The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1892-09-10
GENES CASE.

GENlES CASE,
In the fall Of 49,, after they had had
such gay times and so much company at
their country home Mrs. Afford began to
look over her box of homeopathic rem
edies for something that would suit
Gepies case,
By degrees she made the girl take
upon her tongue or in two glasses of
water, alternately crossed by the spoon
| if one made no mistake, samples of IGost
Of her nice white medicines, But some
/ how Genie kept on looking pale and
| growing thin and being depressed, and
that unmistakable symptom of having
red eyelids Of a morning continued,
0Genie always used to look so fresh
( when she came to breakfast" Mrs, Al
ford said, "And give you my word,
her face was quite swollen yesterday
when went to call her."
1t never occurred to Mrs Afford that
the mysterious symptom of pink eyeiids
in the morning might be occasioned by
shedding tears during the night,
"Why ON earth should Genie weep
she would have said had this been sug-
gested She had no trouble. But even
mothers do not always know everything,
and "Genie's case" was really this,
William Ritchie, their next door
neighbor's son, with whom Genie had
always been every friendly" who had
walked to school, and gathered nuts
with her, and pulled her about on his
sled, and skated with her on the pond
in their childhood, had, after a two
years absence from home, returned to
find Genie quite grown up and wonder
fully pretty. For her part she saw in
him the pink and perfection of man
hood, and their eyes confessed their
mutual admiration. No one else dreamed
; of any change Of feeling between the
lifelong friends. But it was not long
before William said things to Genie that
made her happy when she thought of
5 them, and had rejoiced her soul by gifts
of flowers and volumes of poetry and all
manner Of delicate attentions, and at
last had proposed to her and been ac-
), cepted.
They had not made the fact public
yet, however, when Major Standish came
: TO them from the west to pay them a
visit and brought his daughter with
* him.
The major had married Mrs. Affords
r sister years before, and Cora was theiI
only child.
She was q belle in army society, and
if there is anything calculated to in
crease a young lady's satisfaction will
herself it is that.
{, She made no secret of her conquests
but spoke openly Of the bleeding hearti
she left behind her. She might if sht
!, chose be Mrs General That, or Mrs
Colonel This. Captain So-and-so wal
ready to die for her sake, and she had {
, long string Of lieutenants to laugh abou
y even the chaplain was really very fa'
gone.
+ With all these adorers watching 70
her return to the fort it seemed hard {,
Genie that she should instantly make
dead set at William Ritchie and knoy
no peace until she had stolen her on
eve lamb from her. But this is jus
,d what, Cora did, and it seemed to Geni
that William met her half way.
Innocent Genie had never seen fine
we'll managed, genuine Irritation before
Her wonder was almost as great as he
Il grief to find man so treaeherous, an
;" one evening, when there was gay par
lot ty at the house and Cora and Williar
IN. seemed to have vanished mysteriously
she hid herself in the honeysuckle arbc
"a place just then plunged in deepe:
shadow-and flung herself down on
b, corner of the bench to indulge unseen i
. few tears.
And while she fingered there Coz
and William came softly In, and sittin
~ down where the moonlight drifted
w upon their faces began most sent
mental and dramatic conversation.
He compared her TO a rose and
nightingale He told her what sta
Ting effect she had upon his heart wht
first he saw her, and he alluded my
teriously 10 "bonds that bound" hi
III and to what he would do were he free.
Ill But honorl honorl lie would bre'
no sweet girls heart
.es' ''Never for my sake" Cora declare
. 'Better that should suffor than one i
nocent."
] It was quite like a chapter from a Sc
sational novel. She gave him her han
to kiss, neither Of them guessing tn
the deep shadow in the corner W
tors Genie, and he quoted poetry by t
one yard. They evidently considered thel
'pf selves very noble and self sacrihciu
wonderful, suffering, glorious being
And how the little maiden sat quiet
also two feet from them until they rose "a
IND went away arm ia arm she never lne
neither how she lived through the mig
az But the next day found her very stror
Oh. Early in the morning she went to I
garden fence and beekoned Will;
Ritchie TO come to her, and took his al
with laugh, and made him walk W
her out Of hearing. Then she said
Don't you think that when peol
have made a great mistake the b
pa thing possible is to confess itf'
And when he answered, 81 supp
6o," she simply took her ring from
VI finger andhgaYe iE back to him. Th
she left him and walked away, and
how gay she was all that dayl She b
1. never believed that she could act
we'll Her heart was full Of burni
pain, and she wished that she were de
,ics But her pride upheld her, aud no {
,,... guessed how she suffered.
ID rt She was so glad that she had ne
ed 10 told any one Of her engagement to v
yai-y ham Richie, and could join in all IL
~ merry talk when it was publicly kno
0F that Mr., Ritohie had cut out the &
erals and majors and captains and e
nels Of army society
ms 10 AS for William, he was greatly {
guest. graduated, and when the major W
back to his quarters with his daugh
ior. in something Of a hurry, there was
- of trouble with the Indians. 1t was
derstood that William Ritchie was (,
out in six months time 10 claim
bride and bear her away before the y
eyes Of all those envious warriors.
The major did not profess to be plea
That girl who could marry in a.
res, society should choose "a civil
amazed him, he openly confessed.
p 50 wllful woman must have her w
Cora was of age-full five and twea
IN = "William Ritchie is very nice,
Afford said.
&. 'No doubt, ," the major assented. "
Cora might have had a general"
How glad Genie was when they \
acial gonel How soon she left on her act
Her mother opined that she had
q too gay that summer Mrs. Ritz
who was broken hearted al her
liama choice, came in sometimes
was apt 70 wish herself ia the tom