Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1882-10-23

ISAAC WILLIAMS.
Mother! Oh, mother it will break my
heart ~ walled Odalitc. sinking at the lady's
feet, land dropping her head into her hands,
face downward to the carpet.
The lady gently raised her child took her
i'll her arms and tcnderly caressed her, mur-
muring softl-,.
"No, my ow: hearts never break, or one
heart, know. must have broken long ago.
Besides" She added in Il trmer tone
Honor must be saved, though hearts be
sacrifcedn
"'Honor' mother, dear? l do not under
stand. do not see what honor has to do
with it. Or if i. has, | should think that
honor would be better saved by nv keep
ing faith with LIE than by breaking with
him! Oh, mother! mother 1t will kill
me!' moaned Odalitc
My child, my dear girl, hear me listen
to reason! Leonidas Force hasno claim to be
remem bcred by you. You have never been
engaged to him. You were but q little girl
of thirteen when he went to sea on his first
voyage, three years ago, and you have not
seen him since. What possible claim can
he have upon you, since no betrothal exists
between youT' gently questioned the lady,
tcnderly running her fair fingers through
the dark tresses of the young head that
leaned upon her bosom.
"Oh, mother" replied the girl. with q
heavy sigh, II know that there was no for
NAL betrothal between lie and myself-but
-but-we all knew. you and father and LIE
and / M knew-and always knew. that we
two belonged to each other and would
ARRAYS belong to each other all our lives
lie and never thought Of any other fate
Idle, childless tancies, my poor little
girl too trivial TO cause you these tears
Wipe them away, and look clearly at the
higher destiny more worthy of your birth
and beauty" murmurcd the lady. pressing
her ripe, red lips upon the pale brow of her
darling.
''Oh, mother, do not ~ant II higher dcs-
Tiny! L 90 not want any destiny apart from
Lc. And these arc not childish tancicS, and
not trivial to me. Oh, think, mother, lie
and were playmatcs as far back in my
life as | can remember. We loved each
other better than we loved any one else in
the whole world. You and father used to
laugh ut lis and pretend to be jealous; but
we saw that you were pleased all the time: for
you both intended us for each other, and we
knew it, too, for father used to say when
he saw how inscparablc we two were: SO
much the better: | hope their hearts will
not be estranged when they grow up" And
our hearts have ncrcr become cstranred
from each otherr'
'Oh, yes, dearest, know that there was
some speculative talk when you were child
rem of uniting you and Leonidas. so that the
name of Force might not die out from Mon
dreer. But never really approved of mar
rying cousins, Odalite, merely to keep the
family name Oh the family estate"
"But, mother. darling, lie and | never
thought of the family name and estate; we
only thought of one another. And, besides,
we are such very very distant cousins-only
fourth or fifth, | think-that Mat objection
could never be raised. Oh, mother dear
mother do not compel me to break with
lie! can not! | can not Oh, indccd, I
cannot = she cried, burying her face in the
lady's BOSOM
Elfrida Force caressed her daughter in 81
lence.
Presently Odalitc lifted her head and
pleaded:
'He is coming home so soon now, and so
full Of hope! He expects to be here by
Christmas; and he expects-oh, yes, know
by his last letter that he expects to-to-to
=" The girls eyes fell under the compass
sionate yet scrutinzing gaze of her mother
and her voice ialtcrcd into silence
TO marry you early in the new year,
suppose you mean, dear
Yes, mother
''lIc did not say So
no, mother, dear, he did not say so, in so
many words, but from the whole tone of his
letter he evidently meant so. Father thought
he did, and even tried to teaZe me about the
New Years wedding-askingm how many
hundreds should need to buy my wedding
clothes"
What was it he said in his letter that
leads you to suppose he has any such ex-
pectations? | confess that I saw nothing
of such an intention when read the let
ter"
Only this, mother. but it was very sisni-
iicant. He wrote that now he had Inherit
ed Greenbnshcs and all his Aunt Laura's
money, he was rich enough to resign from
the Navy, and he need not go to sea any
more, nor ever part with me again; but that
he could stay home, repair and refurnish
the house, improve the land, and farm it on
all the new principles, and make the place
a naradise for lis to live in He wrote