River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1886-03-25
GRACECLAYNIORE.

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on her beautiful, calm lace. A pitiful
little room it was. its few comforts and
its small attempts at adornment speak
ing refined and cultivated mind, and,
alas! very slender purse.
Spread out upon the small bed. in
startling contrast to its simple sur
roundings, lay the wedding dress, a
cold, glittering heap of snowy satin
| and frosty lace. Beside it lay an open
casket, from which flashed diamond
necklace, Col. Irying's wedding gift
to his bride.
Grace's glance royed thoughtfully
from one familiar object to another
about her. They had all grown dear,
as had the little room which had been
her only home for five years She
tried to repress the SILVER which ran
through her frame as her eye rested at
last upon the bed and its shining bur-
den. Once she rose impatiently, as if
to put them from her sight. and then,
with an enort Of her great will, she sat
quietly down again.
No. she said. Il will not be child
ish. What have | to do with girlish
tremOrs and presentiments-I, a
woman nearly thirty? Past the age
of romance, OF day dreams and foolish
fancies. Too old in years, and far too
old in experience, for vain regrets.
Have ! not thought this matter calmly
over, from beginning to end, time
after time, day after day, since the
colonel first told me of his love?
Did | not weigh all the facts calmly
and fairly, and have not promised
to forget the past and in the future
live for him only? | will be strong!
Gods help and my own viii have
never yet failed me. Not even on this
last night will l suffer myself to think
of the past.
Taking book from the table she re-
solutely compelled herself to become
interested IL its contents.
Hers was but common story. The
idolized daughter of wealthy parents,
She had when only eighteen, met and
loved with all the force of her strong
nature her fathers clerk, handsome
Jack Trent, and she knew by woman 5
sweet intuition that her love was as
( fOndly returned. So, when he an
nOunced his departure for Colorado,
! ITO seek his fortune Grace let him
1 60 calmly and hopefully, sure that her
! heart alone read his, and eXulting in
the pride which would not let him speak
| his love till in the worlds eyes they
were equal.
/ Scarcely year passed ere death
took, one after the other, father,
mother and brother, and then. by one
of those uuaccountable freaks of for
tune, Grace learned that she was penni-
1 less. Staggered, but not crushed, by
these repeated blows, she hired and
| furnished the little room from her mod
est means. and secured a position as
/ teacher in the public schools of the
city. Strong in faith of her lover
return, she had endured the wearying
treadmill existence of teachers life
/ in large city.
! Five. six, seven years had passed
without a word from Jack. Still she
| kept bravely on, her heart, but not her
reason, whispering that he was true
and yet would come for her. Then
came the first tidings that had reached
her for eight years-he was married.
She never forgot those days. when the
strong heart which the loss of friends
and wealth could not break was bowed
to the dust in agony.
That, too, had passed. and when
Col. Irving had told his love and offer
ed her release from her cold. hard life,
she had listened to him calmly and
frankly told him all, and he with deep
insight into her strong, true nature,
begged than she would come to him
as she was, only promising to forget
the past and TO love him.
So she had come to the last hours of
her old life, Closing her book. she
had commenced unfasting the thick
braids of brown hair, when the little
maid entered, announcing a strange
gentleman below who was enquiring
for her.
With shiver of apprehension Grace
went down. Opening the door of the
shabby parlOr, She beheld an eager,
never forgotten face.
Jack" she cried, springing forward
And then suddenly remembering her
promise. she tried to withdraw the
hands he was holding tightly.
Don't, Gracie-dOn't take them
awayi They are mine, my very own,
of lagf 4hoxr not Hparal49 Nar,
know that | love YOU, Grace-that |
have worked, prayed, longed for you
always. Why don't you speak? Have
| startled you? Are you angry that |
stayed so long, my darling? Let me
tell you all about it.
Then followed the old story of youth
full enthusiasm. high hopes. riches gained
only to be swept away. repeated fail
ures, and now success; and he had re-
turned to lay the results at her feet,
together with his heart, which had al
ways been hers. He had not heard of
her losses until near home. but an oc-
casiOnal letter from a friend had in
formed him that she remained Unc4ar-
rcd. and his heart told him why. Was
he wrong il thinking she loved him?
Had he been deceived all these years,
or why did she look at him so strange
ly?
Grace listened with an icy face to the
ringing, eager voice, and then said
hopelessly, but firmly
mo, Jack. mol 1t can never be.
You are too late-forever too late.
am bound-bound by a VOW for which
you never asked, which forbids 10 me
even the sad pleasure of mourning over
my own dead neart. Henceforth we
must have one mutual aim-to forget
and blot from our lives every thought
of each other.
Surprise, Indignation, grief. agony,
flashed across his face, and Selling her
hands, he poured forth a torrent Of re-
prOaches, expOstulations. and mad
passionate entreaties. fiercely anathe-
matizing his accursed pride, which had
kept him from her, ant seeing by her
face that though tortured by love, she
was immovable.
Farewell, Jack" she said hOarse-
"; land remember, if we are ever TO
meet or even TO think of each other, it
m Ist be when this love is dead and a
new one fills each heart. And turn
ing quickly, she tottered up the stairs
aud threw herself upon the floor 10
fight over again the old battle.
Twenty years passed. and at brilli-
ant reception Grace Irving. with hap
49, Io,-o 1;+ or-os faaDfuo fCudIy- m tho