The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1888-12-07
CARLUIFA.

folded note under the cold, white hand,
but what could do She had waited a
long. long time Tor its tardy coming, and,
at last, when hope and faith and courage
all failed her, she folded her wasted
hands over her patient heart, so weary
with watching and praying, So glad to
rest.
! found her thus. Her face scarcely
whittier, as the early sunshine touched it
with gentle glory, than it had been for
many days.
Nv beautiful sister Carlotta. She
looked so like some fair statue, lying
there on the old fashioned oak hedstead,
with the pretty blue and white drapery
aLodt her. had grown up there in the
Oil house with no sister AMI only my
twin brother, Hugh a proud. impetuons
boy, who had maize more trouble for his
parant than a dozen Toys ought, AMI at
last, after being expelled from school in
disgrace and running away from home,
he married this brilliant tropic blossom
OF 4 girl AM went to work Ike n hero,
determined 10 support her. Cntraincd
10 any business, unused 10 any labor OF
course he soon gave up, and then in a
fl OF despair he wrote 10 mc, telling me
v hat he had done, asking me for assist
ance, or AT least Tor advice, and promis-
ing all sort OF good behavior ior the
future.
Without any special faith in his Oft
broEen promises, ! was delighted with
the romance OF the whole affair, and
readily promised to do all L could for
him; TO make father forgive him and
take him back once more, and to find
4 warm spot IN mothers tried heart for
her, the precious sister | should be so
glad to welcome to my lonely il G.
They came very soon; evidently
IL Haah's rcsoIrc wer>s quite exhausted,
ana he was glli to co ne upon any terms.
Father received him very ColilV, vet for
his own pride's sake, he said, ne woulI
not allow any woman TO su Ter on the ac-
count ot the misconduct Of his SON. As
though a Tooi for shelter and foo TO eat
were all that a woman e,ie to prevent
her from su ierins. AMI mother, poor.
patient, long suffering mother she never
WAS demonstratiye, but she pitied the
be-utliuL helpless girl, AMI did all she
could to make her happy.
Hugh stayed at hone ior a short timr,
seeming determined To do the very best
he could, but there Was only the oil
farm TO work upon, anI it sce.n med TO give
but gru lgingly its meagre returns Tor all
TIA" la or was ed upon 1t. 20 the restless,
imp=tuOus fellow grew Impatient and
talEed OF leaVIng-oi going West.
Carlota begged him not 10 20 and IL
was easy 20 perceive that Aer heart was
in her words
She loved him with that intense, un-
selfish personal devotion, wiIicn one
woman in thousand feels, AM one man
IN ten thousand appreciates. Alas, that
Hugh did not,
lie was proud OF her strange, bright
beauty, foud oil her pretty. a.fe,tiouate
ways, and more amused than thanAful
for her excessive devotion.
lie kissud her go0I-by one morning rs
care.eSs'y rs though he had been going
out 10 NOV the long meadow, and then
when night came he came not.
Ne Who " re accustomed to his en-
ratio mo en- rnts III not t.iiuk much OF
has absence, but C.ur,ottI Inourned and
grieved in 4 frightened, nervous WAY
that was n pIinfu as pitiablc.
In lew dal :, three or four at the
most she received a brief, characteristic
letter from her truant husband, in which
he told her that he had determined up
on making fortune for himself, and so
he had gone 10 III. oil regions, where
money Was easily and rapidly accumul-
ated-
Carlotta was delighted and chatted
gayly about the beautiful home we
would all have by-and by; for she was
an aiIectionate little creature, aud loved
rs as though We had been her own
relatives, while 1 in turn almost wor-
shipped her.
Tor few weeks HUH wrote regular
ly, ien came intervals OF silence, during
which the poor child watched with rest
less anxiety for letters that she never
doubted were miscarried or lost, and
when they came she would be happy
and content until it was time to expect
another. .r
This went on for while, and then tho
letters stopped altogether.
Days grew 10 weeks, and months
dragged slowly by.
Carlotta mourned and fretted and
grieved.
"Was he sick9 Was he dead ," she
constantly asked and even when her
voice was mute her pleading eyes and
qCiyering lips and trem ling hands
begged for some assurance of his safety.
It MAS in vain that we tried 10 laugh
at ler fears, to tell her how utterly care
less Hugh was about writing; she knew
! he would write TO her, that he would
not forget how nervous she grew in his
absence If she did not hear IRON him
! very often.
AMT so year went YEARLY and sadly
by. think Carlotta had never realized
until that anniversary day how long 4
| time had elapsed since he left us: but
after that her eyes grew more pitiful, her
Voice more Pleading
Despair hal taken the place of hope,
AMI we could see that she was failing
1
She falked no more of her husband or
| his coming. / wante1 mother to let Us
| go away for few weeks, bat 1 suppose
father could not spare the money, and
| so watched my darling, beautiful sister
| slipping away from me.
The ne'gh'ors said she was in a de-
| cline, and shook their heads gravely
when l insisted upon it that she would
soon be " II. Slower and slower her
| step grew, fainter and fainter the pink
! flush faded from her cheek, ami one
the big mapp'e tree by the cast winGow
was sireal<e1 and flushed al over its
green leaves with das:les OF crimson.
1 had risen at ) o'clock, as usual, and
her perfect stiffness had filed me with n
| strange awe, rs L dressed and hurried
down 10 help mother. ] think it was an
hour a.terwar that | stole up stairs 10
sec ii she would have somo cream and
toast for breakfast.
| glory of the sunrise touching hsr pale
| brow, lalf-closed eyes, her white smil-
| ing face.
/ raised her soft, cool hand, AMI it
! fell, limp ami liieless, from my grasp.
dill not screan in sudden terror, but
went quietly down stairs and called
I mother.
She sent for Aunt Mora, the old nurse
and they told me Carlotta MAS dead.
/ would not have it SO.
l SAW her dressed for tho grave. I
knew that no pulse iuit rred IN her
slender wr.st, no breath paSsed her lips,
| and vet | would nos make her q al. At
noon. when the old mailcoach numbered
thgs,ush the village, somebody brought a
| letter 70 our door. 1t was from Hugh.
too& II up 10 Carlotta and hid IL, with
| out unseaIinI. in her hand. What use
in reading the fond, false words with
which / know it was crowded, or in tor
! mcnting mother with the old story OF
| great hopes, Wild plans, and utter fail
ure?
/ almost thought sho would slir AMI
/ !, l.,