Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-08-04
NOW, AND THEN.
My dust would hear her and beat,
Had lain for u century dead.
frtrN-NTxHgANT


Had lain for a century dead.
TENNYSoN.
The last struggling rays Of the winter
sun filtered like specks OF gold through
the dusty panes of an attic window,
resting lovingly on the brown head OF
young girl, whose great wondering
eyes were eagerly scanning the faded
lines OF an old letter, yellow with age
As the last feeble rays gave way to
the dun grey OF twilight. she arose
with sigh, her eyes full Of unshed
tears, and. tenderly folding the letter,
iaid 1t among others In a great cedar
| chest.
Poor. Aunt virginia. she MUIR
INJURED softly to herself as she felt
her way through the now darkened
attic stumbling over the old nndlrons
ana quaint spindle-legged chairs which
We're strewn about.
Poor Aunt Virginia, such sad.
sad fatei"
The sweetly serious face reflected in
the mirror as Nirgie Carter completed
her preparations for her appearance at
the dinner table below was that OF u
young girl Of eighteen, over whose head
the summers had danced lightly. leav-
ing Il CLINT OF gold here and there In
the curly locks face as pure as the
heart which beat beneath the soft wool
OF her white gown.
The Carriers came of an old line of
ancestry; many generations having
/ been born in the old mansion In which
| the family still lived. the whole aspect
OF which gave evidence of the archl-
tectural tastes OF Purltauical DAVIS. with
us iunny gables and dormer windows
The interior was no less picturesque.
| and retained many OF the old time
comforts
In the long, narrow dinlng-room.
lghted by soft waxen tGpers in their
[ massive candelabra their mellow glare
] lighting up the portraits OF ancestors
| which lined the walls, there was one
/ upon which the soft light seemed to
ran almost reverentiHlly; that OF
| young girl dressed in the quaintness
OF seVenty-five years ago.
me old-fashloned, soft white gown,
| win up and down stripes OF dun pink
roses, the loosely flowing brown hair
caught by a snood Of pink ribbon. one
| almost felt certain they could detect
| ard one
As NirgIe Carter poured tea from an
| oiu,iashioned tea urn into cups of egg
shell emma her eyes, which had not
/ lost their dreamy look rested often on
this young girls picture
| nor could she cast off the glamor
| winch seemed to envelop hor until her
| brother Tom opened up fire of rail
ler r!,, at her preoccupled manners.
Sne nau Deth familiar from babyhood
! with the sad. sweet story OF her great
! Aunt NlrEinlas young life, whose name
she perpetuated
But never until the afternoon spent
N me cobwcbby attic among the
iaued scented letters had she realized
the story she had 90 often begged to
near mad Deon lived and suffered and
ended right in the very house which
now sheltered her
Ihe iair young face smiling down
from the massive gold frame assumed
new interest for her.
| me pictured FACE was so fair-su
iair.
Momsey, dear am so very like my
great Aunt Virginia." querled Virgle
mat evening, smuggling herself into a
loW-cushioned seat beside her mother.
very IKE her my dear" assured
! guou,hatureu Mrs, Carter, changing
Tor the tenth time the position Of her
shppered feet on the fender
| MomHey, would you mind telling
me alI about her again? This Is lust
the nomr ioi pathetic story like hers"
wei. Well such a child az you arel
But they DO say you are very like
heI' certainly her picture Is your Sec
ond SER
hers was a sad fate, my dear. 50
young-just your age-and so fresh
anu sweet
she was the belle Of all the country
side ana could have chosen lover
from among the first In the land.
Her father proud stern man,
| they say arranged for her to become
the wife OF a man proud and stern and
almost as old as himself. But Mistress
Virginia had viii Of her own, with all
her sweetness. and fatty refused to III
the contract
stormy scenes followed, but the
young girl remained firm. and further
enrngcd her inther by announcing her
engagement 10 Royal Stanton, the son
Of her fathers chosen friend, who.
though OF quite as good lineage az their
own and exceedingly proud, were quite
poor.
Royal Stanton was son of whom
any father might well be prcud-hand-
81 me ard brave-but that he should
have dared TO raise his eyes to Vir-
glnia Carter was an unheard OF audac-
ity and not TO be forgiven.
''However. instead OF influencing the
young people, his unjust treatment but
! strengthened them in their purpose.
With tho aid Of her mother the we'd
ding preparations Went on as il there
had been no Interference.
"As II was Impossible for the lovers
To meet often. letters were exchanged
almost evory day. There's a heap of