Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1891-04-02
For the Ellsworth American.
Marguerite.
BY FLps>ll.


NnAf Elk /.
Her nam, was Marguerite. a vision Of
fair white face framed in du>ky hair,
liquid eyes black a. night, and proud,
stately mieu, rises before one at the sound
of the name. Marguerite. And such was
Marguerite Erstein
She had been called 'Queenie" in her
youth, and sometimes The memory of il
make, her heart beat more quickly. and
the dark eyes dim with tears that are Yet
un>hed, for She is past tears, this fair
stately woman, past all intense emotion OF
excitement
For her, life flows on with never rock
to intercept its smooth current, never a
dangerous rapid or cataract to conquer
These were passed long ago, and now her
lite sweeps on slowly, like a broad, peace
full river, undlsturbed even by ripple on
the smooth surface
Sometimes she longs fbr something
more sometimes she reaches out her arms
toward the west, as if fain to call back
her lost youth, longing to have the aching
void in her heart filled; longing for some
thing To do, something to live for. And
yet She is not idle The poor call her
blessed; young girls come 10 her with con
iidences that they withhold even from their
mothers; young men worship her and call
her their guardian angel. Her place in
cicty il large her influence unbounded
/
in that, everybody wonders what it is, but
even her most intimate acquaintances
know no more than the one who has never
seen or heard of her TIL yesterday. Some
times they wonder il She possesses heart.
for they have never seen that calm eXte-
rior broken. They have watched her as
she closed the ewes of the dead have seen
her familiar with suffering in all its phases;
have seen her. calm and steady, render aid
where even strong men turned away With
tears and though they have seen her face
grow white with horror, and those beauti-
full eyes filled with compassion, never once
are their lustre dimmed by weeping, or the
white hands made helpless by their trem-
bling.
''She has wonderful courage they
say admiringly, but they are wrong, for it
i, simply the inability to reveal any emo
ton.
Marguerite Dare was proud, sensitive
girl, always merry and loving aud idolized
by fond father. whom she adored look
ing up to him as her ideal of manhood.
He had been father and mother both to her,
her one cherished companion, more to her
than all the world beside. she was queen
of his household and Of his heart; she had
every wish gratitied, all her wants antici
paied, and so she was perfectly happy,
pure and sinless as child at the age of
twenty. Then, during the summer, she
went to the seashore with an old friend.
There by the sad sea waves" was Don
aid Cameron, and the han n1some Scotch
man won her innocent, girlish heart, Civ
ing her in return the wealth of his own
true love.
Those were happy days beside the grand
old ocean, and in after years it seemed to
Marguerite Dare like beautiful dream,
something too grand to be reality, and
from which she was roughly awakened
with pain at her heart that never died
away, though time, the great healer, sof-
tened its anguish.
But the summer waned, and at last Mar
guerite returned to her home, speedily fol-
lowed by her lover, whose home was in
the same city. Mr.. Dare welcomed him
cordially, only asking that Donald should
not take his one treasure from him until
another year had rolled around.
And so, as the summer days fed. the
winter passed, Marguerite learning the
lesson of love, and finding that her affec-
ton for her father, compared with this
new feeling, was las moonlight unto sun
light, and as water unto wine" 9.
Learning to listen for the sound of one
voice, whose mellow tones thrilled her
heart; learning to distinguish one foot
step from all others; learning to connect
every action and every thought with her
love; dressing only to please his taste and
eyes; choosing his favorite songs and
books; she retired at night soothed into
slumber by the memory of his last words,
and her first thought on waking was of
him and their next meeting.
She was startled at last to find her life
so wholly wrapped up in him; startled to
find that glimpse of his cap in the dis
tance, or the distant sound of his voice
sent the hot color to her cheek, and made
her heart beat more quickly. His pres
ence calmed any emotion, dispelled any
sorrow, and she was content under the
light of his bonnie blue eyes.
Her twenty-flrst birthday came with the
roses in June, and Donald had wished it to
be their wedding day, SO with the spring
the preparations for the event began. In
May came the first shadow on her happi-
ness. Mr.. Dare came home one day, pale
and worn with anxiety. Marguerite,
alarmed at his unusual demeanor, besought