The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1884-02-08
MY PLAIN LOVER.


I was eoquette. Many lovers heart
had lacerated by refusing their offers of
marriage after l had lured them into a 8 de-
claration" My last victims name was James
Frazer. He was tall, awkward, homely and
ungainly man, but his heart was true as steel
l respected him highly, and felt panied
when witnessed his anguish at my rejection
of him But the fact was, l had myself
fallen in love with Elliot Tracy, a city gal
liant, who had been unremitting in his de-
votiors TO me. James Frazer warned me
against Elliott but 1 charged him with
jealousy and took his warning as an insult.
In few days after Elliott and were engaged,
and my dream of romantic love seemed to be
in fair way of realization. had week of
happiness Many have not SO much in life
time Many awake from the bright short
dream to find themselves in lifelong darkness
darkness and bondage from which there is no
escape Thank God. was not to be SO mis-
cradle as they
There was an equestrian party winding
through our grand old woods and quiet
country roads. Elliott and I led the caval-
cade rode my own beautiful Brown Bess
Elliott was mounted on the handsome
black horse that had been sent him from the
city Following us were bevy of merry
girls and their cavaliers, and among them, tall.
awkard and silent, rode James Frazer. His
presence had marred all the pleasure of my
-. r I. &c &1,,,,,
all that might not see him.
And so we rode on over the soft, sandy road
that echoed not the tramp of our horses hoofs,
and I listened well pleased to the low but
animated words of Elliott Tracy, who wished
himself knight and me a fair lady of the
old time that he might go forth to do battle
for me and compel all men to recognize the
claim of his peerless love. Very eloquently
he spoke of the inspiration of love, of the
brave deeds and perilous exploits it had
prompted, wishing again and again that he
might thus proclaim and maintain his love
before the world 1t pleased me to listen to
this and to believe it sincere, though 1 surely
had no wish to put my lover to such a test.
A shot rang through the still woods, and a
wounded bird, darling past, fiuttered and fell
at the feet of Brown Bess. With bound
and spring that nearly unseated me she
was off.
Struggling to regain my seat, had no
power to restrain her, and even as she flew
the fear and madness of the moment grew
upon her. 1 could only cling breathlessly to
name and bride and wonder helplessly where
this mad gallop was to end. She swerved
from passing wagon and turned into car
track that led into the river In the sudden
movement the reins had been torn from my
hands and l could not regain them. l chung
to the name and closed my eyes that might
not behold the fate that awaited me. How
sweet was life in those precious moments that
thought my last How all its joys, its affec-
tons, its last browning love rose up before
me- thought of the pang that would rend
Elliott's heart as he saw me lying, mangled and
dead; and then the thought would come if he
were pursuing and trying to save me, even as
he had said at the risk of life and limb.
remembered no more. I felt sudden
shock, fearful rushing through the air, and
knew no more until, days afterward, I woke
to faint weak semblance of life, in my
room at home.
Inever saw Elliott Tracy again. The last
words ! ever heard from his lips were those of
knightly daring. The last act of his life,
in connection with me, was to follow in the
to contemplate the disaster from afar, and as
soon as he saw me lifted from the shallow bed
of the river into which l had been thrown
when my frightened horse stopped suddenly
on its bank, to ride hastily back to the village
That evening he sent to make inquiries, and