Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1894-09-14

NJ e. by some money,
have good dowry for his daughter,
Rosetta, pretty lass, blOnl as til,
harvest field and as fresh as n May
morn.
Rosetta had entered her eighte nth
year and was much sought after. Sh ,
drew some lovers by the hope of find
ing III her good match, " others she
attracted hy her beauty AMI fascina-
tion. Time lost Rosetta only laughe 4
ut her suItors aud fuu4l mach to ril!.
Guile in tins one and that one.
She laughed, besides, for that best
OF reasons with young girI, that her
heart WAS no longer her own. At u
country festival she had danced sev
eral waltzes with Paolo Laurent, the
son of It rich dealer IN Ligny The
brown hair, largr, dark eve, regular
profile AMI Ctrrsslus voice of Piulu
had produced upon Rosetta M IN
etfucahle Impression His gentle All
atfable manners cnntrastel especially
with the roughness of the youths ut
Revlgny. Having receive IL goo
education he talked with m4rvellou
facility, and Rosetta was not slow III
listening to hun.
On the evening of the festival this
true daughter Of Eve, having lost her
family voluntarily III thu crowd, re.
turned to Revlgny on Pnolo's arm.
They were ut least two hours on tn
way, walking slowly, amt compelled |,
from time to time, to pause when the
wind blew too strongly beneath the
great poplars which Incl the aveuue
They arrived ut the village, which was
deserted, aud under the ficll OF azure
studded with stars, exchange their
first kiss.
Very frequently after this Rosetta
had met Paolo. Then his tatner hal
sent him to Paris, to study medicine,
and the lovers, eXchan Jln5 VOWS OF
mutual fealty, sadly separated nm
this was why Rosetta Ian he'd ut the
sultOTs who came III han one Paolu ;
absence.
For the first months after his de
parture he wrote re Iulurly to Rosetta
Then the letters became more rare,
with intervals of II month. Gradually
they became lucoulc bllletl, scrubbed,
no doubt, Ill haste, at the corner of II
table III cafe, aud giving evidence OF
growing indifference. At last they
ceased entirely. paolo had forgotten
her.
1t was an old story At first Paolu
had refused to take part III the diver.
slons of his follow-stulcuts Ia ball,
and brewery mertln.~. rnau they
leased him and accused hlm o. hAviu
left love IN the country. Tins ma lr
him, being fond Of pleasure, angry
but he soon decided to take his pAri
in the play.
"Atterall, he said to himself, "they
have reason to sneer. Why quarrel
with pleasure? Leave sadness To the
graybeards AMI profit by the present.
But Rosetta" HIS conscience muir
INJURED.
"Bah !" he thought. ".She will
console herself. Let her go. Per.
haps she has area ly toryotten me.
Lovers oaths arc quick y broaen, Says
the old proyerb, nni wLy snpnId ourj
prove an exception 70 the ruie?'
But Rosetta was not t. he consDicl
On the contrary, she suffered terribly
at this abandonment, and many times
turned her mourniuI eyes toward
Paris.
Several years went by. PAolo had
known how to divert himself and yet
study. After having passed his eX-
animation with honor, he wrote to his
father for permission to establish him
self i'll Paris. 70 this, however,
Father Laurent could no. consent.
He desired his son to return i'm.
mediately to Ligny and establish him
self there.
Gas for the repugnauce You seem
to manifest for your native country, "
he wrote, "that is not the point in
question. The workshops of Liguy
have made You gentleman, and you
belong to the people here. You owe
a sacred debt to your country, and II,
sure as You are gentleman, thi,
debt, my son, you will certainly pay.
THE deuce!' thought Paolo.
Father Laurent will be hard to con.
vince. But | must make hun yield.
Besides, If | return there, shall see
Rosetta, whom, | must confess, hay,
treated basely. ! hope she has not
started scandal to meet me at Ligny.
But Father Laurent wonld have
spoken of it if she had shall stay
here.
PaOlo's fears were groundless. Ro
setta had resigned herself to the in.
evitable. She dared not aspire now tc
be Paolo's wife. Would it not be Il
very astonishing thing if the httl,
Rosetta Dounet should become the
bride of Doctor Laurent? Their,
would be laughter for ten league,
about at such wedding. So she re
signed herself without anger, without
bitterness, contented, when alone, t,
lament silently her vanished dream
her castle of cards fallen to the earth
She became pale and luuguld. He
relations sought in vain to discoye,
the cause of the strange malady thal
lay 80 heavily upon her. TO ali theiI
questions she said;
at is nothing-only little indis
positions"