The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1883-01-05

pine for the home that is at this time
locked in the icy arms of winter
81 should not wish TO exchange Egypt
for New York, but / am longing to
commence our Nile journey. Then l
will gather by the way lotus blossoms
for your pillow"
81 would that they might indeed
possess, not only the forgetfulness of
sorrow, but of sin. Then I should owe
you lasting debt Of gratitude"
He spoke bitterly, and the girl look
ed up at him with surprised, question
ing eyes and then, with little ripple
of laughter, she replied:
"One would think you were an es-
capped convict, Mr.. Latimerl"
"You have guessed it, ! feel as if l
were indeed fugitive from juctice."
81 do not understand your meaning.
/ was simply joking, aud you are
almost Hercely in earnest"
"Alasl / think was bewailing the
tendency of life's tide to drift us into
wrong currents. But here come the
patriarchs of our party. Forget, Rosa,
that l am anything but dreaming
misanthrope, out of which your lotus
blossoms are to bring me into the Ely
stun of forgetfulness."
After this conversation, by her quick,
womanly intuition, Rosa came to know
that some secret sorrow or anxiety was
pressing heavily upon the heart Of her
friend; and from that hour she gave
him that tender sympathy which is so
near akin to dearer relation.
But could she have known of the
miserable tidings which those de-
spatches from his mother brought to
Edmund Latimer-of the perfdy of
his wife--of her quickly drifting to
the bad-of her loathsome vice of
ihebrety-of all the dismal tales of
her fall,-her pity would have been
great indeed.
"You know" said one of the letters,
show often / cautioned you about per-
mitting Mary to have ale and wine so
freely But you either would not lis
ten, or else were too weak to cope with
the will of that wretched woman l
assure you her career has been swiftly
downward-a disgrace to our name and
her sex She has forfeited all claim
upon your love or respect, and is now
where she should ever remain, in an
asylum for such wrecks-placed there,
heaven be thanked! by her own family.
You have simply to regard her as dead
to you"
All the days they drifted on the Nile,
or wandered amid the ruined greatness,
the haunting vision of the woman he
had loved and promised to protect,
never left Edmund Latimer. In her
dashing, imperious girlhood, or as the
selfish, money-loving, -bibbing,
heartless wife, until he grew pale and
wretched, she seemed ever before him.
And over and over again he was upon
the point of telling his uncle everything
though the affectionate regard and
needs of the good old gentlemen caused
him to refrain.
So they drifted on through the win.
ter, and out of Egypt, through sunny
Italy, into little and beautiful Swiss
valley.
There the old friends, Podham and
Dinsmore, took cottages, side by side,
and with gardens joining each other.
Over the rude, stone fence, which
divided them, ,clambered fruit and vines,
making a green hedge, through which
opened little gate; and into this
tangled maze Of bloom was daily
wheeled the armchair of the fast-fail-
ing invalid father of Rosa Dinsmore.
And in this peaceful spot Edmund
Latimer had in reality found his lotus
blossoms. At least he had accepted
the condition of things, with philoso.
ply, if not patience; and so he dream
ed away the summer days in the dan
gerously sweet companionship of a
pure, white womanhood, such as Rosa
daily demonstrated. He was content
to live thus, with eyes sealed to certain
probabilities which time must bring.
Together he and Rosa climbed AL
pine heights, or read sonnets beneath
some verdant shade, with Uncle Jep.
tha as apparently blind to the danger
of such intercourse as any male. He
perhaps thought his nephew proof
against such charms as youth, a lily,
and rose-blooming face, with golden
tresses, a sylph like form, and a voice
OF wonder sweetness.
At all events life went on undisturb
ed in the two cottages, until one day
old Mr.. Dinsmore coughed himself
into a hemorrhage, whose red tide
floated the good, old, loving soul out
of the world.
Then there was great CONSERVATION
in the little Swiss cottage. Rosa lay
PROSTATE for time, with grief at hel
loss, but with her hand close claspet
in that of Jeptha Podham, who lde
spite his expressed hatred of the sex
had tenderly elected himself to the
position of parent to the bereaved girl
When the day had ended she arose
with the conviction that she had in
dulged in useless grief sufficient,
long, and her duty lay now with tn,
kind old man who loved her, and VIII,
would henceiorth care for her until sh
could be placed with some distant kin
dred of whom she knew very little.
"Uncle Jeptha," said she, smilin,
sadly through her tears, "you are yer,
weary. Will you not 60 home LIE
me walk with you The AIR will do m
good.'
With the help of his cane and he
arm, they traversed the distance be
tween the cottages, and at the door o
his home Rosa put up her pretty lip
and received his goodnight kiss.
Edmund was attending to the nece:
sites for the interment of her fathel
and consequently she was left alon
with her two servants. The BRAY
girl dismissed them for rest, intendin
to keep her weary vigil alone.
part of the time she sat by the deat
or in the deep embrasure of the viii
dow of the little sitting-room, lookin
out upon the moon-lighted garden.
AT length, while thus occupie,
she became aware of the presence
some one lurking about the place
she had caught the shadow of SON
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