The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-04-13
THE FOUNTAIN.

Out Of the shadows Of the garden two
people came into the moonlight, and
leaned over the. little chain that encirclcd
the small fountain, into whose basin a
marble Hcbc continually cmpticd her
ever-brimming cup.
AS the girl looked down into the water
her fingers triflcd with a lily, and she re-
marked that n of the leaves had been
broken. 1t is strange how VIC notice
such small things when VIC are thinking
of greater ones; yes, and remember them,
too. Ever after Lima Michel remembered
that broken lily leaf, and the futtering
reflection in the water, and the scent of
the roses, and the few wind blown drops
that were cast "pon her neck from the
cup of the IIebe Mt the fountain in that
old garden at Munich, on that sweet
midsummer night.
The young man stood very near her.
lie had a sweet, grave face, and eyes that
were as soft and dark as a gazcllc's.
They were not unlike, these two; both
were spiritucllc-both were dark, both
were romantic. The tic of blood was
between them, for they were cousins,
though, as the Scotch folk say, ''far
away cousins" and bearing different
aamcs. They had been brought up un-
der one roof, and Lima Michcl's mother
had been all the mother the little orphan
Henri Klebcr knew. When, after a little
silence, she turned her eyes toward him,
she looked into his without reserve, just
rs a sister might.
ut is cruel of grandpapa," she said.
''It is very cruel, Henri. These old peo-
pie think only of money. Why can they
not let us have peace, when we could be
so happy2. 1t is such IN absurd idea.
You and I to marry each other! We are
like brother and sister. Nothing can
change that"
''But we are not brother and sister,"
said he; ''and ever first cousins marry. I
have been thinking that"
ooh, don't, DON'T" she said-"Henri,
for Heavens sake, don't begin to be as
bad as the rest. Be my good brother
still. 1t would be frightful for us to
marry. Besides, one should fall in love
frst-should not one? Think how alb
surd to marry without that"
'But I like you so much," said Henri.
''Dear Cousin Lima, let us talk about it,"
II will not, " said she. eff you desire
to quarrel, you can talk about such fool
ish f~ancics, not else. OF course, you like
me-; of course, I like you, and hat is just
why it can't be. Grandpapa ought to be
ashamed of himself"
She paused a moment, then turned her
lips toward her cousin.
"Givc me a kind kiss, brother Henri"
said she, ''and never, never, never speak
of this nbsurdity again. AS for marry
ing, l shall never marry any one. Why
should I, when 1 dctest the thought9"
Henri gave d little sigh.
~ shall never marry either, Cousin
Lima" said he; 'but you see we are not
brother and sister. You can't make it so
~ ooSihS ~
Then he kissed her and they walked
back into the house, where Grandpapa
Kleber and Granduncle Michel had Just
settled the matrimonial prospects of these
two young cousins to their own satisfac-
ton.
The result of the young peoples REBEL
ion was a quarrel.
Lima escaped very easily. It was only
proper for a girl to be coy; but the young
man was so bcset with rcproaches that he
finally dcfied his relatives much as Ajax
did the lightning.
In his case the lightning had the best
of it, and the end of all this was that one
fine morning Henri Kleber found himself
turned out into the world to seek his for
tune; and long ere his Cousins black eyes
were opened upon the dawn, had left
Munich and his furious relatives behind
him.
From that day nothing was heard of
him by his friends in Munich for many .
long year.