Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-10-31

first meeting, irrssistibly dre~ me
seross to The Luxembourg Gardens.
Besides, | wanted movsment--to escape
from myself-to forget; but do What
| would, my two loves few by my side.
Ard rou, cav again there ara no pre-
destined meetirgsi vas passing tbs
statue Of Cleueocs Isaure, vhcn | met
Fannie valkirg slosly, ssdly, leaning
on The arm IT her grandmother. l
vent straight to Der. | bowed to the
old lady. and held out my hand to the
fckle one. She gave me hers with all
her accustomed grace.
al thought, (" she said, 81 was never
to see you sgain."
"And you lost no time in building
between us the Crest Wall Of Chins."
"And very naturally Monsieur |
could not wait your good pleasure for
ever"
Then everything is really ended ?
You are going to marry tire-eating
colonel?"
The pallor of my face must have
pleaded for me. Fannie also grew pale.
She turned towards her grandmother,
who said to me fraskly:
You ask for her hand. Have you
not just taken it?"
seized FanDie's hand again. "God
be praised :" | exclaimed, wiping
AWAY my two last tears.
CHAPTER VIII.
THE WEDDING-RING.
Three weeks later, beHming with
Joy, | entered the Church Of st. Thomas
Aquinas. Madame de Saints-Preuve
sas on my arm. We followed my
father. on whose arm leaned Made
moiselle Fannie. Can you believe it
The first figure that my eyes fell on
was Msdemoiselle Yvonne, who had re-
gained her stately beauty, although her
cheeks still renamed little pale. This
gave q blow to my heart. Madame de
Sainte- Preuve was handing me the
weddiDg-ring, saying there had not
been time TO have our married initials
engraved on it. This wedding-ring |
let drop and vsinly searched for.
Great CONSERVATION Several friends
tried to help ne in finding it. ! i'm
plored one Of them-it was Gerard de
Nerval-to run to the nearest jewellers
and buy another. Gerard had already
started when Mademoiselle Yvonne
who had found the lost ring restored
it to Madame de Ssinte-Preuye. All
now went rightly, and when Gerard
quickly returned with the ring be had
purchased had two rings for the cere-
mony, which caused my wife to say,
whenever one of those rare clouds came
between US, Thou must have made Q
mistake in the ring"
The two rings we're exactly like each
other; neither nor Gerard himself
could ever tell which was the original {;
and so struck was be by the circum-
stance that be commenced q romance.
to which be gave the title of "The
Magic Ring"
Perhaps in this romance the rlng
which Msdemoiselle Yvonne restored
was destined to be one day placed upon
Der fryer. Such was not the case, for
although the lovely Fannie, after ten
wears Of happy married life, died,
leaving NJ. Housssye TO console himself
later with another bride, that bride
was rot Mademoiselle Yyonne. Pro-
badly the lady remained unmarried
for, to quote the end Of his story NJ
Housssye says I" 1t is not long since
that, at wedding, ! found myself il
the company Of Mademoisells lvonne'
An old friend, who knew the circum'
stances, said as We went into the
sscristy, Do you not see there some
one whom you ought to have married
when you were young:'"
closed my eyes.
A little later the same lady said the
same thing to my .fancee Of former
days. But she would not look at me
Had she. too. the fear Of destroying
past illusions? AS for myself. have
q horror Of brutal realities.F | wish t
keep fresh in my memory that besuti
fol image Of twenty years, which al
Overwhelming alteration had dimme'
but had never been able to efsce iron
my soul.