The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1895-01-03
"A WRONG PASSENGER.

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Gerard st. Adams is coming here"
said Isabel Marsh, bright smile light
ing up the soft, languld beauty Of her
face.
Col. st. Albans!'' cried Annie Grey,
the Young and lovely cousin of Miss
Marsh How delightful! 1t is five
years since he went away to that hor-
rid India, and 1 was just fifteen then
a mere school girl--bllt still l remem-
Der that he was one Of the hai d.
soonest men in the city! How pleased
his sister Helen will be!
Certainly. This note is from her,
saying that they--herself and Col. ST.
Adams will do themselves the pleas
ure Of calling here day after to-mor-
row."
Splendid! I'll set my cap at oncew
cried the gushing Annie.
Don't be absurd, COUSIN! Mr.. St. Al
bans is a travelled man, and quite
familiar with pretty faces by this time.
Besides, he is an artist Of no mean
ability, and his character for gallantry
in action stood very high when he was
In the army" -. >a-
"Heigho! well, I only wish there had
been a hero in our family! But what
makes you look so grave, Aunt Lee
titia?' addressing serene-faced,
brown-haired woman Of past thirty,
who sat by the window engaged in
sewing. L..E
Miss Letitia lifted her sad brown
eyes, soft and beautiful still, and
glanced at her young relatives from be-
meath the long black lashes.
"Oh, let Aunt Letitia alonew cried
Isabel, half pettishly; "she is sewing
and dreaming dreams, as usual. And
she Is too old to care anything about
brave and handsome gentlemen like
Col. St. Albans"
Letitia's pale cheek blushed rose-red;
her eye cleaned with fire; for the mo-
ment she was far more beautiful than
either Of the girls beside her She
made no reply, but directly gathered
up her work and left the room
Annie gazed after her with wide
eyes.
Good gracious! what have I said :?
She looked Ike a young girl who has
just met her lover. Did you see that
red on her cheek, lisa? Brighter than
the rouge in my toilet case Letitia
must have been handsome once''
She was the beauty Of the city.
She is elegant now, though everybody
knows she is passee There was some
gossip about hec and This Col. st. Al
bans once, you know. She saved him
from drowning on one occasion, and
he was the prince Of devotion for a
week; then, manlike, he forgot his
gratitude, and sailed for India. Men
are very consistent creatures, ma
belle.'' ...-.
Meanwhile, Letitia Marsh, who was
the sister of Isabel's father, went to
her chamber, and laid her work care
fully away in it's neat basket, for she
was an old maid, and old maids, you
know, always do everything with
core, if we may credit tradition.
She unlocked a drawer, and took
from thence a small escritoi1,e, which
opened to the touch Of key which
she, always Wore attached TO a. slen-
der gold chain around her neck.
The lifted lid displayed a few let
ters, bunch Of faded flowers tied with
blue ribbon, and a miniature case Of
dead gold. The case she did not open
perhaps even yet she could not trust
herself to look upon the face hidden
there, but she pressed the faded flow
ers to her lips, and HID the yellow
letters a moment against herheart
Then, with nervous haste, she flung
all those souvenirs of a dead dav
back into Their receptacle, ad
snapped the casket together rudely,
hiding the key again in her bosom.
Yes" she said, sadly, II am too old.
The girls were right. And I am so
very slow to learn the lesson of grow
ing away from youth. Too old for
love, but not too old for suffering.
Heaven help mey'
She rose and looked in the glass. A
stranger would have pronounced the
face reflected there fair, and sweet,
and youthful still, NUT Letitia Marsh
stern critic upon herself-saw only the
lines Of care on the white brow, and
the transient threads of silver in the
dark, bright hair.
Yes she said, YEARLY, turning
away, Il am too old. And yet, despite
it all, I love him still. Oh! Gerard!
why did you win my heart and then
east it back to me desolate and I'm
blessed? Oh, heaven! why are
women created with these intense
longings for love, love. always love
ana then suffered to drag out 4 dull
existence, missing always all that can
make existence life?"
She paced the floor softly, her eyes
weeping tears bitter than those which
come to younger eyes, her woman's
heart wrung with a pain fiercer than
anything which comes to her sex in
careless girlhood.
But when the storm was over, and
that was soon, for, Letitia Marsh's was
a well disciplined nature, she went
down to the parlors just as serene,
and quiet, and self possessed as usual.
And when, three days later, Col st,
Adams called, and was devoted to the
young ladies, and coldly courteous to
herself, Miss Letitia met him with
stately grace, and no feature Of her
face betrayed that any old, sweet
memory Of him lay hidden in her
heart 4
Nobody minded her, and after the
first polite greetings St Adams did
not address her. She was very glad of
this, inasmuch as it saved her from
the necessity Of talking, and she knew
that there would be suspicious trem-