted man. What power of
language, what treasures of imagination
he possesses What noble career he
has before him and Edith"-here she