The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1902-07-09
A r Q nj a n G E

Grandmother had passed away. I
stood in her room before the great old
fashioned wardrobe from which she
used 10 give me dainties. On my BIRTH
days my presents came from this store
house. and l ina gined it always full Of
delightful things and regarded grand
mother as almost 4 fairy.
With these remem5rances in my
mind opened it now. 1t was full of
fragrant linen scented with lavender,
except for little shelf at one side,
where lay several papers. l picked up
q roll of yellow writing paper tied with
q pink ribbon and carried it to the
light. Had l any right to read the
pages? They were discolOred by age,
but knew the writing. Could grand
mother have any secrets which she
would wish to keep after death: Even
as l debated l had united the ribbon
and discovered that l held Il diary in
my hands, and the first words in it
were of love, sweet. pure and tender,
the first love Of 4 young girl. l could
not resist, and l read the pages, as |
stood there in the fading light, which
laid before me the romance OF my
grandmother.
It was in the month of June, 1912, on
q beautiful evening, when even the
flowers eXhale more strongly their sub
tie perfumes and the human heart has
q desire to open. Here in the twilight
of the old garden grandmother heard
the first words of love.
Beneath the deeper shadow Of the
trees, wrapped in the sweet odor Of the
flowers, two figures, a young girl and
young man, walked side by side with
slow steps.
"Ycs, Clarisse, am going" said the
young man. "And what difference does
it make? Suppose never return from
the wa.? Who would care? am alone
in the world"
"You have friends, Horace"
"None."
"And I?' said she very low.
"Your cried he. You would care
least of any,"
There was long silence. The gravel
sounded beneath their slow tread. The
night fell little by little. Horace heard
q stifed sound and turned.
you are crying, Clarisse!"
"You hurt me soH'
"Do you love me?'
She faltered, and his arms caught her
and held her against his beating heart.
Unresisting, she raised her face to his.
and their lips met in long kiss-the
first
Horace left the next morning.
She waited long for him. The re-
mains Of the grand army returned
without him. Still she hoped on. Years
passed, and the war ended. Many who
had been imprisoned returned, but still
he delayed. She pictured him buried
beneath the snow with numberless
others who had dropped exhausted
along the line of the terrible march.
Her parents urged upon her the duty
Of selecting q husband from the suitors
who surrounded her. She resisted as
long us possible, then yielded, van
quished by their insistence and by the
certainty of his death. She gave her
hand to Count d'Estrarvillc.
It was ten years since the kiss given
beneath the trees. She was sitting on
q bench in the garden when a stranger
approached her along the path. AS he
4 l. cl,o h JI-cS
Horace.
He came toward her with outstretch-
ed arms, then stopped, rs though sur
prised at the co!dness Of her greeting.
lit is too late" she said. Il am al
ready married"
He explained the reason of his long
absence Captivity, Siberia, the mines,
all the frightful sufferings he had gone
through, sustained always by belief
in her love and her loyalty to the un-
spoken VOW made in the twilight of the
garden. Never had he lost the hope
that he would some day return to find
her waiting for him-that their lives,
so long divided, would be at last united
forever.
"You lied to me that night when you
said you loved me- he cried, the bit
terness Of his disappointment making
him cruel.
no." she said 81 loved YOU, and l
shall always love you. 1t is just for
that reason that you must continue
dead to me. cannot trust myself with
you"
And he left her.
This was the story Of grandmother's
life as l read it from the old diary. l
remembered an old man who lived in
the neighborhood and whom we chill
dren called "The Chevalier." | identi-
fed him with Horace. When grand
mother became a widow and when she
was an old lady to US. he came to live
near her, and they spent many long
hours together in the sweetest and
purest companionship. understand
that the two old friends were dear TO
hi,