The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1886-09-08
\ BROKEN HEART.

/ htI Nthu ucAtt auu an1aoic disposition
as well You might look the world over
/ from one end TO the other and never
/ find a girl to compare with Dora. either
in point of beauty or sweetness of dis
/ position.
Dora loved me too. She not only said
I so but her every action showed it; and
/ everybody IN the town said it was re-
markably fortunate being a poor young
doctor-to win the love Of such a girl.
4 who could have had her pick from the
/ best in the land. as her father was the
/ wealthiest man in all the country round
About this time Ralph Clayton.
1 wealthy merchant of high standing.
met and lost his heart TO Dora, and be-
I came constant visitor at her home
While | was assured of Dora's love
! and esteem was positive that her father
! held quite different opinion Of me,
and he soon made it evident that nv
/ attentions to his daughter were distaste-
! full TO him.
Clayton was a pompous man, some
/ half-dozen years my senior and on ac-
/ count of my inferior financial position
! in the world he always treated me with
] considerable condeseension.
One day as we returned together from
/ visit 10 the Merton mansion he said TO
| me;
Conway. think Dora Merton one OF
! the incest girls ever met She would
/ make y model wife, aud | am going to
| marry her. What do you think OF that2'
| why, I replied. while the hot blood
| rushed to my face, Il think she viii
/ never be your wife, because she loves
and is engaged to me.
20. that is nothing" he cooly an-
I swered; her father approves of me and
it is very plain desires me for a son-in-
| law Dora is very obedieut and duti-
full girl. and do not think the old man
will have any trouble at all in gaining
! her consent 10 marry me.
[ had always disliked the man; now
| | fairly despised him. and it WAS with
mighty effort that l restrained myself
from striking him.
Dora had always been in the habit of
meeting me when ! called under a
/ spreading maple tree some distance
| from the house The next day after my
! conversation with Clayton she met me
at the usual place. | told her what
Ralph CLAYTON had said to me.
20 Paul she exclaimed, II fervent-
" pray that my father will not desrs
me to marry that man. For Paul. l do
not love him-I cannot love him; but if
my father bids me marry him | dare
not disobey But let me pray that he
will not make any such request for
love you, Paul-only you! and believe
l should die il we were separatedr'
l returned to the village feeling every
way but buoyant, and passed a restless,
sleepless night
A few days after that | received a note
| from old Mr.. Merton. also one from
Dora. The old man in few words in
| formed me that his daughter was soon
to marry Ralph Clayton, and bade me
! discontinue my attentions 10 her.
Dora wrote me n fearful little note,
returning the ring I had given her. and
saying she loved only me- but duty and
obedience to her father compelled her
to renounce me and marry Mr.. Clayton,
| that she thought 1t best never 10 sec me
again. and closed by beseeching me to
| forgive her.
Neither of them stated when the mar
riage was to take place, and | took 10
particular pains to find out That night
/ entered train bound for n distant
| town, where | intended to locate and
strive to forget the heartless girl, as
then thought her, who had treated me
so cruelty.
! I did well in my new home. and.
though the wound in my heart was past
healing. it was not so sore as at first
time in measure had deadened the
pain.
A year and more had gone by. and
in all that time had never had any tid-
ings from Dora.
One night as / sat alone in my Office
wrapt in thoughts of the past, a boy
entered and handed me 4 telegram. [
lost no time in reading it, and found it
to be from old Mr.. Merton. and contain
ed these words:
Dora is very i'll and desires to see
you. Come Immediately"
did not stop to think over this
strange message. l only knew my darl-
ing-mine in spite of the past-was i'll,
probably dying. and wished to see me
/ never once thought of her being an
others wife. would 60 to her. of
course.
All the bitterness | had felt toward
the poor little girl left me, and the love
for her that / had partially smothered
surged over and through me with re-
newed vigor.
1t was early morning wnen / started
on my journey, and the darkness Of
night was settling over the world when
| reached my destination
No one was at the station to meet me
and, without losing the time to hiie a
vehicle, started out to walk to the Mer-
ton mansion across the fields My way
would take me by the old trysting-tree
, where Dora had met me so often in the
happy DAYS of the long ago.
Nv mind was busy AZ / walked over
the old familiar pathway. / thought of
the girl-uow probably lying within the
pale of death-who had wandered over
these verv fields. clinging lrustingly 10
my arm, and utterlng vows Of eternal
love for me. ] thought, too. Of the man
who bad come between US with his ac-
cursed gold and parted Us forever, we'll
nigh wrecking my life and breaking the
heart of poor Dora
| was now near the old tryst-tree, and
? in the fast gathering twilight | saw 3
, sight that sent the blood rushing through
T my veins like current of fire.
Leaning against the trunk of the tree.
; clad in dress of spotless white, / saw
the outline of fragile female form.
1t was Dora. There could De 40 doubt
about that [ knew the graceful figure
too well, and the attitude was just the
g same as she used TO assume when she
waited for me in the spot long ago.
Yes. it was Dora. She was not so i'll.
, then, as they had thought her; she had
recovered and bad come out to meet and
surprise me.
, Thus thought as rushed on to greet
: her. There never was such JOY as mine
It was so great that | often wonder il
7 did not kill me then and there
d l was now close TO her, but she never
e moved.
$ Uttering many endearing words
seized her hands, which were clasped
e before her, and attempted TO draw her
to me.
e The hands were eold-O, so stony
L cold, and the great brown eyes had such
a strange expression, and the face was
y so worn and white that released her
i hastily and reeoiled several feet
MY Godrn was my inward ejaeula
: = ton lean my Dora have gone mad
= Has her illness dethroned her reasonP'
Suddenly she turned, and. fixing her
F.. great star-lIke eyes on me slowly said:
paul, your Dora is dead You came
;, too late-I died for love of you For
!. get me never, o. my darling. Farewell
ta farewell. and noiselessly approaching
n me she pressed her icy lips to mine and
disappeared :.
a. Overcome with horror / found myseli
a in bed at the residence of the old village
doctor under whom had first studied
re He told me that had been found un-
If der the old maple tree in death-like
le swoon; that three weeks had elapsed
e. since then and l had been suffering
$ from an attack of brain-fever, and 10
l all that time l had talked of nothing
y, but Dora, ghosts, and human cruelty