Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-11-25
VALA LEES LOVER.


"He will be with me in an hour-one
little hour!" whispered Vala Lee to her
self, as she stood at the window of her
room and clasped and unclasped the slim
hands above her bosom.
For eight long years she had not seen
his face, but when she last saw it
through a mist of tears as bitter as the
brine of the seat was white with the
pain of their parting.
eff / could take you with me, my
love, my life !" he had cried out, as he
held her in his arms; and she, with sobs
rising in her throat. had counselled him
to be patient-had whispered to him
that she would wait until he could come
for her-that she would be true to him in
thought and word-that when he came
he would find her there, all his own, just
as he left her.
All, not as lie left her would Roy
Jameson find Vala Lee! for long and
terrible illness had blanched her cheeks
and sunken them. The eight years of
waiting, of separation, of loving thought
for the absent one, had left their mark
on the girl whose soft lips had shyly re-
turned his kiss OF farewell, 80 long ago in
the cleaning.
She had stood long before her mirror,
scanning here altered face and her frail,
slight figure, before going to the window
to watch for the first glimpse of him
and she had turned away at last with
smile.
"My heart is just the same," she said
to herself" thrilling all over with glad
ness, "and my old bloom will come back
to me when Roy is hera. Oh, the long,
long years But now-now they are
behind me, and only love is before for
he writes that he is succeeding at last,
and will come for his bride"
She colored from throat to brow as the
murmur passed her lips. Such glad,
soft glow stole over her delicate face that
for a moment it was as fair as it had
been when Roy Jameson, looking on it,
told himself that no man had a sweeter
beacon to light him to success.
Then she saw, in the amber light of
the departing day, shade of swiftly
moving darkness afar off, and knew that
in very few moments her lover would
be with her. And she turned from the
window and ran like child through
short corridor, and down the stairs and
out to the little rose-wreathed veranda.
There, where the branches climbed
and wreathed, he had hidden her good
by; there should he receive her greet
ing.
And she drew back to the shadow of
the rose branches, every pulse in her
body beating in time to the fever of her
gladness.
She scarcely heard the light footballs
of her young sister Ina she did not heed
the pretty girlish figure that passed her
and went down the steps. She was lis
tening heart and ear, soul and sense, to
the hoof-beats that came nearer, nearer,
and paused at last before the gate. She
was listening, with a thanksgiving to
God upon her lips, to the quick, light
step which would have made her heart
beat, she thought, should it pass by the
grave where she waited-her lovers step
And when it paused below she leaned
forward from her concealment to see
wherefore.
All! was it because for so many years
she had made of a creature an idol that
such blow was dealt there-the woman
full of love and longing, who for years
had yearned for sight OF one face, sound
of one voice, touch of one hand?
The voice, the face, the hand, were
+ THERE the face, alight with love, was
bent over Ina; the hand held 1na's
closely in its own; the voice called Ina
every tender and endearing name.
"Oh, hush'' she heard her sister say,
in her merry, girlish voice. "You are
30 dreadfully mistaken, Mr.. Jameson. 1
am not Vala, but her sister; and Vala
expects you. See, she is there among
the rosesv'
The girl drew her hand from his, and
ran lightly down the path; and Roy
Jameson lifted his wondering eyes to the
Gan -v~I &c -.
on either cheek.
to that white-faced, ashen-lipped
dress; and such still, steady light in
her great hazel eyes?
He mounted the steps slowly; all the
speed of the lover had left his step, the
lovelight had died from his eyes.
Surely it was Vala who had laughed
in his face and left him-Vala, as he re-
membered and loved her This pale,
stately woman, who waited for him so
quietly, could not be the bride for whom
he had camel
Dazed, chilled, cold with nameless
disappointment, he reached her side and
put out his hands to her.
"Vala?" he said, half inquiringly.
And she laid her cold fingers in his
palms, no more.
EYES," she answered in voice that
sounded strangely in her own ears. "I
am Vala; but the years have changed |
me; they have been kinder to you, Roy. |
Ina is just what was when you and |
met here. / am almost as stranger TO |
you. It will take us some time to recog-
nize each other"
How her heart pulsed and painted for
one tender word-one word that would |
let her know how dear he held the faith |
and truth of all those years-how much |
more to him could be the love of the wo-
man than her beauty But no such word
came; and when Ina returned to them |
an hour later she found them seated side |
by side, but with no lover-like IN their |
position, and Roy's eyes followed the |
younger sisters merry face, and dwelt |
on it again and again, until it grew warm |
under his regard; and Vala saw, but
made no sign, although in this whole
world of aching hearts none ached so
keenly as that of the woman, who having
waited for eight years for her lover, saw
his face at last and found it cold for her
no love light on it.
The moon peeped through the branches
before Roy took his leave and went to his
home-the simple, humble home which