The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1909-10-08
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THE chr VALifR
From fbe French


ago. and after the sad ceremony We
returned 10 the old house. Here We're
memories for all of us. For three
generations she had held children IN
her arms. soothed their SORROWS, list
ened 10 their joys. and now they We're
all met 20 mourn her absence from the
old place so dear from Its associations
with her
| mounted the great staircase and
entered the room from which they had
Just taken her. Here were my earliest
recollections OF her. ! recalled how as
a little girl | would come in In the
morning as soon as | was dressed. say
ing. Good morning. grandmother
always found her dressed, for she was
an early riser She would leave her
chair by the window and 90 TO the big.
Did fashioned wardrobe. which looked
so immense to me, and take from II
the expected danny.
With what awe and respect had this
wardrobe filled my childish heart, IL
seemed to me a perfect treasure house
for all that a child holds dear.
With these remembrances in my
mind | opened il now. 1t was full of
fragrant linen scented with lavender.
except for little shelf at one side.
where lay several papers. picked up
roll of yellow writing paper tied
with a pink ribbon and carried IL 10
the light Had | 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 10 keep after death? Even
as | debated | had united the ribbon
and discovered that | held diary in
my hands. and the first words in II
were Of love. sweet. pure and tender
the first love OF a young girl could
not resist. and ! read the pages as |
stood there in the fading light which
laid before me the romance OF my
grandfather
II was in the month Of June, 1912.
on a beautiful evening. when even the
flowers exhale more strongly their sub
tile perfumes and the human heart
has a desire 10 open. Here in the
twilight OF the old garden grand
mother 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.
Yes. Charlse. am going said the
Young man. And what difference
Toes il make? Suppose | never return
from the war Who would care?
am alone in the world"
You have friends, Horace
None"
And IL" said she very low
YOU" cried he You would care
least Of any
There was a long silence The grav-
81 sounded beneath their slow tread.
The night fell little by little. Horace
heard a stifed sound and turned.
You are crying. Clarise'
you hurt me sol
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 net In long
kiss-the first
Horace left the next morning.
Charlse waited long for him. The
remains Of the grand army returned
without him Still she hoped on.
Years passed and the war ended.
Many who had been imprisoned re-
turned. but still h. delayed. She pic
tured 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 a husband from the
suitors who surrounded her She re-
sisted as long as possible. then yielded,
vanauished by their insistence and by
the certainty OF hi death. She gave
/ her hand 70 Count 'Estraryille
II was ten years since the kiss given
beneath the trees. She was sitting on
a bench in the garden when a stranger
approached her along the path. As
he neared her she recognized him II
was Horace
he came toward her with out
stretched arms then stopped. a
though surprised a the coldness OF
her greeting.
ready married
He exprained the reason Of his Ions
absence captivity. Siberia. the mines
all the frightful suferings he had
gone through. sustained always by
belief in her love and her loyalty e
the unspOken vow made IN the twi
light OF the garden.
"You lied 10 me that night whei
YOU said YOU loved me-" he cried. th'
bitterness Of his disappointment max
ing him cruel
mo" she said. Il loved you, and
shall always love you II Is just 10
that reason that YOU must continu'
dead 10 me cannot trust mysel
with you.
And he left her.
This was the story Of grandmother
life as | read il from the old diary
remembered an old man who lived II
the neighborhood and whom we chi
dren called "the Cheva Ter" ! identi
fed him with Horace When grand
mother became widow and whel
she was an old lady 20 ms he cam
/, to live near her. and they spent man
long hours together in the sweetes
, and purest panionshin I under
stood that the two old friends wer
dear 10 one another because their a.
lection had been founded upon some
, thing more than friendship. The
, were too old 10 have aught 10 fea
/, from gossiping tongues and they ha
, so much time 20 make up that the
could not deny themselves the SAT
4 dened pleasure OF daily intercourse.
put the little diary safely back !
tho old wardrobe and left the dea