The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1885-01-16

IeuulTeU.
Two months were thus spent in
wooing then early in the springtime
the sou would set sail to join his lordly
cousins in the Continental tour, from
which he would return in autumn and
claim his Southern bride. Zoe heard
this plan whispered between Adele
and her future mother-in-law and with
secret JOY counted on the overthrow of
one who treated her with daily in.
creasing severity or insolent scorn.
Adele's love had not softened her TEN
per; on the contrary, it doubled her
! eXactisns.
She may have detected her cousin s
admiring eyes as they rested covcrtly
on her pretty maid, or it may have
been tn girls exasperating beauty,
but the tvrannical orders and changes
and cunning devices TO exhaust Xoe's
strength and patience would have sue
ceeded were it not for the orphan
sustaining love and hope. The trial
would soon be over; in a few days the
handsome heir would sail and she with
him as his wife. All their plans were
pr Iperly arranged. lie would start a
day IN n alvance and be- prepared to
meet her in New York with a clergy
man when she secretly followed him.
The assurancesshe had received that
thi. heartless plan to burden his fu-
ture with loveless. uncougenial wife
was totally without his sanction ren.
dereG Zoe pitiless to her tormentor.
Her hrm belief in a future triumph
over the narrow distinctions of social
life quieted her conscience towards his
parents, and for him she had only un.
| bounded faith and immeasurabe love.
Still she hoped and even hinted that
he would give the heiress cousin at the
last to understand that his heart was
irrevocably fixed on another-cruel and
relentless as she was-and hard as she
had made those months of servitude,
Zoe pitied her now that the end was
come.
Her small parcel made up ready
when the time came, Zoe stood in her
little attic chamber on the morning of
the last day. Her lover had charged
her to remain there during his family
leave-taking and thus avoid suspicion,
aud she had promised. Only one day
of separation and then those two
should be united, never to part. She
had received his instructions how to
leave the city, where to meet him, etc,
and now looked through the fan
shaped window that she had opened
wide down upon the waiting carriage
below.
A wild yearning to hear his voice,
to be near him, though unseen, over
came her, she forgot her pledge to
stay away and stole softly downward.
They were in the library, the door was
open and from the spot where she had
crouched on the staircase she could
not only hear, but see the group as
they gathered round the table.
The father was speaking. 1t was
in reference to Il legal paper that lay
before them, one which Adele had at
the last moment produced for her
cousins signature, aud to which that
young gentleman seemed to have re
ferred with spirit of wounded pride.
The parents were both concillatory
his father begged him to remember
that it was merely written agreement
in the spirit Of his own voluntary
promise. His mother subjoined that
1t was perfectly natural that Adele,
who gave 50 mach, should desire some
palpable proof Of his dnvotton-some
actual m"m,nto of an affection to be
tried by long absence.
"And have | not given her my sol
emn word-my oath--that she and
she only reigns in my heart, protested
the son, with noble warmth 1T
seems like doubling a passion | have
SO often sworn to--a love so unspeak-
able aud changeleSs that--but | will
sign it with all my heart, Adele only
do not doubt me it seems to tar my
poor heart"
A>trange sound, like some one strang-
ling for air, was heard for an instant,
but Adele, in speaking, closed the
partly open door and it was lost.
She merely meant to defend her pre-
caution. at was her terror of the ef-
feet of separation she said, "but it
was all gone uow," and so they parted
fondly and hopefully and father and
son entered the carriage. As the
coachman started the horses wild cry
was heard high up in the air, and Just
as they cleared the cross street there
came flying through that little gable
window a straight and slender form,
like an arrow from bow, and with
dreadful sough it fell upon the side
walk and never once moved afterwards.
As the carrige iolted over the cobbles
the elder man saw it; his companion
was fastening the window at his side
and thus missed the dreadful sight.
The father did not allude to the oc-
cumence, which was the cause of the
young gentleman's taking some useless
trouble on the following daY, for he
aud merry young college friend, got.
ten up in clerical black, waited nearly
Two hours at the boat landing for Zoe
to appear, when at that very moment
she was lying in the dead house of the
hospital, whittier she was carried, after
Il vain attempt on the part of the
crowd that gathered around the body,
to elicit a response from the suddenly
closed up Walnut street mansion,
Two facts were much commented on
at the time by the excited populace,
who took an interest in the body of
the dreadful creature" as Adele call
ed her when assuring her future nam
ma-in-law shat she always had crazy
eyes" First, the hardness of heart on
the part of "the quality who only
threw out an old sheet to cover the
quiet form that had taken such des-
perate flight, and second, that wild as
she must have been, the poor thing
had some sort of wit about her, since
she had not only bound a cord around
her lower skirts, bu. tied a small cush-
ion across her face.
Who knows but it might have been
touch of sarcasm in her to preserve
the beauty that had cost her so dearly7
At all events she did save it, as | have
heard from the lips of those who