The Penn's Grove record., 1885-06-13
Sony POOR LOVE-.

gently it was gliding into eternity. No
eminent physician watched It's decay,
no wealth eased its painful ioltings
along the road to death; yet no murmur
passed Clara Testers lip, no ~traitorous
cry that her burden was greater than
she could bear came from her loyal
heart. Pain had traced many a wrinkle
on her fair forehead, but her brows had
never been drawn together in angry i'm
patience.
She was dying, a sweet flower in the
great garden of poor suffering human
ity, fading away like the summer roses;
and only the elderly village doctor and
old Margaret, her faithful attendant,
knew how uncertain were her days on
earth. Long before when the hopeless
ness of her case and the imminent dan
| ger in which she lived had been made
known to her, she had begged that her
condition might be kept from her SIS
ter's knowledge.
So Bel Urmson, loving her sister de-
votedly and tending her daily, was kept
In ignorance of her danger and never
suspected the slenderness of her hold
on life. But then Clara had been deli
cate from her childhood, and, since
that dreadful morning when news came
to them that the steamship CdlUnpore
had been wrecked off the African coast
and Captain Testers name had appeared
among the passengers drowned or miss
ing, his young bride, Clara Lester, had.
as Margaret expressed it, never raised
her head. Death and her sister were
however never associated in Bel urn
sons mind.
Three years had run their course since
the wreck of the CdCnpore, and Cap
tain Lester had never come back to his
wife; and now, she whispered to her
self, she was going to him. As night
succeeded night, 50 surely did she take
that one step nearer home; and, looking
back, she marked without fear or trem-
| bling the rapid progres she had made.
But one link of care still DOund her
soul TO earth, and that was her sister
Bel - Bel, who was four years her
Junior. Before Bel had attained her
eighteenth year she was engaged to be
married to Lieutenant Haywood; but a
misunderstanding had arisen between
them. and they had parted.
SIT is as well to say we agreed to
separate as anything else," Bel OBJ
I 0CLNCu WILL COIoldCl1 ~ OlkbC lAOoJ w
her sister, when the inq~uisitiveness of
a sister had forced her to acknowledge
the annulment of her engagement; sit
hides the ugly truth that he Tilted me. -
"Bel dear, | am SURF there is only
some foolish mistake between you, and
some day Lieutenant Haywood will
come back to you, and everything will
be explained"
But Bel had laughed scornfully at
Clara's prophecy, and refused to place
any confidence in it. Her dlsappolnt-
ment had shaken her faith in human
goodness and integrity. But gradually
Clara Testers influence effected a
change; and two years later Bel urn
son had learned to love again, and was
once more engaged to be married.
Mrs. Lester had hoped to leave her
sister in a good mans care before she
was called away, and Bells engage
ment had given her much satisfaction
for John Harvey was wealthy and a
man of education, and, if she could on
ly live to see her married, she would be
content on the succeeding day.
'If l only couldl" she murmuTed,
with that sore longing which only the
sick experience.
Bel was seated on a low stool by
her coach, her chin resting on her hand
and her eyes gazing yacantly on the
ground. She had been silent a long
time, when suddenly she spoke.
81 thought he ought to know that l
had loved before, and SO | told him the
story of my love. Was | rightP"-and
she turned her dark handsome face to
her sister, while her glorious brown
eyes seemed to repeat the question,
"Was l rlght?"
Quite right" Clara answered; ''you
have only fOrestalled the advice / in
tended to give you to-day. And he,
Bel-what did Mr.. Harvey say?"
A blush crept up to the girls cheeks,
and her eyelids dropped for an instant
as she said
81 don't think he liked it. Clara-he
looked SO disappointed; but he said very
little. Tell me" she continued, as she
gently caressed the small fragile hand
she had taken between her own rosy
palms-''is a girls first love SO unique
that no subsequent affection can equal
FTP"
"There must be a peculiar freshness
in the first budding Of love which can
not be repeated in any after-bloom; but
/ think that Is its only charm, for a
girls love is very often very foolish"
Like mine," Bel quickly remarked.
perhaps it was foolish, but it was true
--ah, so truei-while he" She
paused, and a sheer rested on her lips.
81 could not have been his first love.
could II" she asked, with a short Bit
ter laugh.
"Hush, Bell" her sister pleaded, a
panied look on her earnest face. II
thought you had forgiven him and for
gotten the past"
81 have forgiven him" she answered
gravely, but no exercise of volition can
make a mortal forget an injury. Does
not the disfguring scar remain to keep
II in remembranceI"
"Only for a while. Time viii so OBJ
literate yours that some day you will
wonder at the insigniheance of what
you know consider a great wrong"
81 ear never regard it lightly" and
tears trembled in Bells soft brown eyes
for it lessened me in Johns estima.
tion last evening. know 1t did, though
he, poor fellow, tried to hide the fact
by greater tenderness to me, 1t is
strange he should grieye for what an