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Taylor, Bayard, 1825-1878

"Beauty and the Beast, and Tales of Home"

"
He spoke tenderly, but inflexibly, and Joel felt that his fate was
pronounced. When Alice had somewhat revived, and was taken to
another room, he stumbled blindly out of the house, made his way to
the barn, and there flung himself upon the harvest-sheaves which,
three days before, he had bound with such a timid, delicious
hope working in his arm.
The day which brought such great fortune had thus a sad and
troubled termination. It was proposed that the family should start
for Philadelphia on the morrow, leaving O'Neil to pack up and
remove such furniture as they wished to retain; but Susan, Lady
Dunleigh, could not forsake the neighborhood without a parting
visit to the good friends who had mourned with her over her
firstborn; and Sylvia was with her in this wish. So two more days
elapsed, and then the Dunleighs passed down the Street Road, and
the plain farm-house was gone from their eyes forever. Two grieved
over the loss of their happy home; one was almost broken-hearted;
and the remaining two felt that the trouble of the present clouded
all their happiness in the return to rank and fortune.


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