Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1881-12-17
FoREvER AND FOREVER
apromIse ~


FOREVER AND FOREVER.
"PromIse ~
aI do soIemnly."
sForever Pr continued the solemn
broken voice.
ftForever," echoed the weeping
maiden by the bedside.
The wasted hands were raised 0v-
pr fine heads of the kneeling figures;
the pale lips of the dying woman
parted the tongue tried TO utter
blessing, but all brightness faded
from her eyes. The woman was
dead.
{ The Young girl knelt at the bed
side. Constance Owen was the
name of one, with sallOW skin and
large brown eyes; Edith Ormond,
was the other, with ringlets of gold
floating around her fair neck, and
whose head was leaning upon the
shoulder of Constance, who had
promised the dying woman to be q
sister, protector, mother even TO the
fair maiden at her side.
The strong, faithful, homely CIR!
called Constance was an adopted
daughter of 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, how
ever, repaid her protector by love
and regard as filial as her own
daughter, and when upon her death
bed Mrs. Orinond babe Constance
Owen make her the solemn promise
recorded, the brave girl not only
did not falter, but whispered more
TO the stricken girl at her side.
/. Eyes, Edith for the sake of the
love your dear mother gave to the
orphan will / love you better than
myself-forever."
And darkness was in that cham
Der, desolation in the hearts Of the
mourners.
Two years passed-two years
since Edith the beautiful and Con-
stance 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 home
Nv. large-featured in face, but with
the two wears and added dignity of
mien, a more intelligent light IN the
quiet, tender brown eyes, ana force
of character better defined IN every
movement. There came many suit
ors to Bonnybrook-so the little
country seat belonging to Edith was
caIled-but, so far, the little coquette
did not pay much heed to any OF
them. She was chasing the butter
flies of fancy around that garden OF
Eden-first youth. But at length
her beauty, grace and perhaps high
social position, brought one day to
the gates of Bonnyhrook one Doctor
PauIding, 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 discOv-
cred 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, and one ev-
euing after he had been wandering
in the garden, under the moon. soft,
pleasant words must have been spo-
ken. for after he had gone, Edith.
with a flushing face, darted into the
room where Constance was await
ing her. and throwing her arms
around her, said in u happy tremb-
ling voice:
"Oh! darling, I am so happy |!
He has told me he loved me-"
Constance spoke not word /; Ed
| it'll was held moment to beating
! heart, a soft kiss touched her fore
head. and the next moment she was
alone.
"He loves me |" And Edith look
ed out over the gardens from which
the dews of night were distilling all
their odors she gazed at the round
beautiful moon, and peopled the
shadows with the image of man
who first stirred her young life with
the divine music OF love.
A month after the pleasant con-
fession had been made Edith was
called to the mountains of Vermont
to attend dying aunt, the only sis
ter of her mother, and she had to
proceed alone, as BonnybrOok would
have lacked gurdian if Constance
had accompanied her, DR.. Pauld-
ing's duties utterly denying him
that pleasure.
Constance was engroSSed In her
home duties and saw but little So
ciety, save few rustic neighbors,
who only recommended themselves
bv their goodness. of heart, and GER
tainly not by the brilliaDcy of their
wit or understanding. Once in q
while DR.. Paulding would ride out
to Bonnybrook, as Constance told
him, "frOm force of old habit" but
| soon it seemed that the man o.
4 medicine and science did not carry
on the conversation with the old
ease, grace and spirit. What ha0
come between Constance Owen and
/ himself? Something inexplacabie.
The noble woman found a strange
rare pleasure in the society OF the
gifted man, the scholarly man had
a sympathy with the large-hearted
intellectual woman which he haC
never known or experienced in any
of her sex. "True," he said to him
self. ssshe is not beautiful; indeed
measured DY tIS IulCS W OC0UtS
she is positively ugly. But who
can gauge the charms of melodi
Gus voice, or define the tenderness
of an honest kindly eyer"
And she too, unused in this wise
This DIR. Charles Paulding is mar
velously gifted man, What pow
ers of language, what treasures o
imagination he possessed! What
noble career he has before him
And Edith"-here she would pause
and think OF that clinging tendril
not as helping the growth of thu
oak, but a. drawing from it
strength. Yet from all sucl
thoughts as these her staunch anC
loyal heart would resOlutely turf
aWay-yet for all this her speecl
would not come as "trippingly OF
the tongue" as in the old days, ant
he would often times finish sen
tence in the middle of it, and theI
loose himself in vague glances a
the ceiling or out into the garden
oh, it was dangerous time TO
both of those awakening hearts
But they gIided on this treacherou
stream, and seemed only consciou
that the hours were sweet and tina
the sun shone on the waves. Their
was no thought of disloyalty in ei
Their heart. He was above all
man of honor, and she of ali 10y
al woman. Yet how hearts delud