The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1880-04-21
FOREVER 7
BY HARRY HARDWOOD LEIGH.

NPromisep'
/ "I do, solemnly." -..l 20 ...
"Forever? continued the solemn,
broken voice. .... ... .....I,.
Forever" cried the weeping maiden
| by the bedside.
The wasted hands were raised over
the head of the kneeing 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.
Two young girls knelt at the bedside.
| Constance Owen was the name of one,
with sallow skin and large brown eyes
and Edith Ormond, she was called, with
| ringlets of gold floating around her fair
neck, and whose head was leaning upon
! the shoulders of Constance, who had
promised the dying woman to be sister,
protector-mother, even-to the fair
maiden at her side. eHns-. --r- q
The strong, faithful, homely girl
called Constance, was an adopted
daughter to the dead lady-one of those
waits Of the street, whose only hope of life
is IN the charity of some tender-hearted
stranger. She, however, repaid her
protector by a love and regard as fila,
as that of her own daughter; and whenl
upon her death-bed, Mrs. Ormond bade
Constance Owen make her the solemn
promise recorded, the brave girl not
only did not falter, but whispered once
more to the stricken girl by her side
eyes, Edith, for the sake of the love
your mother gave to the orphan will
love you better than myself-fOrever"
Two years passed-two years since
Edith, the beautiful, and Constance,
the Grave, had lost their best friend.
Theformer had grown more lovely, even,
than the promise of the dawn of her
radiant maidenhood; the latter more
homely, larger featured in the tace, but
with years sn added dignity of mien,
more intelligent light in the quiet,
tender brown eyes, and force of char
acter better defined in every movement.
There came many-a suitor to Bonny-
brook-so the little country seat belong
ing to Edith was called-but, so far, the
little coquette did not pay much heed
to any of them. She was chasing the
butterflies Of fancy around the Garden
of Eden-frst youth. But at length
her beauty, grace, and, perhaps, high
social position, brought one day to the
gates of Bonnybrook, one DR.. Paulding,
a 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 be dis
covered patients in that vicinity very
frequently. Was it Edith's fair face
that made him take that blooming high
way so often?
He was indeed fascinated by her bright
girlish beauty, and one evening after he
had been wandering in the gardens 'un-
dersth moon, soft, pleasant words must
have been spoken, for after ne had gone.
Edith, with flushed face, dashed into
the room where Constance was:awaiting
her, said in a happy, trembling voice:
+" Oil darling, I am SO happy. He has
told me he loved me"
Constance spoke not a word. Edith
was held a moment to beating heart,
a soft kiss touched her forehead, and
the next moment she was alone.
@"He Iovessme, he loves mep' and
Edith looked out over the gardens, from
which the dews of night. were distilling
all their odors; she gazed az 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 themountains Of Vermont to attend
a dying aunt, the only sister of her dear
mother, and she had to proceed alone,
as Bonnybrook would have lacked
guardian if Constance had accompa-
MED her-Dr. Pauldings duties utterly
denying him that pleasure.
Constance was engressed in her house
duties and saw but little society, save q
few rustic neighbors, who recommended
themselves by their goodness of heart,
and certainly not by the .brilliancy of
their wit or understanding. Once and
awhile DIR. Paulding would ride out to
as Constance told him,
g from the force of old habit. but soon
II seemed that the man OF medicine and
science did not carry on the converse
ton with the old ease, grace, and
spirit. What had come between Con-
stance Owen and himself? Something
inexplicable. The noble woman found
q strange, rare pleasure in the society
Of the gifted man; the scholarly man q
sympathy with the large-hearted, in-
tehectual woman, which he had never
known or experienced in any of her sex.
"True." he had said to himself. Z" she
is not beautiful indeed, measured by
the rules of beauty, she is positively |
ugly. But who can gauge the charms
Of a melodious voice, or define the ten
1erness of an honest, kindly eye?
And eshe, toos unused in this wise:
= This DR.. Charles Paulding is mar
gifted man. What power Of |
anguage, what treasures of Imagination
le possessesl What noble career he
las before him: and Edith"-here she
would pause and think of that clinging /
endril, not as helping the growth Of the
,ak, but as drawing from its strength.
Yet from all such thoughts as these
Ter staunch and loyal heart would res
'lutely turn away yet for all this her
Deeeh would not come as "triDpinglv
N the tongue as la the old days, ana
le would Oftentimes finish 8 sentence
n the middle of it. and then lose him.