Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1889-01-18
WITHOUT A DOVER,


When she entered the grand salon Mt
the soirccs of the General, looking SO
smiling and fresh, murmur of admira.
ton rose ficm the groups of officers
gathered near the doors. Behind her
tamo her mother in n toilet somewhat
queer and provincial in style, shaking
hcr cork screw curls of white hair, rs ii
TO say. 'This is my daughter" And
hcr iather, slender, gentle, modest Colo.
mel OF the l23d, followed, taking care
not to step on the trains Of their dresses,
she was scarcely seated before q aouad
OF lleuienants and of captains, forming
The elite of the garrison of Versailles
buttoncd up in their ful-d dress uniforms.
with mustachcs either light or dark
with eyes either tim d or bold, rushed
forward in n combined assault upon her
Garnet be ball. and in the golden lirht
OF the chandeliers. TO the sound of the
Instruments, she whirlcd away, light and
graceful, carried round in the arms of
these young men, II of whom were
anxious to please her. For them her
ucSircS were their orders. her cnprccs
their laws. Daughter of the Colonel!
whenever the list of promotions was
prepared, word OF praise thrown out
tareicsSiy by her, sucn as: "Ah, Lieu.
tenant So'and-so, what charming officer
ana what good waltzer,' was enough
10 determine whole career.
She had thus pas ed twenty-five years
OF very happy life, making the round
OF al the garriSons of France and with
colors flying and trumpcts sounding.
living Il somewhat nomadic existence
Her mother commenced to show n little
a lmpaticncc; she would rather hare seen
,tfhcr married, but between her and her
s4suitoTs there was fearful barrier. upon
aRwhlch were written these decisive words ::
~ Without dover" And the officers
3filrted, laughed and danced, but nc or
gscemcd to think Of marrying. TO please
ftthc daughter of tho Colonel in order to
obtain favors--vcry good! But TO 90 MS
Inr rs mariia c-that was another thing
Not one of all of them seemed Il sposed
that way except certain timid and
Dashiul Lieutenant, who for year or so
had loved her, but only succeeded in
provoking her r.diculc. lie was n big
Fellow with red musta he and blue ewes
born i'll Lorraine and educated mt Saint
MaiNcnt. lie had enlisted at the age of
eighteen years was wounded in the bat
tie o! Coulmicrs, aud wore n military
me al, but rs he had not come from the
school OF Saint Cyr the others held him
nj Il distance. Born of peasant parent
age, he was robust and hearty, saying
little, although well educated. Icry
brilliant upon parade. he was completely
lost in salon. lie scarcely knew
how 10 dance. The fear of being
considered impolitc had once impelled
him to invite the young girl to dance,
and he 20 mixed up the figures of the
Bo,ton" that the Others could not ex-
trlcalc themselves. This unfortunate
attempt was enough for him, and he
would rather have faced q battery in
action than to place il mself again in the
same ridiculous position. Concealed in
the recess of the window he gazcd for
hours upon her whom he adorcd. Some
times he was so bold rs to approach her
mother, and tremendously to nay her his
addresses, but that was the limit of his
audacity. He saw with envy his COM
rades llnttcring around her. striking
their attitudes and showing themselves
oil to advantage. He said sadly to him
self:
lone OF these days the news will be
announced in the mess that she is going
to marry one of those gentlemen and il
will he all over with me-"
lie had moments Of deep despair in the
icy stiffness of his room. lie tried 70
reason. Was it not folly to think oil
this spoiled child, accustomed to all the
surroundings of luxurious life? She
was reserved for some son of n dis.
tngnishcd family and not for moor
officer of fortune. But in spite of him.
self his thoughts always few toward her.
One morning he could endure it nc
longer. 1t was impossible to live in tina,
way. He went to find the Ma or, who
had always shown an interest in him.
and begged him to see the Colonel. aud
without exactly putting the question,
try to find what sort of an answer would
be made TO an offer of marriage. lie
pas ed that day sitting by the Swis.
fountain, watching the carp jump in the
sunshine, reg'etting already the step he
had taken, and seeing the future black
before HIN. That evening the Major
took him aside in the court of the cascrne.
and said to him briefly:
II have seen the Colonel lie wa.
very Kind and this is his reply: .Youl
proteSe has not sou. My daughter
has no dover 1t would be marrying
munger and thirst He is right. Dc
not think any more of the girl, and il
you feel very bad about it console your
self with philosophy"
tIiilkeO ulll, DuC cOulC
not console himself in that way. and n,
they were demanding volunteers fol-
Tonquin he offered his services.
The following week he embarked al
Brest, and while he, with heavy heart,
was SAILING away over the rolling waves
of the wide ocean, the young girl
thoughtless and joyous, continued e
dance in the light and among tho flower.
to the sweet sound of the instruments O
music.
Two years had passed. The Genera
was still receiving at his fine hotel. bu
the charming girl who used to turn al
the heads at these brilliant militar,
so'rees did not appear any more. TIL,
Colonel of tho 12sd had died suddenly
just upon the eve of obtaining his pro
motion. A lonely and monotonous OK
istence succeeded to tho gay and brillian
lie OF the two women. All the obsc
quious officers who used to fluttcr arounC
30 rallantly had disnnneorod ,r;,I al