The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1901-11-29

"Oh, call me Rurc. Let us at
least not forget the friendship of
childhood"
"Thcn | am not lady," said Ros-
alind, smiling.
"No, Rosalnd."
"Ah, Ruricw
GAS we were in childhood" whis-
pered the youth.
"ln all but years." returned Rosa
lind in the same low tone.
"And | may wear the same i'm
age in my heart?"
81 cannot cast it from mine if |
would"
"The image of childhood, dear
Rosalind"
"Aye, save that it has grown to
manhood, dear Ruric."
What more could he ask for love?
He had not aimed at this confession
so soon, but he put it not from him
now. He gazed a moment into the
fair maiden's kindling eye, and as
he saw the loyelit tear gathering
there and the happy smile working
its way about the rosy lips and
away in the joyous dimples he
opened his arms and clasped the
f"rdly loved one to his bosom,
"Oh, | am not deceived IN thls-'
he murmured. "Speak, dearest one"
81 cannot forget the love of the
happy times agone," the noble girl
replied, gazing up through her hap
py tears. ooh, how many and many
an hour have | prayed to God that
those days might return and that
the one true heart of earth / loved
might be mine once more. Ruric,
why should | hide the truth or why
set it aside? To me thou art all in
all. ! have no one else to love and
none to love me else save the noble
girl who brought you hither, l can
tell you no more"
Happy Ruric! Happy at that mo-
ment, forgetting all else but the
love that cleaned out upon him
then, he clasped the cherished OBJ
ject ardently to his bosom.
But the moments flew on, and at
! length his mind came to the sub
| iect Of his visit,
of her fair hands in his grasp, "you
know the Count Conrad Damonoff?"
"Aye," returned the maiden, with
shudder. "He is here very often,
and he has forced himself upon my
companionship when, if he had
sense, he must have known ! liked
it not"
"He is a sutton for your hand, is
he not ?"
ale was, but he is not now"
"Not now?" repeated Ruric, with
surprise. "What mean your
"Why, simply that he has asked
the duke for my hand and that he
was answered in the negative"
'Did you hear the duke answer
him SOP"
'No; but so the duke assured me
he had done. But what mean you"
81 will tell you. Yesterday the
count came to my dwelling accom-.
panied by Stephen Urzen. He haC
a paper drawn up by the dukes owl
hand in which was made to say, or
rather, by which the writer said
! that he dsclaimed all pretensions
to your hand and that he wished
not to marry you; that he freely
gave you up, meaning to seek with
in the sphere of his own social circle
some companion when he wished
And this | was asked to sign"
"By the count"
eyes, by the dukes orders"
ooh, it cannot be-" uttered tn
fair girl, trembling.
"And he further assured me tina
the duke had requested him to OBJ
tain my signature thereto, so tina
he might receive your hand withou
impeachment.
$50 that the count might receive
my hand?"
eyes"
"But the duke assured me onl,
yesterday that | should be troubled
no more with the count. May Their
not be some mistaken"
"There can be no mistake on m,
part. The instrument was in tn
dukes own hand"
"But you did not sign it?"
"Ask me if | took my own life
if ! made curse for all | loved"
at is strange" the maiden mur
INJURED, bowling her head few mo
ments. "And yet" she added, look
ing up into her companions face
81 do not think the duke would b