Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-09-18

| love to be profaned By being laid open to
/ scoffers is a thought that fills NE with
! dread. The ribald can find Jest IN the
| hol!est of matters, and to have your sweet
name made byW0rd by the careless would
wound me keenly. But, OF surety,
I shall find some means of sending lew
words 10 you, and perhaps you may hear
! concerning me from my enemies, who
| make loud boast that they have crushed
and taken prisoner Montrose and his army
| Therefore, sweet, It's only farewell for a
| few days that I am writing ROW. Only,
| Janet, do not flatter yourself with false
! hopes. There viii be no pardon for me.
| Nor do desire one. MOntrose doomed to
| die. could not wish to live.
| Heaven help me if these words seem I'M
| loving to my sweetheart; but my lie has
proven so unlike my imaginings Oft. Ny
! sweets have become bitter, my golden
visions black realities: all my ends so diff
! ferent from my beginnings. | ana too near
my death to think Of new possibilities.
can but 90 over the events OF my life, and
dream of my Janet
Sweetheart fare thee well, and grieve
no. nightly over your true lover, is.
! P.S,-The sun is shining brightly to-day,
Janet, and long for you with q consuming
longing 4 little gust OF wind, full of the
/ fragrance of the heather, has brought back
| TO me memories of YOU. The glad days we
spent together among the heather, sweet
| It maddens ne to think Of them. How
careless and happy We were, and how bonny
you were Janet, thoughts Of joy, when
| the soul is overcast by sorrow, are like the
| tOrtures Of hell
III.
Janet, in reviewing those gTaces in you
| that | had loved, had often been in doubt
as 10 what manner of yours pleased me
| best. | doubt no longer, for | know now
! that l loved your manner most when you
braved bolts and bars and the tyranny Of
my enemies whom fully forgive, even as
pray the Lord may forgive mel, and the
| churlishness Of rude .iailers, so that you
could kiss me good-by, sweet
The joy of it. Janet, you cannot i'm
agine what this glimpse CT you has been
70 me.
Sure | an that there never breathej so
proud condemned felou, nor one with
half such Just reason to rejoice. Since
Jauet-her fears f0rgotten-came to me in
my prison cell, what matter letters or
aueht thar my enemies can urge against
me-? If all thai which their malice can in
vent can be chroniclcd to my disparage-
ment. no one will believe aught that is bad,
since Janet kissed me!
When you entered my cell peTchance
YOU observed that / was tongue-tied, that
no words could force their way 70 nv lips,
that my eyes seemed dazed and could not
realize that it was my dearest mistress
standing before NE. You were SO pale and
wan, love, your pitifui face has haunted
me ever since.
Sweet, / am to die; you know it,
swear to YOU that death has lost its bitter
ness since l have seen you. You cannot
imagine how the thought that l should
never see You any more has pursued me.
Night and day, since the disastrous day
when we lost all, | have yearued for a
glimpse Of you, and yesterday you gave
Ii to rue.
Sweetheart, who was to have been my
wife, if it were not for you / should feel
right glad that my short span OF life is
nearly over. Twonty-six years only have
lived, and have already seen the death
Of all I cared for.
fear no death, not even that on the
scaffold, but | fear 10 carry about with me
into the next world that great unassuaged
desire-the desire for you, Janet. | cannot
shake it off, it overpowers me. 1t viii out
last life; nay, Oullast death. Yea, on the
very Judgment day twill be you only that
will bring peace to my tortured soul.
Brave heart You have suffered so much
for me that l scarce like TO lay another suf-
ferance on you. 'Tis great boon crave
of you-no need to urge you by telling you
It's the last. know you well, Janet, and,
knowing you, scarce hesitate to crave this
last favor, which, if ii be not too great, l
pray you grant.
Janet, will you see me die?
Not in the midst of the crowd, sweet, but
in some secluded spot, whence, when my
last moment comes, you will murmur
through your tears, Dear soul God give
him rest He loved me we'll"
To tell you how / love you were impos-
sible; to make you understand what you
have been to me in sweetness and tender
ness since the first day my eyes fell on
you, equally impossible, and to bid you
good-by most impossible of the three. For
though my pen cease writing, l shall not
cease bidding you farewell until the ak
sewers my head from my body (if, indeed,
I am favored so much as to die by steel in
lieu of rope, though it matters but little to
me-; even then long 'go0d-by'' to Janet
will be found on my lips by those who can
read such language. Even now / have
omitted to give you thanks for your sweet
pleadings in my behalf. Twas grest grief
to think that you should thus humble
yourself for my worthless liles sake; yet
was it grief mingled with sweetness, for
had You not braved all for me? And
nothing can humiliate you, sweetheart, not
even the churlish denial which the boon
you crGved met with from my emsny; but
l thank you again for your courage. / love
you for It; twas like you.
The little sprig of rosemary, Janet, still
lies close TO nay heart. There viii 1t lie
until nay heart beats no more; and then,
when am dead, nethinks It must blossom
out afresh from my grave. Was II not
love token from you? Can such love IS
ours, or its emblems, ever die? 1t must be
everlasting. A little stir in my cell tells
me they are coming to announce that |
must soon make ready to dia-that death
will claim me from Janet.
II but die as molly ls MontroSe did, 50
that my dearest heart, in days TO come
when she can bear to talk Of it,, VIII mar
rate, her voice thrilled with pain, and
hope little pride, how her true lover met
his death You Will be quite old then,
Janet, your soft brown hair silyered, your
eyes dimmed, your voice quaYering, and
shall be everlasting young. Janet, gone 10
my death in the fullness of my years. /
wonder shall have long to wait for you,
Janet2 Are you going to leave me lonely
Tor long, my Drlue
Oh, Janet must now write my last, last
words to you feel that [ have not lived
my life quite in vain, since it mas been
given to me to gain your love. My whole
being gives you Unutterable thanks for the
inesiimable boon of your affection. You
have sweetened my life, Janet, have even
robbed death of its bitterness. And ! love
you with my whole heart, nor have ever
loved another maid but YOU.
can scarce write the word " farewell. F"
Methinks it should scoTch the paper. See,
sweetheart, | have kissed this Just here.
Law your warm lips on the spot when mine
are cold. Alas that they should ever be
Inexpensive to yours.
Janet, there is scarce moment now. |
must cen hasten to finish, so that this may
reach you in time. l pray that you may
get it.
There is no sadder thing than farewell
in all this sad world of ours. All earthly
regrets are gone, save only my regret for
Janet, and -. Good-by, sweetheart.
Fare thee well. j.. S.
The Lady Jane being roth plighted to
the young and gallant J. Spottiswoode who
was one of the noble Marquis of Mon
uose's most devoted followers, being in sore
distress at news OF her lovers imprison-
ment and sentence to death, herself craved
the boon of his life from his enemies,
which was, however, denied her.
BY dint of courage and resolution she
penetrated the walls of his prison and came
alone, the night before his execution, TO