Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1886-06-09
yentured after a moment

envy poor child" he gently respond
ed, "your own mother Is no longer
alone in heaven. He left you his bless
ing-and one day you will meet him
again"
"Was-was it smallpox"
ssYes," was the reluctant reply
"And I have been i'll, too?"
every i'll, my poor girl-so near the
valley of death that the shsdwows all
but encompassed your life!"
"Bring me a looking glass"
l stared breathlessly into it's crystal
depths. Thank heaven-I was pale,
worn, haggard, but not SCARED with
the hideous prints OF the disease | nad
been battling with.
Chow does it happen that l am not
marked p" [ asked, with deep respir-
alton of thanh fulness.
Through your stepmother's unin-
permitting care, day and night Isabel,
you ought to love her very, very much,
for if ever guardian angel dwelt in hui
man form, she has been one to you'll"
Was my body nodded out OF ada
mant. instead of mortal flesh and
blood? For | hated my stepmother
still! I thanked her, it is true, but
her gentle sigh told me she was not de-
ceived by the empty form of words.
/ was just convalescing sufficiently
to sit up when Col. Tresselyn came to
our house. He had been an old school
friend of Estelle Raymond before she
married my father, but it so CHANGED
that I had never seen him.
He was tail and handsome, with
large, black eyes, rich brown skin
and face and figure like the sculptured
representative of Apollo! And the
soft, Southern grace of his manner
was as fine as it was attractive to me.
The first day that | knew / had
fallen in love with him was the day
that I first fancied his manner had
a deeper shade of tenderness than its
won't toward my stepmother.
The light flashed blindingly, bewilder-
ingly in upon my soul! My beautiful,
hated stepmother-she was not then
content with stealing from mother
less girl fathers treasured love, but
she must fam take also away the
dearest Jewel of q woman's life-the
heart of the man she loved most dear
ly.
l had recourse to my usual panacea
for a sore heart-solitude | sought
the lonely depths Of the autumn-tint-
ed woods to think and dream and
burn in upon my heart the pas
sionate consciousness of my own
grief and isolation. And | could not
have told whether | had been there
three hours or only three minutes,
1-01oo1 +Io loof oh IoI oioloc
beyond, were foated gently to my
ears-my stepmother's tones mingled
with the sweet, deep accents OF Col.
Tresselyn. They did not know | was
there, but had neither the spirit nor
the pride to reveal my presence.
cit is useless, Ralph, Estelle's sweet
voice spoke. 81 know that | am still
young in years, but such things as
love and marriage are over for me"
"And you will not benny wife ?"
''No, Ralph-but it is not that do
not esteem and respect you"
"You send me away from your" he
said, in a somewhat piqued tone.
"There you are wrong again, Ralph.
| would fain keep you by my side as q
dear and valued friend. Ask Isabel
to be your wife-she is young and
beautiful, with rare richness Of ma
ture and heart which will appreciate
you as you deserve. AS Isabel's hus-
andyou can scarcely fail to be happy,
for
And here the growing distance and
the rustic OF the leaves drowned their
receding voices, and | sat there with
exultant throbs in my heart. Ought
I to have been indignant? Should [
have spurned the adulation which had
been laid first at another's shrine? |
can only answer that loved him!
In that hour my manner, as we'll as
my heart, altered toward my step
mother-and on the evening when
Ralph Tresselyn asked NE to be his
wife, / went to her and told her of it,
with my arm upon her shoulder and
my heart pressed close against hers.
"I am so glad, Isabel" she
whispered, and not alonethat you and
Ralph are to be happy, but because l
think you have finally learned to love
me"
81 doloveyou, mother! " whispered
softly.
Mamma" l said, caressingly, one
day, when we had just returned from
our wedding tour, 81 wonder that you
didn't like him ?"
''Did I ever tell you. Belle, that I
did not like him?"
care you in earnest ?"
.Just thus far she answered, 'sthat
might have learned to love him as a
wife had I allowed myself to do so.
But, Belle, there were two obstacles
in the way-your dear fathers memory
and your own happiness. read your
heart, dearest, and knew that Ralph
need only to do so, too, to love you
as you deserved"
'And you have sacrificed yourself
for mel" I exclaimed, almost rever-
entity, as if there were something saint
like in her gentle beauty.
cit was no sacrifice, Isabel. Any
feeting fancy I may once have felt has
vanished long ago, aDd am more
than happy in your happiness!
And so the unselfsh, steadfast love
Of my stepmother conquered my willful
nature at last