West-Jersey pioneer., 1883-04-19
bought of marrying at all, until she be.

| cOmIOrtaOle III not as luXur1OuS as the
| one she had shared with M. Valentin;
! and all that she could ask for was show
cred upon her with generous profusion.
Their dwelling, two or three miles from
the heart of Montreal, was surrounded
with trees and Towering shrubs of every
description Inside there was every
comfort that loving heart could sug'
gest The heart of Hortense awoke to
life, to love, to happiness, and to see her
thus, rejoiced that of her husband.
Two years of almost unmingled bliss
went by, but the third year commenced
with some alarm for the health of Eu-
gene Twice had Hortense seen him
draw handkerchief from his lips, that
was stepped in blood; and often his
nights were passed in coughing until ma
ture was exhausted, and the morning
sleep found him drenched in the terrible
sweats which so surely portend con-
sumption. Hortense struggled against
this new and terrible sorrow. 1t was
the first time she had watched over one
dear to her, and the first time she had
seen the effects of this insidious disease.
and hope and fear alternated in her
breast, until at length she hoped against
all hope, and the blow came down upon
her all the harder that she had not
schooled herself to feel its approach.
1t was hard to see him part with the
mute evidences of his brief happiness.
Every window where he sat with her,
every arbor where they had rested,
every tree under whose shades they had
walked or whose trunk he had carved
with her name, all received a farewell
look
"How can l part with you, dearest p
he asked, after his painful journey round
the rooms and garden.
Eugene do not name it," she said
''you will break my heart
But you must hear it, Hortense. l
cannot stay with you long. Thank
heaven that leave you above want.
Promise me, dear, that you will never
leave this home. Trust me. l will be
with you in spirit when the form is laid
in the earth; watching, guarding, if pos
sible, speaking to YOU"
1t was his last night on earth. When
the morn broke his eyes were closed in
the slumber of death.
Hortense wandered for months about
her beautiful home like a perturbed
spirit. There was nothing that had
been touched by Eugene that had not a
solemn and sacred value in her eyes.
The trees he had planted, the bowers he
had formed, all had meaning to her
that no one else could understand; and
yet upon each one of these and upon
her whole heart and life seemed written,
the glory has departed"
| 1t is time to go back to the days of NJ.
Valentin, and see what became of the
fond husband, the courageous adven-
turer At first he was almost distracted
at the thought of parting with Hortense;
but once the Rubicon was passed he be-
came more calm. A few years, he
thought, would find them together
never to part; and perhaps they would
be all the happier for the separation.
Full of hope he went to the mines of
Australia. Day by day he wrought
there, enduring hardships unheard of
before, but bearing them with the cour-
age and fortitude of hero. Ever before
him was the word Hortense. 1t nerved
his arm in the rough mines, when he
struck his iron in the gold dgiving SOIL it
soothed him when he lay burning with
fever in rude shanty in the mountain
his thought by day and his dream by
night was still his own Hortense. Not a
word, however, ever reached him from
her; and often he shuddered at the fear
full probabilities that arose to his mind
Hortense might be sick, suffering, might
deem him dead or unfaithful, no, that
could never be-she would have faith in
him as in the sun. Come what would
she would not be shaken in her trust
But as he lay in the miserable she6
which held his sick bed he would have
given worlds for one glance from hel
eye, one pressure of her hand, to show
that he was not forgotten, and as ht
watched the stars overhead shining
} through the crevices of the low roof
: he thought that if Hortense were deae
!; she would appear to him then in hi
: need.
The rude miners were too intent OF
gain to watch beside his bed, and man,
were the long days and nights in which
he lay unattended. Aid came at last il
shape of a child-a young boy who's
J father was at work in the mines, ant
: whose mother supported herself an,
child by washing. Hours did little Bel
: Coles sit beside him, watching ever.
: movement and trying to give him ease
or, bringing water from the spring, h
, would bathe his fevered forehead with hi
| little Ben, and on his recovery, M. Val
, entin made the laundress happy by pro
viding for the boy.
| NJ Valentin had been richly rewarde,
for his enterprise. Gold had showere'
in upon him in almost famous profusior
: and now he seriously thought of return
a ing home. Somewhat enfeebled by hi
t late illness, he was struck with disma
at again being prostrated, and to fin
/ that his disease was the dreaded smallpox
That he lived through this was only b,
s cause his constitution was SO exceller
}, that even this enemy could not vanquis
e it. He did live, but his own mothe
could not have known him, SO deepl
g SCARED and disfigured had he becom
d With his first returning strength he ST
r. out for home.
{. Hortense Montreal were now the b.
o ginning and end ofhis aspirations. On
It only thing marred his joy on the hom
le ward route. Would Hortense love tt
SCARED and disfigured face that locke
d at him from the little glass in his cabil
le Would she endure the long, shage
l,<s,sd lao bod boon lalad