The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1883-03-30

huud ituus
"MIss ANNA MORTIMER: Please say
to your father that upon reflection !
have regretfully concluded to decline
his invitation to accept his hospitality.
Circumstances uninterssting to you pre-
clude the possibility of my availing my
self of the honor he has conferred on
me.
"With heartfelt Acknowledgements of
your kindness, believe me, very respect
fully yours,
"SAMUEL EDWARDS"
ooh, papa, this is too bad What has
happened?' was all Anna could say,
disappointment and regret in her voice;
for during the last few days of the voy-
age the young people had been much
together, and from admiring her hero
she had come to find him indispensable
to her happiness.
"Happened, pet? Why, nothing that
l can see. Probably he is afraid we may
think him intrusive, and out of delcacy
he declines an invitation that, under
other circumstances, he would accept.
Anna, like the fellow. He is bright,
educated, and has considerable tact.
Suppose You write him an invitation
Then he will come, I am sure
The General only desired to evince
his gratitude-nothing more.
He could not see or know that he
was aiding his daughter in an act
which, in her timidity and bashfulness,
would have seemed an impossibility.
Anna needed no second invitation to
carry out her fathers suggestions; SO
she wrote to Edwards, expressing her
regret at his inability to accept their
invitation, and asked him as favor to
herself to call on them before he went
away.
She knew he was going away-some-
thing told her so.
He was going because he was afraid
she might not love him.
His actions on the last days they
were on the vessel plainly told her this
She despatched her letter by mes
senger, who returned only to say that
he had gone.
"Gone where?' she anxiously inquir-
ed
"The gentleman said, miss, he was
going to Scotland"
"To Scotland!"
1t was even as she thought
Now she knew only too well that he
was very dear to her, so dear that she
would have liked to hold her hand out
to him and say "Stay Stay for my
sake y
But would he stay?
Did he really love her?
If so, why had he gone without a
word?
He was too proud to ask for her love
that was it.
These and hundred other perplex-
ing, heart.moving questions filled her
mind.
She was unused to care, almost child
ish in her whims and loving impres.
sions, and she could not look at this
trouble from any but a selfish point.
Her worried heart became more and
more entangled in the meshes she was
weaving, and she was unequal to the
burden.
She had no one to whom she could
go excepting her old and doting father.
Yet she could not tell him all; she
was ashamed to own that she loved q
man because he had saved her life-a
man who was a common sailor, of whom
she knew absolutely nothing
She bravely concluded to suffer alone
Poor little injured soul!
She thought of martyrdom, and con
soling herself that she was a martyr
sought her room and wept.
Two years from the day that Anns
wept vainly for her lover, she gave {
party to a number of ladies and gentle
men, members of an art society of Edin
burgh, who were on visit to Boston.
Two years had brought no change
in her old feelings.
, She was still true to the man whC
had saved her life.
He had written her once, just eubse
quent to his leaving, that was all, ye
that letter she guarded with jealou
care.
4 Her love-dream was not DER; sh
had grown stronger, more resolute, ant
more than ever convinced that with hin
only could she be happy.
Her sfather knew nothing of he
trouble; he knew only that she ha'
changed.
} From being lively, childlike gil
she had grown to be a woman-a wo
, man with purpose, who had set ou
TO accomplish task, and was detern
t ined to do it.
Tonight gay assemblage met a
: her residence.
, Great painters and musicians wer
y there, and all were commingling in tn
g joy and pleasure of the hour.
i Men and women told of struggles, {
h privations, of exertious that had brougl
}. them to their goal, and all felt the
were bound by tie of success and pa,
!. adversely,
81 am glad to hear you say, NJ
!. Rappelo, that the paintings of that ne
l. artist, Mr. Gordon, have scored a su
d cess, | believe you told me he had bee
e offered five thousand dollars for sing
G picture
r "Yes, Mrs. Adams; not only has !
e been offered a handsome price for IL
" painting, but understand that the a
$ society of Liverpool have offered hi
an additional sum for copy of it,"
"What is the subject of the plctur
,r Mr.. Rappelo?" asked Anna.
81; is marine scene; a young i
lie struggling with the waves, and her re
20 cue by sailor--Are you i'll, Mi
u Mortimer?
"No; sir-=oply aspasm-I am su
r, ieet to them, hut about the pictul
t who did you say was the artist3"
OF ~ believe his initials are Samuel
ne But you are certainly i'll, Miss Nor
IN mer2"
ne She had arisen from the table whe
they were sitting, and excusing hers
q for a moment, passed. into anotl
ld room.