The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1892-02-25

- DO Won 'iitI'- 10 say mat You nave
! grown Indifferent to that sweet young
| creature, and are triling with the affec-
| lions that you won: Do you no longer
| love her:
Love her l broke forth. 1 wor-
ship her, sir
"'Th"n. Why in Heavens name did
not YOU writ" to her:
~ don't know, sir, except that !
never thought Of it that is all that l can
say But | swear that | meant no slight
nor ind ference. [ love her as my own
soul, aud | have 10 wish in lie apart
from her
- Well, my son, advise you to mount
your horse at once and ride as fast as
you can to the girls house; and if you
can make your peace with her, make it
on any terms she give1. | doubt if you
Will have an easy job of it. How you
can explain your silence to her SO as to
satisfy her pride and affection l don't
soc, but lose no time, and do your best.
These words put me into d perfect
frenZr.
In less than an hour / had started
for the low country. | never spHr"C
- h-r nay horse OF myself. rode L CAT
AMI dJy, and at last reached Fayctte-
Vile one stormy night long after dark
Laura y home lay nearly a days ride
further on, but my horse and his rider
We're both worn out, and rest we must.
when | went to register my name l
SAW Laur3'S name written just above,
and upon inquiry found that she was
accompanying her brOther-in-law and
his family to Tennessee, where they
meant t. make their future home. | at
once sent request that she would see
me, which was refused. | sent another
other refusal.
Il then -"nt for her brother-in-law.
He came, very cold and stiff, resenting
what Ii" called my treatment of his
sister.
Il threw myself upon his mercy. l
told him the exact truth. | could not
explain how it happened that | never
thought Of writing, but | bad meyer once
thought Of it. | loved her with all my
soul, and | had but one wish in life. and
that was that she should be my wife.
- He wa. completely won over to my
side and promised to us" his influence
in my behalf. He went off to seq Laura,
and after IL long tim" came back, very
mach annoyed, and said:
:" can't do anything with her. She
will SO" YOU if you insist upon il, but
she would much rather be spared til
pain of meeting you-lld frankly. [
don't think it will do any good; but YOU
can try.
Il insisted on seeing her. 1 would
have fought my way to hci, for it was "a
lii" ANA death matter to me.
" Sh" came at once at the summons,
cold, pale, changed, like an ice image of
th" lovely, tender, clinging youIg crca-
ture from whom | had pa,t"I.
" seized her hands and poured fo"th
nv ~ GlE az love and Ion q, p.r She lie
tened Xix" Il statue; and wh"l | paused
for II reply, She only said:
Why did you not writ" to me:
- don't know. | l never Thought
Of it, l stammcred awkward!v.
And 1T you say you love ni"' I"'!
L.; fnur months of unbru;rn silence
stretch between YOU and the woman
who had promised to be your vile in 50
short Il time. And YOU can only account
for such an unhcard-of thing by saying
you never thought about writing, aud
still you prof, IS to low" me-
- do love you. | have never ceased
to love yuu, or to think Of you for one
conscious moment
And l can not believe you. No! |
Stop, Hear me out. l know | love You
] know the thought of YOU ran like a |
visible thread through every moment OF |
NY life. [ know how | hoped To hear |
from you; how [ longrd and agonized; |
how bitter was my dSappointment how |
deep f.y hurt how keen my humiliatiuu |
a. day, weeks. months passed in utter |
silence. and ut last your name ,roppad |
into silence. Ny friends hur: and in |
dignaut for me-, were yet too kind to add |
to my anguish by words or uu"9tiOnS |
And because | know what love is can |
not believe that you love me- | do not |
know why YOU have sought me. and |
insisted on seeing me-I only know my |
fat h in YOU is dead, and | worse than |
widowed woman, for | have not even the |
memory Of love to comfort me-
with such Il hopeless gesture, and then !
stood still before me-.
had nothing to say. What could l |
say? | had urged my only plea in vain |
but at last l said:
can not defend, explain, or excuse
my silence further than have already |
doA". | can only repeat hntor" God as
my witness that | love You with al my |
soul VIII you not try to bt!iev: me-:
She looked at III" with an HconE Of |
longing in heI eyes, knew sh" want.
To yield, and perhaps if had dared to
take her in my arms it Nigh: have t"en |
dii1"reht; but L waited III absolute sd
enr". am! 1T last 81" said
can not b"ller" you. Let mo ;-o.
stood aside. and i"!d the door open
for her to pass out, and size went with
out one backward glance. And in less
than five minutes | was in the saddle
But YOU tried again.