Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-01-02

"1ike jewels wrought
With gold, highthought
I'd set in song Tor thee;
But take not worse
This little verse
OF trust that lives in me-"
Only after l had read these verses did
I recall Romco's confidence about
verses 'swrit when everybody was
asleep;'' and then, too, | first recog-
nized the handwriting we had adj
mired so much on the package of
battlefield mementocs. l told no one
of this new knowledge that had come
to me in such astrange way, but simply
handed the paper to Romeo, to be
placed by him under his comrades
pillow before it should be missed.
Not long after this the h%ospitable
matron received a letter from her old
friend Christina Rossiter, just back
from Europe. She wrote:
s'The circumstances which led us to
90 abroad were so embarrassing, and
even painful, chat neither to you nor to
any onedid Iwish to make them known.
1 do so now because 1 wish to ask your
aid in making what little amends I may
for my own well-meant, but mistaken
acts. You know, my dear friend, how
entirely my whole life and thoughts
have been concentrated upon n pur-
pose, namely--the welfare of my
daughter Eta. You know the promise
of her early years, and how it justified
my motherly devotion. 1t was my pur-
pose to spare no pains in cultivating
her unusual musical gifts; to give her
the best training this country could
furnish, and afterwards the best
masters abroad. Knowing, as you do,
the unhappy experience Of my own
brief married life while still in my
teens, you will not be surprised that an
other thing upon which l was firmly
resolved for Eta was that she should
never marry, or make an engagement
to marry, until old enough to make
something more than a child's choice in
so important a matter. l kept her out
of general society. gave up the house
in New York, and removed to the lovely
and quiet village of Nyack, twenty
four miles away, which offered
likewise the attraction of agood school,
with a fine master of vocal culture.
Alas! it had also another attraction o
which | had not counted, and before I
was aware Of it Eta had given her
love to Professor Hatch, lecturer on
English poetry. | wonder now, look
ing back, that 1 had never thought of
this danger, for Etta's enthusiasm for
poetry is second only to her love of
music. myself attended the lectures
on Spenser. Indeed, it was during
these that I discovered the ever-new
meaning with which the Professor rem
dered the old lines:
"And ever when his eie did her behold
His heart did SCENE to melt in pleasures
manifold"
He may have been a very worthy
young man; he probably was. No one
seemed to know much about him, be-
yond the fact of his residence in New
week to deliver the Institute lectures
that furnished his support while he was
writing a p%oetical composition. In
my sorrow and disappointment chose
to treat the whole affair as a youthful
fancy on both sides, and exacted from
both that they would hold nocommuni-
cation with each other during the
two years that Eta and
1 should remain abroad. BY
this test ! wished to satisfy myself that
it was likely to be an enduring love; be-
sides, l could not abandon my lifelong
ambition for Etta's musical culture.
She did her best, poor child, to satisfy
me; practiccd with faithfulness; but
with ad'straughtmanner t~hatconvinced
me that her thoughts were
often far away, and read the
'Faerie Queen daily. The out
break of the war decided our return
somewhat before the expiration of the
two years. Almost as soon as we had
arrived we learned that on the first call
for troops Professor Hatch enlisted,
and is supposed to have been killed in
the battle Of Bull Run: Poor Eta has
said little, but the stricken look in her
face is a constant reproach to me. She
seems now to have but n wish in life
to serve as a hospital nurse. l shall
make no obstacle; but l shrink from
the thought of her going to some far
away post, alone and unprotected.
Can you, my friend, find a place for her
with you? 1t would give her the use
fulness she seeks, and would be a great
comfort IT,
Your sorrowful friend,
CHRISTINA RossITER.
Our good matron was very glad to
accept the proffered service, and
thought best to confide to us the whole
story, lest sometime we should unwit-
tingly wound the feelings of her new
assistant. The story excited our warm
est sympathy. We waited with eager
ness the expected arrival, and were full
of all sorts of tender plans for such
comfort and happiness as we might be-
able to bring her. Our affection for
the unseen Eta was almost as great
as our hatred for the unseen Duessa.
Twas atthe hospital when she came. A
slight. fairyoung creature, nearly a head
shorter than |, yet with q firm, steady
look in her large. sad eyes that one felt
that here, Notwithstanding her youth
and p%etiteness, was a woman to lean
upon. How picturesque and lovely she
looked when she haa donned tho
nurses cap, aud was ready for duty!