The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1885-06-12

Z III VII thHb iSShbh.
All! at that moment, to quote from dear
Miss Bremen, ''our souls met"
Mysterious sympathy of passionate
young hearts.
His eyes, upon a nearer view, were gray,
but their expression was full of poetic SEN
sibility. They beamed with that tender
Difference, half wistful, half wicked, hard
est of all looks for even little woman to
all do.
There was, now and then, a mysterious
shade Of sadness over his brow-an inter-
esting Lara-like frown, that came and went
in that festive hour. | OWNED that, young
as he was, he had Lad great thoughts and
ambitions, great sorrows and sins, or
meant to have them, which was all the
same.
At parting, he begged from my bouquet
a sprig of %geranium, which he placed in
his bu%tton-hole s.for remembrance Then
he asked leave to visit me, which | grac-
iously accorded. Then we murmured our
adieux.
| went home with my head among the
stars. My dear, absurd as it may seem, |
really believed | had that night met my
destiny, and met it, on the whole, in a very
satisfactory shape.
did not know just when to look for my
admirer, but | was ready for him, morning
and evening. | grew strangely careful of
my dress. | a~ssiduously brushed and
eurled my hair. | applied cosmetics to my
sun-burnt face. / slept in kid gloves.
These alarming symptoms were not I'M
derstood by my tender mother; but she no
ticed that my manner had grown quiet and
maidenly, and took great comfort thereat.
Six days | waited in vain. The seventh
magic number! brought-not him, but a
letter. 1t was a dainty-looking missive.
all rose-tinted and gilt-edged. This was
before the time of ~envelopes-a remote age
bordering on the drift period, you may
think, in the insolence of your nineteen
1t was directed-this letter of letters-in
one of those rearing Italian hands once so
fashionable. 1t was sealed with lilac-col-
ored wax, and the seal bore the motto
how well | remember it. though | didn't
in the least know what it meant then-of
"~7ouJoar's tidele."
With my heart beating into my finger
tips, | broke the seal opened the letter.
The very first line was startlingly %unequiy-
ocal-"W dearest Looe!'
Without waiting to read another word, |
turned the leaf to look at the signature;
''oh! my prophetic soul.'-it was John
Trevalyan.'
| made nc copy of that letter, and fond
memory has been a little unfaithful in re-
gard to the exact wording. | know that |
read it with great satisfaction-in especial
a lover-likc inventory which it contained of
my most amiable and admirable character
istics. There were things set down there
that | had supposed known only to myself.
Toward its close the letter assumed a
practical tone. Il will, with your leave, :"
it ran, 'call on your father in a day or two
In the meantime, love, perhaps you had
better confide our dear secret to M one,
unless it be your brother Tom"
All heavens. tie letter acds not for me :
Alas. | had no ''brother Toni
Providence had been bountiful in sons
to our house. Dur cup had run over with
that particular sort of blessing, but the re-
cnootaI1a ~ Of Thomas bo1 cnunaInr
never struck my mothers rowing fancy. At
the baptismal font she had never given it
in.
Fatal omission.
'Madanl, you might have saved me from
this"
I re-sealed that letter. | sent it with all
dispatch, and a courteous apology, to my
double, now my rival. | was wretched,
but | could not be base.
r Y
Yes, she married my John. After that,
| got no more of her letters, which was
some consolation.
No. she was not pretty, even on her
wedding day but she was charmingly
dressed.
John still lives. He has grown rich and
stout. He has no longer the Greek ex-
preston; but the Byron peak on his brow
is more pronounced than ever. OF all the
beautiful enthusiasms Of his youth, that
for fast horses alone remains. He has. |
believe, never been So unhappy or wicked
as he promised to be, though. for a time,
he fell into evil ways, and was sent to the
Legislature.
Ny double has made several visits to
Paris, and has grown fonder and more al
fat of dress than ever. As she has no
children, she gives her whole mind TO it
but that's not much"
| never could think her the companion
for John in intellect and soul, never, in
truth. could help thinking that, if had
had a fair start-if | had had her clothes
if | had had a brother Tom-it might have
But ah-
all sad words of tongue or pen,
The s:tddest are these 1t might have been T"
The government bureau in Vienna has
found that out of 100, 600 persons who have
passed 80 years of age, GO, 900 are women.
In Italy 24t female ~eentenarians are found
and 141 male The weaker vessel for