Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1886-10-16
CHAPTER VII

see her Lucy's wife.
CHAPTER VII
OLIVES VALENTINE
Oft expectation fails and most oft there
Where most IL promises; and oft il hits
Where hope Is coolest and despair most fits
-All's Well that Ends Well.
An Lovel
Pertured false treacherous Love!
Enemy
OF all that mankind may not ruel
Most untrue
To him who keeps most faith with thee.
Woe is me!
The falcon has the eyes of the dove
All Love!
Perjured, false. treacherous Ilovei
The Spanish Student
The month of January passed over, but
Olive Weyland's bliss did not lessen, and
nothing happened to make the true state of
Hardness feelings clear to her
During the first week in February, how
ever, he went up to town on two days
leave-a fact which Olive learned while at
a large reception near Gaystown, to which
she had gone solely because she expected
that he would be there
Lucy was in the room when shs and her
mother entered, as also was DAlbiac. Now,
D'Albiac, although very great admirer of
Miss Weyland, was not a man of brilliant
| conversational powers, and, as a general
rule, when holding intercourse with lady,
was, if not very literally helped out, apt to
stick fast. On that occasion he managed to
get possession of seat next 10 her: but
Olive was not inclined TO talk. Consequent
| ~. Mr. D'Albiac very soon relapsed into
silence; and Olive, while apparently attend
ing very closely TO the music which was
going on at that moment, was trying hard
to hear conversation which went on in
whispers, or at least in an undertone, just
| behind her
"Oh, but Hardness is going to leave" she
| heard Lucy say.
"Yes, but to be married" That was the
| voice of the colonel's wife.
u haven't heard anything about his being
marwried, said Lucy.
mos Oh, but You have been away ten
days, have you notl l assure you it is quite
true; the colonel told me this morning. 1t
was this way: when my husband heard he
was going to leave. he told him he supposed
he meant to settle down, and so on Capt
Hardness went very red, aud said he should
announce it formally as soon as the day was
| fixed
"Never heard bwreath of it before"
Lucy declared, decidedly. Fancy old
Hardness going to be marwrieii Positively
| they're won't be a single bachelor left in the
wregiment before long. Why, at the wrate
we are going on, shall have the whole
mess to myself long before Mignon grows
up into a marwriaseable young lady. But
wreaIly-er-I can hardly cwredit the news
that Hardness is going to be marwried."
| Olive accepted the news as absolutely true
at onca He was going to he married. She
sat just where the blow had fallen upon her,
| although the people moved to and fro and
| changed places on all sides of her Men of
all ages professions and appearance came
| and spoke to her; but Olive, with the faith
full DAlbiac still by her side, stayed just
where she was until her mother rose to take
| leave.
She heard the music, listened to variety
of more or less vaiueless remarks, and gave
answer TO them She as ured D Albiac she
was not in the least degree faint She hade
adieu to the lady of the house, and went
into the dining room for cup of coffee be
fore they left-all to the echo of four words
-"GJing to be married"
What four terrible words they we're
They formed themselves into sort of sing
song chant, and regularly beat themselves
into her brain-"Going to be married-goine
| to be married.
My pen will hardly describe the bitter
night which Olive passed. Oh, the sad tear:
which fell upon her pillow for the end of al
her hopes-the pain of wounded pride. for
the horrible realization of the truth that SHIT
had been sighted, passed over for another.
"lf only" she crisd, passionately, to her
self in the midst Of her tears, "if only sh.
had not said nay to Cecil Lucy-if only shC
had not rejected the honest love which ht
had offered herl"
He would never ask her again now. O
course; she knew him too well ever to hop,
that. She knew that although il was almo5
impossible to offand him, yet that, one,
really angered, it waz almost as impcssibl,
to put things right with him.
Ii she had but known it, three lines on ,
sheet of note paper would have brought hin
TO her side, if not with the rapidly of I
fash of lightning, certainly as fast as tn
four good legs of his best horse could carr,
him. Pride, anger, Offended dignity-pooh
He had no pride where she was concerned
anger would have melted at her smile, like o
snow wreath before tue heat of an August
sun; and as for offended dignity-why
what was all the dignity in the world
whetser it happened to be offended or not
in comparison with the treasure of Olives
promise? But Olive knew nothing Of this
and SO the wretched night passed over in do
ing nothing.