Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1891-08-22
Il PROMISE. >


The beautiful little creature stamp
ed her tiny foot on the turf, as she
spoke; her eyes famed with anger,
flush shot up into her dark cheek.
al belonged to my country before
ever saw you, Viva" answered Tom
Creighton, in sad but steady tone.
'You shannot go though! All! dear,
dear, darling Tom, canyon leave your
little Iassie to die OF fear? Don't you
love me?"
She gathered the tall fellows hands
close to her heart, and clasped them
there with strange, passionate
strength. Tom stopped and lifted her
to his bosom as If she had been tiny
child.
81 could not love thee dear. so much
Loved / not honor more,
he said, slowly, bending his head to
her ear. A splendid head it was,
crowned with close curls soon to fall
before the shears, and it's symmetry
to be hidden by a forage cap; and the
face did not belle the head; its strong,
regular features, ITS cleft chin, and
resolute lips, all gave the word as
surance OF man." while the express
sive gray eyes revealed humor, tender
ness, pathos, passion, and a possible
flash of rage.
stDon't talk to me about homo :"
sobbed Viva, hiding her face on his
shoulder. II shall die il you go away
from mel can't can't bear it!'
There was no heroism about Gene
We've L'Estrange; her French descent
had given her inexpressible charms OF
aspect and manner; she was as slight
as a girl of ten years, and no higher
than her lovers shoulder, but the
contours OF her exquisite figure showed
the roundness and grace ofwoman-
hood, and her piquant, glowing face
was alight with all the fire OF an in
tense feminine nature. There was
nothing childish in the red, mobile lips,
the delicate, irregular features, the
brilliant dark eyes that sparkled OIL
melted according to her mood, the
abundant, silky black hair that fell tC
her feet whenit escaped from the heavy
coils that seemed too weighty for the
lovely little head they covered.
She was spoiled from her babyhood
beingthe only child OF wealthy parents
not wish had the wilful creature eve
been denied; never had she wanted 1
luxury, or failed to indulge caprice
indeed, it was q caprice that this verl
Summer had taken her to the Whit
Mountains before the great hotels wer
opened, to a small house near the VII
lage OF Franconia. She wanted to Sc
the Spring blossoms OF the North, t
gather the dawn pink arbutus, she ha'
so often boughtin Broadway, from it
lurking-places under the pine needle
of the forest; she had heard OF 18th
shy Linn8a," the white wintergreer
and many another early flower tina
fades before fashion comes to e,
plore its haunts, from schoc
friend who lived in northern Ne
Hampshire; and so, weary {
the early terrors of the great wa
was looming blackly in the distance
tired from the two years in EuroL
that followed her school days, an
the long winter of dissipation i'll til
city. she had intimated to her obedier
parents her desire to visit Franconii
and they took her to the Pine Hi
House accordingly.
Here she met Tom Creighton; h
father and mother lived on far
near by, and the handsome your
lawyer from New York had come u
TO say good-by to them; for he ma
enlisted in volunteer regiment an
daily expected orders to the front.
Viva had met him often in societ
and the two opposite natures, in
measure counteFparts, had been m
Gually attracted Tom Creightonw W;
a typical New Englander, strong o
stinate, enduring with rigid sense
duty as his dominant trait. He d
not entirely approve OF the war, +
he was naturally conservative; but
considered that he ought to go and |
he would. 1t was thorough surpri
to both the pair, this meeting amo
the mountains; and it was the la
thing Tom Creighton intended, to Il
in love with Miss Il Estrange, mu
less to let her know it, but he cou
not help himself; with characterist
impetuosity she lost her heart
these solitudes, where all the re
character of the young man show
itself, no longer overlaid by the CT
toms of society. She saw how trl
how tender, how brave he was; ht
superior to the society men who b
bored her in New York. She had
deed distinguished him there from
certain superiority of aspect, but M
she knew and loved him, and show
&c with such naive simplicity til
Tom, for all his good resolution
broke down and fell at her feet. On
a day had Encouragement been ma
known when the summons Tom
pected came. Viva was almost fri
tic. 1t was the first time in her
that her will had been useless; but n
1t beat against rock
Tired with the vain struggle, rope
cd till Tom heart ached to its dept