Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1883-04-12


in whose house | had passed twelve
month-Mrs. Lucien Granger, a distant
cousin of his own. | was an unsalaried
governess or companion, our remote
cousinship being always made avail
able by my uncle. 1t was during my
residence with that lady that my fate
came to me. A young nephew of Mrs.
Changers came to the hall. He was
an artist, young and handsome, and
fresh from a four years sojourn in
Rome.
need not weary You with the pro-
logue or the epilogue of our love, for
words are SO poor to express the
hearts utterance. o golden days! 0
tender, passionate nights! o princely
heart, come back to mel
Alan Leighton was the last son of n
high-born family, and because of the
blue hlood-tbo united blood of all the
Howards-llowing in his veins, Mrs.
Granger interposcd her fiat against
our love, dreading, doubles, the pie
beian admiXture of mine.
1t is pity that blood does not al
ways tell. 1t was an inglorious triumph
to me, yet still triumph, to bare my
white arms to the shoulder during our
gala nights-to which my voice was
always inyitcd-contrastng their
satiny smoothness and perfect contour
with the lean, brown appendages Mrs.
Granger folded over her aris.ocratic
heart.
But a cloud crcpt into the sky, and
its shadow fell across our path.
Alan was called suddenly by tele-
gram to England, where his grand old
father lay dying. We had but mo-
ment for our farewells, for Alan's
heart was rent with sorrow, and
helped to expedite his departure.
But one letter ever reached me. His
father was dead, and he was Sir Alan
now.
"Mr Precious HELEN: My father,
whom | loved and respected above all
men, died yesterday. need not tell
you how desolatc we feel, and how the
light seems to have died out of every
nook and corner. My dear mother is
Frustrated with the blow which hos
taken away the lover of her youth, and
| shall not be able to return to YOU for
some weeks. Announce our betrothal
dearest, to my aunt and uncle, which,
you know, was my intention the very
night | was called away. Be true to
me, my darling Helen. as | shall be
true to you. Good night, my love.
shall write at length rs soon rs the
mother and | have maturcd our plans
for her lonely future. Good night,
good night. May angels guard you,
and may tho good Father told about
you His everlasting arms. Your friend
and lover, "ALAN LEIGHTON"
Two years had dragged their slow
length along since that letter CAM,
and had never heard from Alan,
though craving his presence Us the
prisoner Graves the sunshine. | had
written him once, and | had regretted
even that. "lIe was soon to be welded
to an earl's handsome daughter" Mrs.
Granger read aloud from an open let
ter in her hand; "in fact, it was an old
affair, prior to his visit to the hail." etc.
How regretted had written. thouoh
the words had been few, merely asking
II he had been enabled to procure me
certain book we had made mention of
together, and the time was more than
a year ago when had the right thus to
address him. And now! o pitiful
Christ! another woman was to he his
wife, and must never think of the old
days, or the old dreams, or look into
his dark eyes, or feel his kisses upon
my unkissed lips! Never, and MIGHT
live fifty years.
And oh, the pity of il. out of all this
worlds million possibilities | had only
the chance oftwo-eithert to wed Rogin-
aid Dacre, man old enough to be nv
father, or to be a companion to some
naughty woman. had decided upon
accepting Mr.. Dacre. The tiny note of
barely two lines | had placed between
the leaves of book it was his NIGHTLY
custom to read.
But, Alan! but, Alan, | had thoucht
him so true, so noble. | had called
him ''my prince .'luy king" alone
in the warm dusk under the stars.
IL will not soil thy purple with nv
dust" | had whispered in my heart.
Nor breathe my poison ON thy Venice
glass; i went down In tbn
sea to listen to its sullen roar hpor il
tell its tale of human misery; of fair
faces dead under lis yovos. ~ roid and
Jewels living on green beds of moss. of
zone down, the wall of human
misery their requiem. tried to re.
member all this, so that mine miCht
not seem such great thing amid n
world of sobbinp and toars II was
good thing to think of the sufrnrings of
others, and trv to IGNORE yonr Own.
good thing. But, nv misery, tbe
misery of the girl called Helen Prcstoni
This girl was somewhat of n genius
the people said. She nossnssed tbn
rift of song, and she was handsome
loo. men said, And she had two
chances in the world. and II She hod
had money enough IN b,vo n,;Ii1od hor
pift of SONG She miobt have had ,bron
Bnt She had smirched ber soni for
all her beoutv and a;fts. had hoen
false 10 horsolf 10 Cod and hmn,ou;,,,
false too IN ReginoIJ nocra fnr ~
Kent her love for Alan lockaJ in bnr
hcnrt '" " ~
81 have sold NV soul for borsos and
ands,n she said. "onJ nm wrotch
3D."