Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1891-12-10
CHAPTER XIII.
REALITY AND ROMANCE.

When Adelaide Chenier discovered
that Edgar Julian was the man grown
from the boy who had stabbed her and
burned down the dear old Chenier home
stead, the blow was hard one That
Rosalie loved this man she could not
doubt, and her own experience told her
how disastrous disappointment might be;
and yet how 'ould she suffer this van
dal, this murderous Hessian, this house
burner to marry her sister, She had
never known how to call northern sol
der by any milder name than robber.
The scar on her arm where the huted
bayonet had passed through would burn
like fire whenever she thought of that
memorable, terrible day in May, 1854,
when weak and bleeding she sat under a
tree hard by and saw that intrepid boy
fend apply the torch to the grand old
home He had already stabbed her and
driven her mother. half frantic with ter
ror, into the wood Who could ever for
get his face, his air, his energetic, force
ful movements? His features were
enthusiastically bright, he seemed to
glory in destruction. To Adelaides
morbid imagination he seemed, as she
looked back through the years, the type
OF all that was whitening and blasting.
She smelled again the bitter smoke from
the mountain valleys where happy vii
lsges and embowered country seats were
melting to ashes.
Add to this, personal physical injury,
Disagreement, the horrible insult to a
sensitive nature of having home invaded
and Of seeing the old beloved rooftree
In flames, and then the incompatible
desolation to q household where troop
Of handsome brothers and sons are swept
away and stalwart father and husband
Is rendered miserable, hopeless cripple
for life, without decent clothes with
which to cover his poor wreck of a body
This is drawing the picture.
Adelaide kept silent and brooded ovei
her discovery and its possible results
Her love for Rosalie was the flower of
sisterly affection, intensified in its colors
and perfume since the death Of their
mother 1t was the thought of RosalIe
that restrained her deep, burning resent
ment Of this intimate nearness to Edgar
Julian. Perhaps this resentment was
intensified by Adelaide's knowledge of
the young mans sterling character and
her consciousness of a deep seated regard
for him In her own breast He seemed
proud, strong, energetic, manly man.
with lofty aims and a keen contempt for
trickery and insincerity--a man to be-
respected, even loved, without danger
His northern characteristerics, his vim,
his moral intrepidity, his radical patri-
otism had strong influence over this
ultrasouthern girl, and she secretly
dreaded to attempt to break it. She en-
joyed his direct way of putting things,
his hatred of shams, his assaults upon
hereditary aristocracy; she even took a
strange delight in the torture of his war
"reminiscences
One day he said to her;
''lt is shame the way we had to de,
gtroy the lovely south in order to per-
petuate the Union Nothing short of the
knowledge that the government is for.
ever safe could console my conscience for
the part bore in that terrible but glori
Gus work.
The lightness of his tone and the ease
with which he escaped controversy made
it impossible for Adelaide to find fault
with him. Then he fell into generous
praise Of the south--its hospitality, it's
climate, its beautiful embowered cities.
He made her forget the war and all it's con-
sequences. With him all this talk was idle
pastime while he was impatiently wait
ing for Rosalie to return. Hespent many
hours with Colonel Chenier, mostly dis
cussing the Provencal inheritance and
the legal prospect of recovering it. Once
when Colonel Chenier suggested the pro-
priety Of his going with them to France
as their legal adviser Julian foolishly
came near answering that if he could go
as RosaGe's husband he would close with
the proposition at once. What he did do
was to frame an evasive response He pre-
ferred to consult Rosalie in the matter.
Many times Adelaide was ON the point
Of disclosing her secret to her father and
to her Aunt Marguerite, but as often
Rhe recoiled from the task, uncertain as
to what her duty was. The load grew
heavier and heavier; the longer she car
ried it the more urgent became the ne
cessity for throwing it off
When Rosalie returned from Jackson
vile she at once informed Adelaide OF
what had happened between her and
Ella
ii ann very sorry for him. she said;
"he seemed 80 hurt, SO desperate"
'Well, am glad 1t is all over and you
have sent him away" said Adelaide,
quite earnestly He is a bad man, and
his attentions to you have troubled
papa and me great deal.
Rosalie sighed, and for moment Gov
cred her eyes with her hand. His voice
was echoing in her ears; no other voice
ever was 90 full of tenderness, 90 haunt
ingly persuasive, 30 pathetic, 20 despair.
ing.
His face and fern were before her In
e, the fascination Of their evil beentx.