Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1881-12-01
feet restoratian to health, / was a fire.
quent and welcome visitor at the house.
Neither Of US had ever spoken of love.

quent and welcome visitor at the house
Neither Of us had ever spoken Of love
and yet knew that she, equally wit
, myself, was secretly hoping fora tutur
Of welded happiness at least this hop
was the cherished dream Of my life, AM
alas! like every other, it had its end
Buoyant and elated with my false hopes
| ventured one day to ask Helena's faith
er to sanction our love. The revelation
was anew one to him and with frown
the naughty, purse proud aristocrat bad'
me leave his house and never approach
it again.
| | demonstrated, but to no purpose
even the poor privilege of farewell in
terview with Helena was denied me, ani
| left that mansion of pride and heart
lessness utterly wretched and sick al
heart. Aud | quickly discovered thai
no opportunity was left for clandestine
interviews with Helena. The severity
of paternal despotism had even, as l as
certained, imposed upon her the confne.
ment of locks and bars, upon her posi-
tive refusal to discard me. Her house was
now prison to her.
Embittered by such relentless oppo.
sittion as this, began to consider He.
lena as forever lost to me, and following
the idle impulse of the moment, / started
upon voyage to Europe. Wandering
restlessly over the countries of the
Old World for year, l at length re-
ceived letter from home, which among
other things spoke of the marriage OF
Helena: ] smiled bitterly as the
name Of the husband caught my eye.
The man who was thus preferred to ME
was coarse, sensual and unrefined, but
wealthy and therefore unexceptional to
Judge C. / shuddered as I
Thought of her future-sighed, perhaps,
at the thought of the event ofmy hopes
and superintendent then resolutely
dismissed the theme from my mind,
commenced my homeward journey.
1t was the very day, if l remember
rightly, subsequent to my return to
B, that / was sitting here in my Of
flee, solitary and alone. I had as vet
seen hardly a single one of my former
acquaintance, and more utterly wretch
ed and desolate, if possible, than before
my departure, for, spite of my utmost
endeavors, my thoughts we're constantly
fixed on Helena. ] had almost lost con-
seriousness Of external objects, when q
light rap upon the door reached ME.
There had been an audible step in the
passage, and conjecturing that my visi-
tant was woman, I hastened to admit
her. l was correct it was woman.
and none other than the object Of my
thoughts.
Helena stood in the doorway, but how
changed! So altered was she, that
could scarcely recognize her, her thin,
prematurely wasted face marked with
lines of grief and care, preserved few,
very few, vestiges of the beauty it once
wore The shock which her unexpected
appearance gave me composed me at
once, and closing the door after her, I
placed chair and calmly awaited her
pleasure. She, however, was embar.
rassed and agitated. She remained
standing for moment, slipping ring
on and of her finger, her eyes resting on
the floor. Finally she said in trem-
bling voice:E
"Do not think i'll Of me, Walter, for
coming here. heard of your return
and wished to see you, if but for mo-
nlent. am very unhappy"
Her last words were addressed rather
to herself than to me, and yielding to
her emotion she sank into chair and
sobbed bitterly. Respecting the feeling
which knew she could not control, and
which was momentarily gaining upon
me, turned away until she had an OPP.
portunity to compose herself. :.
'My GRAND here to day." she contin-
ued, sis to return You this ring. You
will remember it, you know. There IS
no person to whom | could intrust it,
and my husband almost daily demands
demands to know the history Of it.
And beside, l wished to say farewell,
forever. Goodby, Walter"
Her hand was icy cold. As L released
it, she turned toward the door, but in
an instant she tottered toward me, her
face blancl1sd to the whiteness ofdeath.
Had not sustained her she must have
fallen to the floor.
"Good heaven, Walter! it is my hus-
bands steps on the stairs" she whisper
ed in o thrilling tone 'You know him,
his iao1oDpx- 10 oIwayc ocfiye-T am 1OSf