Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1896-11-12

Il
Girl ia doomed to be, the more intense
il this secret yearning for sympathy.
And IL she happens to he Of u poetic
tcmperament also. the longing Of her
heart becomes the mOnOmania OF her
mind.
Alma, with no one to converse with,
no work to do, and no visits to receive
or to pay became an aspiring dreamer
of beautiful dreams, impossible to De
realized in this world of stern realities:
for "love. still love" was the burden
of those dreams. And even as 1t takes
a feast to satisfy the hungry, SO It
would have required the whole
circle of human lOve-fathers,
mothers. sisters. brothers. friends,
and lovcr's-to have satisfied the
craving of Alma's starving heart. And
she had none, not one atom of love, to
keep that heart from perishing.
What do physicians mean by IN
atrophy of the heart? We all know
simply starvation for want of food. Is
what an atrophy of the stomach is
not an atrophy of the heart also star
walton for the lack Of love? He who
said, diced my lambs" said also,
Love one another" And perhaps as
many are perishing in this world for
lack Of love as for the want of food.
Alma's was an extreme case of this
sort of starvation. And small as her
experience was she had seen. heard
and read enough to discover that her
own life wos very different from all
other lives around her. At church.
every Sunday, she saw happy family
parties gathered together in their fam
lily pews. After the service, in the
churchyard, she sspw friends and
neighbors greeting each other with
affection and delight. She knew that,
as the granddaughter of the cele-
brated Baron Elverton,. and as the
heiress apparent of his titles and es-
tates, she was entitled to fully as
much consideration as any other young
lady in the county. Why did she not
receive it?
From casual words and chance al
lusions, rather than from any detailed
narrative OF voluntary communica-
ton from the servants, Alma had
CLEANED as much of the domestic his
tory as was known to the servants
dered and specialized upon the subject
of the mystery that enveloped her fam
lily.
Her father! What was it that. on
the night before her birth, hadl driven
him in an agony Of horror from his
home forever?
Her mother! What was it that, from
the hour of Alma's birth, had frozen
that beautiful and ardent woman into
the cold, hard statue that she now
seemed?
Herself! What was it that set her
apart, lonely and unloved, from all the
human race?
Alma could have loved her mother
and been happy in her mothers love;
but the cold and repellant atmosphere
that surrounded the lady chilled and
repulsed the maiden.
But Alma loved her unknown father
with love passing the love of woman,
and all the mystery that hung over
his sudden flight, his long exile, and
his uncertain fate, only served to
strengthen, deepen and intensity this
love.
Adjoining the library was a small
study that had once belonged to her
father, but which her mother was
never known to enter. Here hung a
full length portrait of her father,
painted in London soon after his mar
riage. 1t represented man in the
prime of his youth, of a ill.,. and finely
proportioned form, Grecian features.
fair complexion, falcon-fierce blue eyes
and golden brown hair-a man OF
whom Alma seemed small feminine
copy.
Into this study Alma removed her
work table, her easel, paint box and
books. And here, seated in front of
the beloved portrait, Alma liked best
to employ her mornings in needle
work, in drawing, reading or dream
ing Of her unknown father. Her after.
moons were passed in wandering by the
margin of fair Eden's waters below
the villa, or in roaming through the
old woods behind the mansion, and
ever dreaming of her unknown father,
and yearning for his presence and
love.
Alma was very punctual in. her at
tendance upon public Worship, not only
from religious principle-though that
of itself would have been a sufficient
motive to her-but also from the alb
solute necessity of at least looking
upon human beings with whom she
could hold no other intercourse.
After the departure of the govern
ess, she alone occupied the, great fam
lily pew of the Elvertons, until Lady
Leaton, who was then recently wild
owed, felt compassion for the lonely
girl, and availing herself Of the priv
lege given by Il slight acquaintance
with the Hon. Mrs. Elverton, invited
Alma to sit with her family. There
seemed to be no possible objection to
this plan, and the solitary girl was only
too glad to accept the kind invitation
and sit with party Of young creatures
Of her own age and rank. This party
consisted now of Agatha and Eudor;,
Leaton. and Malc0lm and Norham
Montrose.
Alma Informed her mother of this
courtesy on the part of Lady Leaton.
Mrs. Elverton made no absolute OBJ.
lection, but gravely shook her head and
said:
Il have almost ceased to wage a vain
war with destiny; yet, girl, I would
warn you against one error that to
you would be fatal! There are two
young gentlemen on visit to that fam
lily; it is their attentions that 1 would
have you shun as you would shun eter