The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-09-17

| IL was on the up OF Laura tongue &C
raise objections. Aunt Dorothy kept
entirely in her own rooms. and it would
be quite an innovation to establish hel
[ in the drawing-room. But she just
looked at her aunt's face and saw there
SO much eagerness and usefulness that
something stirred her heart
She was almost surprised at herself
for the alacrity with which she said:
Certainly, Aunty. Let us try"
1.-The drawing-room door is of course
wider than this" said Aunt Dorothy,
$50 we need take no measurements. Go.
my dear, and clear away the mats in
/ the way, and see that there is room
made in the BEST window for seeing from,
and close the folding doors. Be quick,
or somebody will come"
Even in old age, Aunt Dorothy s clear
brain could foresee difficulties and pro-
vide against them, SO that her niece had
nothing TO do but obey her orders. There
is certain pleasure in following distinct
directions, even if given in rather a
peremptOry way-as these were. Aunt
Dorothy did not shilly-shally" to the
end she was no limp" person, even
yet, when any thing was to be done.
and these are always the best captains
in war or out of it.
With look of strange excitement on
her face, she waited Laura's return.
! Almost i'm dream she heard her niece 8
| voice saving: snow, the coast is clear, !"
and answered she was ready, with a
singular feeling of talking in her sleep.
Carefully through the first door, care
fully through the second, with little
difficulty about the turn, was the chair
propelled Easily then. along the
smooth carpet to the window, under
meath which the carriage, of necessity,
must pass.
THANK you. dear child. He was a
very dear friend i'm times gone by. Now
leave me-" said Aunt Dorothy. "lf
any one comes they must be shown to
the inner room. l wish to be alone"
And Laura went away with suspi-
cion of the truth that made her smile a
little half-sadly, then sigh, and signing,
think: 1--WE shall all be old some day."
Meanwhile Aunt Dorothy looked out
of her window, which faced one of the
principal hotels and commanded a long
stretch of street, winding up towards
Friar's Hill. No carriage was in sight.
1t was the other window of the room
that had the sea-view. but to the right
of the houses a pretty piece of country
was seen, where .'heaths. starred with
broom" mingled their gold with the
sunset rays that poured on them from
the opposite horizon towards which the
sun was declining.
Aunt Dorothy did not see it Just then.
She leaned back in her wheel-chair, and
covered her eyes with her hands. a
half-smlc but it was a very sad one:
much sadder than any tears could have
been-was on her lips, and she said in
an undertone:
81 am again for Cydnus, to meet
Mark Antony!
Then came silence. was not
an old woman any longer. Oh
no! 1t was all mistake that she. was
crippled and helpless, that life and its
abundant opportunities had drifted into
the past, and she was only great-aunt
without any nearer ties to bind her.
Young, strong and straight-alas what
words are those to whom the realities
are gone by fer ever!-but traight. and
strong and young she stood. once more,
in fancy. Was she twenty-three, or
twenty-four or twenty-fve?-No matter;
now one, and now the other. She was
Dorothy Fielding. with life stretching
out before her, fair, as if glistening with
the sheen of early morning, and breath
ing promises to her that surely nothing
could belle. Within her stirred
Impatient wishes that besiesed the sky
hui ms
longings and its hopes could die"
She was Dorothy Fielding. full of love,
hope, and a thousand fultlments that,
half mrecognizcd, came lavishing their
Joy about her path. The turf sprang
under her tread, but her feet sprang
quicker. The very best of life, the very
fairest of its hours were hers. And who
was that beside her, whose look thrilled
hers with that first. ACKNOWLEDGMENT,
never-to-be-forgotten shock of loves
desire Who was it fingered with her
on matchless ewes of June, when roses
bloomed around, surely sending some
| intoxicatiOn into the air ? Who was it
tested those immortal jests, or
| holding Joy one moment at
arms length with the very caprice of
happiness, followed after it the keener
when the graver time was spent?
Ernest Picardy. always - Ernest
Picardy. There had been others. many
others, who had loved her smiles.
What mattered any one of them?
There can be but one JOve on an
Olympus, and that one was Ernest
Picardy. Since time began, all love
making and all lovers had lacked some
what until now. And oh, never again
to the voice of love let any heart throb
so wildly. so joyously, so regardless of
imagined doom! Until now, nobody
had guaged it all quite thoroughly.
The delightful peril of risking life's
happiness against half an hour S caprice,
was surely until now an untr:ed adven-
ture And the morning and the even
ing. the sunshine. and the rain, the very
birds and breezes moved to one refrain:
| There's nothing half so sweet in life,
AS Loves young dream"
And years went on, until the bond
grew firmer, and Ernest Picardy, hand
some, oh. so handsome, young and gal
liant. ruled over loves kingdom, and
should rule forever and forever. Stop
there. Even in memory-even now
she shrinks from the pain of living over
what came after. The foolish pride,
the mistimed offense, the misadventure
and misery of it all, when she called on
heaven to help her; when she
chung desperately to the hope that
blessed chance or strange adventure
might come in friendly aid; when the
fond belief still fingered that some kind
heart, ere hers was broken quite. would
take home her sorrows and come to her