Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1884-03-27
an 0rigiual Stprg.
Written for the Yorkville Enquirer.
AFTER EIGHTEEN YEARS..
CHAPTER V.
She said, My life is very dreary;
He cometh not, she said;
Sha caid Il am aWaarY aWearX

Marion more bitterly repented of any action
of her life, than she did, after Carroll's de-
parture, of her share in the quarrel which
had estranged them, and sent him ott IN an
ger and unhappiness.
Looking back upon it, the whole affair
seemed so pitiful so uncailed for ! she was
generous enough to take the whole blame
upon herself. She had known her Cousins
disposition sufficiently we'll to be able to eX-
crse his impetuosity- had certainly Civ
en- him ground for offence-she might so
easily have soothed his jealous feelings by
q candid eXplanation-why could she not
have subdued her pride, and sought re-
conciliation instead of augmenting his dis
pleasure by her naughty demeanor
It was true, he had approached her, on
their return from the picnic, with an as
sumption of authority which had seemed to
her unwarrantable, demanding, as right,
concessions which, if more humbly sued for,
she might have been willing to grant. He
had accused her of coquetry and tickleness,
and stung by his injustice she had proudly
refused to defend herself or place her con-
duct in a true light. Goaded by her seeming
coldness and Indifference into expressions OF
resentment which in a cooler moment ne
would never have uttered, he hadprovoked
her finally to make the short, fatal speech
which had ended everything
"Since you have such ideas, and such an
opinion of me, it is clear that we must part.
Henceforth we can be nothing to each
Other-our engagement is at an end"
And then she had swept from the room,
to see him no more save for one brief mo-
ment when the household gathered in the
early morning twilight to bid him goodbye,
and when she felt that in order to avoid
remark she must not absent herself from
the group. Was it the strong restraint ne
put upon his feelings, or was 1T real lndlf-
ference, that had made his farewell SO cold
his hurried handshake, his averted glance
seeming to denote that the affection ne had
so ardently professed was now quite dead:
She could not tell. She only knew that with
hisdeparture weight of sadness, of fremorse
hitherto unknown to her had fallen upon
her spirit, and tears, the most sorroWful she
had ever shed, had bedewed her pillow
when she found herself alone. Each pass
ing day brought her the hope that some
letter, some message, might come to her
from Carroll-some token of forgiveness, OF
reconciliation desired; but such hopes were
doomed to repeated disappointment. Her
uncle received more than one communlca-
tion from him before his final departure Tor
Virginia and then she learned that he was
gone, gone without an effort to repair the
breach between them, and she told herself
that his love was indeed dead, killed by her
folly and unkindness.
The grief which this conviction Brought
her grew deeper. Instead of diminishing,
and her thoughts dWelt upon her allenated
lover, and upon The tenderness she had
crushed and cast aside, with q regret that
only became more poignant with reflection,
and which gradually resolved itself into q
fixed melancholy, too evident to escape OBJ
servatiOn.
AS her family had been quite Ignorant OF
the love between herself and Carroll, they
of course felt no Suspicion of the true state of
affairs. Her uncle remarked the change in
her manner and appearance, and question:
ed her with much concern regarding its
cause for the old gentleman was partlcu-
larly fond of this orphan niece, the only
child of favorite sister, who had commend
ed her, when dying :" his care.
"What ailsyou, my pigeon ?" he asked her
one day, drawing her to his knee as she
stood near him. II miss your merry laugh,
and pleasant songs-I don't believe have
heard one since Carroll went away"
but fearing to betray what close connection
indeed existed between her Cousins absence
and her own low spirits, she forced a tone
and look of cheerfulness as she replied with
the assurance that nothing was the matter
she had only felt little unwell lately, and
she supposed that had made her NOPE.
''But you mustn't mope-it isn't like you,
pet, and it troubles me. You are alwaysthe
sunshine of the old mans home, you know,
and he can't afford to see it clOuded over"
And then he asked her various questions
concerning her indisposition. Was it head
ache? Was it any other pain? Was livery
bad ? Would she not see the doctor? Until
she was fain to assure him that she was now
much better, that it really did not signify
it was only the heat, no doubt, which had
made every one feel goOd-fOr-nOthing. AT
ter that, dreading farther remark, she con-
strained herself to appear more cheerful, and
went about without giving outward sign OF
the grief that consumed her-a particularly
hard task to one whose nature was so averse
to dissimulation as hers but it was task
came to her aid.
Sometimes a suggestion arose In her
mind-Why not write to Carroll, and con-
fess herself at fault?
Acting suddenly upon an impulse one
night, she drew forth her writing materials,
and with hasty, nervous fingers penned a
letter, entreating his forgiveness and assur-
ing him that her affection for him was un-
changed. Then-just as she was about to
sign her name-came the thought
What if his affection were changed! Too
be the case. Should she humble herself
cast her heart at his feet, when, perhaps, he
would no longer value the possession OF it:
With burning cheeks, she tore the letter
into a thousand fragments, and reduced
them to ashes. Never would she run the
risk of profering her love unsought.
The summer was past, and Autumn
came-Autumn, with its melancholy winds
and fading bloom, drearier season than
it had ever seemed before. a new anxiety
had begun to make itself felt at the Grove.
Why did no tidings come of Carroll?" His
uncle had heard from him, at intervals,
always during his absence, but now a
much longer time than usual had elapsed
without tidings. Many of our readers can
remember the eagerness with which papers
were searched, after each engagement, for
lists of the killed and wounded-can recall
with what feverish anxiety, what sickening
suspense, news was waited for, after every
was 50 precious to these waiting hearts.
Such accounts were as anXiously sought
for at the Grove as elsewhere; and though
Carroll's name had never appeared in the
lists of casualties, yet his long silence, en-
suing upon the important campaign in
which he had taken part, seemed fore
boding of some evil. For considerable
time, Judge Warner refrained from ex-
pressing his fears, being unwilling to cast
a gloom over the young household; but at
length they outgrew the power of conceal
ment, and he was fain to share them with
the rest. And now it became Marion's
Office to console him-NIarion, whose own
heart responded only too completely to his
doubts and dread. She spoke to him en-
couragingly of the uncertainty of the mails,