Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1891-06-18

often do IN such cases. The old famil.
lar friend had been sharply expelled,
and Jacquine, placed under the humili-
ating guard of duenna, knew nothing
whatever of the prescribed one.
Beng faithful, the young girl knew
how to suffer. Voluntarily she in
creased the rigor of her fate by making
herself a prisoner in her apartment,
which she refused to leave, by condemn
ing herself to respectful but implaca-
BILE silence toward her father. Her
DAYS passed, .intermina BILE. monotonous.
Her melancholy face was necessarily
bent over her embroidery frame-the
only diversion which she permitted
herself Like all the ladies of her time
she had gre at ability in this respect.
But no matter how well accustomed
to the work was her young sight, she
often wounded her finger, SO delicate
and SO white. with the eye of the
needle.
One day it became necessary to stop
the drops of blood, like ru bies, spotted
her work.
BY chance Jacquine was alone-freed
for some moments from the imprison-
ment which wearied her. A discour-
agement-a bitter sadness overwhelmed
her. She wept without trying to pre-
vent her tears, while with a bandage of
batiste she bound her light but smart
ing wound.
1t was not the first time that she had
found herself interrupted in her be-
loved labor by like accident. Was
her skin more delicate than that of
other women? She had always been
often thus arrested in her excess of la
borious ardor: but then Nicolas was
there to divert her and to pity her
ennui. What would become of her
now-solitary and so sad without him?
Thinking all these things she felt
dull anger pervade her, as her eyes
wandered over the opulen.e which sur
rounded her and separated her from her
beloved one. All these pictures which
adorn the walls, these engravings per-
hGps even more valued than the can
vases, these dazzling feathers, this solid
furniture, the projecting molding, sup
porting ewers and silver vases by Luz
tona and Adam Won Vianen, these worries,
laqueres, foreign porcelains, these
Delft faiences-and opposite her this
great ocean chart upon which the
privateer had pricked the course of the
ships which were traversing the seas
for him seeking his fortune - the
fortune now of his odious child.
Suddenly, in the midst of her sad
reverie, Jacquine distinguished, out
upon the canal, the definite sound of
an oar beating the water.
At first she did not pay much atten-
ton to it. but at length it ended by her
feeling herself attracted, and she
turned her scarcely dried eyes toward
the outside.
Nicolas was there. Alone in boat
that he was managing himself
Seeing Jacquine he smiled sadly, but
doubtless, he had waited for her APP
pearance.
He placed a finger upon his lips as a
sign for prudence, showed very small
package which he held in the hollow of
his hand. and tried to make his loved
one understand that he desired to send
it to her.
Jacquine, with the quickness of
thought, opened the easement and
threw to the young man ball of silk
of which she held the end of the thread
Nicolas seized it flying, attached the
oOJtCb III " IT, IuSll. SiItSI d bouCll-
ing gesture of farewell, moved rapidly
away.
Jacquine all this time was drawing
to herself the mysterious packet.
a strong paper enveloped a letter and
a little silver trinket which the girl
looked at without guessing it's use.
She abandoned it very shortly in
order to read the dear writing that ac-
cOmpanIed it:
'JACQUINE:-Be obedient to your father
Forget me. L do not desire you to weep longer.
bid you adieu for this world. Permit me to
offer you a very humble souvenir-a thing that
l have invented for you-a little instrument
which you must put upon you finger when you
work. 1t will preserve you from the wounds
which have seen you suffer from often. a. as!
l had dreamed thus to carve our wedding rings.
Adieu, Jacquine. leave Amsterdam. hope
your father will not forbid your using the mod
est gift which he, who will never see you again,
begs you to accept
NICOLAS VAN BENsHATIN"
Upon finishing the reading of these
words, so simple, so unstudied, but
which came from the heart Jacauine
burst into SobS
always! always yours she ex-
claimed through her tears. Nothing
shall absolve me from my promise.
Thou mayst depart! but for mel shall
always await thy coming"
Three years later Jacquine van der
Hassen married a rich manufacturer of
Sheffield-a man whose trade extended
over the entire world, even to China,
where they eXerted themselves to copy
the valuable articles of his manufac-
ture.
When he asked the privateer for the
hand of his daughter, it had been
warmly accepted, and it was with
pride, triumphant and happy, that JAG
quinc, prettier than ever, appeared on
his arm, before all their friends gath
cred together for the marriage fete.
This was because in taking for hus-
band the great merchant. she did not
break the dear promise of her youth.
1t was with Nicolas van Benshatin
that she walked to the church-Nico-
las-of whom his pretty invention, for
loves sake. simple, homely, had
made millionaire.
Having gone over to England, he had
shown the thin ble--a little implement
without name-to some one intelli-
gent enough to foresee the success of so
useful an object. A partnership, then
an immediate success. complete, inn
mense. had made of the Holland arti-
san, in few months, glorious success
a success of labor and courageous
perseverance.
A long time afterward, when Nicolas
and Jacquine had celebrated their dia-
mond weddings thing that frequently