News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1902-04-30
CHAPTER XVII.
THE VIRGIN WIDOW,


THE VIRGIN WIDOW.
Is the curse of many to desire
most those things they have least
courage to attempt. Innumerable
n Caesars are chained to plows by
dread Of unseen hordes Of Gauls
endless rows Of would be Rothschilds
stand behind counters measuring tape
not daring to leap over into the fuctu.
ating sea of values, and Mirabeaus sit
mute at every country crossroads lest
the world should hiss. A brave act, q
bold venture, an earnest word might
win the prize, but the arm hangs, the
project lags, the lips are dumb in the
presence of a possible negation. To
such what might be ever holds more
terrors than what is.
And thus the native hue Of resolution
Is scklied Ger with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises Of great pith and moment
| With this regard, their currents turn awTy
| And lose the name of action.
Evariste Oakfell was thus affected. He
had rushed into dissolute ways to profit
by the evil talents of his brothers. foe
| He had recklessly embarked in guile
berts perilous and piratical commerce
! to enrich himself. He had ruthlesSly
| spurned the love of lion hearted WO-
! man to be untrammeled in the pursuit
of a shrinking maiden. Without CON-
| junction he had traded with a villain
| for the proofs of guardians infidelity
| to his trust in order to coerce the sub
mission of the ward. Unfinchingly
! had he suppressed the true will of his
brother and propounded a forgery to
| render defenseless her whom that
! brother had loved and sought to pro-
! tect.
All these had he dared and done
and had experienced no trepidation or
sting of conscience. But that to which
they had reference only, that to which
they were designed as mere aids, ap-
palled him. His mind by day and
night reveled in imaginings of joyous
life with Estelle his welded wife. A
hundred times he set forth determined
to make his bliss assured and returned
with void warnings and nothing more.
He dared not hear refusal from her
pale lips. Could he brave that the
he had prepared would be easy, swift
and grateful to his temper. But his
vanity shrank from her rejection. He
sought to convince himself that she
would not, could not, say the dreaded
word, and yet he knew she had loved
Horace and feared she would be loyal
to that love. Though armed with the
instrumentalities for forcing her con-
sent, he was unable to expel the I'M
quieting belief that the. frail, gentle
girl was in character such as Carlyle
describes his wife, 'In her bright ca
reer she had more sorrows than are
common, but also soft invincibilty.
clearness of discernment a noble 10y
atty of heart, which are rare"
Impatient frettirg, chatting at his
timorousness, he nurtured his design
upon Estelle-it was destitute of the
tenderness and generous warmth of
love-until it became a mania. Yet he
fingered, held back, deferred the test of
his fate, not noting the fight of time.
The dirge Of the Confederacy was sung
at Appomattox, and still he halted.
But another spirit more masterful
than his rebelled against this procras.
tination.
"Do you know the war Is ended?"
said Quillebert, appearing at IL Esper-
ance" for the first time during bis resi-
dence in the parish.
"Yes," Evariste replied uninterest,
edly.
"Then the period has come when |
must wind up my affairs here and go
back to France, for time at least, If
not permanently" Quillebert contin-
ued. "Some of my Christian neighbors
are Jealous to have the United States
authorities pry into my business. My
absence will not facilitate them"
"Well, Constant, how can | speed
your"
"Settle our business first. owe you
$4,000 on the last cotton sales. Which
do you prefer, the money or the abso
lutte transfer of those two Latolas pa
persY'
"You said you would give me those
papers,"
81 said l would put them at your
service free of charge, but you have
never called on me for them, and |
have no assurance you will ever use
them for the purpose which induced
my promise. That brings us to the
second thing you must do to speed my
departure"
"What is thatW
"Marry the Latlolals girl"
"What- bearing has that upon your
staying or golngT
"This-I have made up my mind that
Laure must 60 with me-"