The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-07-13
A BRIDE OF A DAY.

veuse, was of but few hours duration
and did not break my betrothel to her
who afterward became my true wife.
1t was nevertheless q legal wedding,
and without doubt tho best action of
my life. 1 have pardoncd myself for
| many faults OH account of the happiness
that gave to her who was my bride for
| q day.
At tho time of which speak 1 used
sometimes to dictate notes on u philo-
sophical work to an old copyist who
lived in the Rue dc l'Estrapade He
was one of the best men in the world
but had been brought to poverty by an
unusual series of misfortuncs which he
had IL weakness for rccounting to all
Corners. used to listen to him willing
| ly, for his voice was charming and his
| words well chosen. While he spoke
| his daughter, Il timid blond, ould sit
near us copying papers. I found her
alone two or three times and could not
help rcmarking that she seemed greatly
aSltated Ill my presence. As she was
quite pretty and l saw look of in
finitc tenderness i'll her beautiful eyes
when they met mine, l felt some vague
inclination toward her, but l quickly
stitled it. Yet I often spoke kindly to
her that she might see did not thinl.
her displcasing. My gentle words i'm
pressed soul so profound that would
have shrunk back atfrighted could |
have guessed its depths.
We had known each other for some
time when l was suddenly called away
from the city, and during my absence L
fell i'll love and became betrothed The
very morning of my return to Paris
some one knocked ut my door, and my
poor old copyist entered. His thin
figure was yet more mcager, his face
pale, his temples hollow and his eyes
red with weeping. Sir, said he, 81
trust you will excuse my coming thus,
but you have always been so good-my
daughter-she-I fear she is about to
die
'Indeed" 1 responded, with moro
politeness than emotion.
She is at the hospital, sir. I havo
como to ask you-to say to YOU
He interrupted himself stammcring,
incoherent, his eyes full of cntreaty,
and said abruptly, without further pre-
lude:
MY daughter loves you'll Before her
approaching death 1 believed you might
be ablc''--
And without giving mo time to re-
cover from this strange declaration he
commenced a story of love which,
though proliX, was so strange and pa
thetic that, when he ended, my eyes
We're wet with tears.
"Will you see her? 1t would make
her so happyl She has but few weeks
to live
Thrce-quarters of an hour later was
at the young girls bedside Her face
shono with that ineffablc beauty with
which coming death sometimes trans
figures the features of the young. at
seeing me her great dark eyes lighted
up with Il JOY that touched me to tho
heart.
Almost ut once she guessed that her
father had revealed her girlish secret,
and she commenced to tell me the sad,
sweet story OF her love; the pathetic TO-
nance of Il poor little maiden resigned
to dcath-a tale OF infinite tenderness;
how first she had known she loved me,
/ then her fear that her love was not re-
| turned, then her illness and her wish to
! die.
| For an hour she talked thus, her
blond head lying upon the snow white
pillow, her beautiful eyes gazing into
mine. Finally she asked in trembling
voice:
'And you Did you ever-cvcr?"
What should 1 say? Should play the
cruel cXecutioner by telling the truth
or mcrcifully console her with lie:
| Pity moved me:
Il? L have loved you longr'
els it truo:'
at is true indeed. -
a look of JOY such as I will never
see again in This world-thc JOY of the
dcspairng-ov crsprcad her face, and in
hat m9ncn:, if | loved her rot, there
was soNcysi'g very sweet III my soul
an ;.'o.l oi l.&t bauHdlcss compassion
which ln cloec5t Kin to love
l:AoD aao What Id her during the
follo"iic c.ys u doubt me, but one
af!ayluagF!. q:
"3u- N ,, c,.r marry mc?'
sNota - hcr thal | would. She
smiled Up "a lac With alteration She
prayed a.1a, thanking God for his
great 50 c. One day | was so moved
by tho # hcr love for me that
wished Ia @,vc her yet more happiness,
it would co,t me SO little. Alas! was
She not irrs.lcdiably condemned?
Il am ;oinS to publish the banns," /
cried
Her JOY Was almost terrible in its in
tcnsity. Her face shonc with Il marvel
Gus splcndor, and while she drew down