Elizabeth-Town gazette. [volume] (Elizabeth-Town, N.J.) 1818-1821, 1820-09-12

his arm, and listening TO him with eyes
beaming with unconscious affection.
" The shock which the poor girl had
received 10 The destruction of all her ideal
world bad been indeed cruel. Paintings
and Mysteries had at first %ekea Ter ten
der frame, and were succeecs by a set.
tied and pining melancholy. Ste had be-
held from her window the march of the
departing troops. She had seen faith
less lover borne off. as il in triumph, a.
midst the sound Of drum aad trumpet, and
the pomp Of arms. Sic strained a last
aching gaze after him, II the morning sun
giittered about bis figuye, aad his plume
waved in the breeze: HE passed away
Hike bright visioi, sigh, and !s!.
her all 10 darkness.
1t would be tritelt dwell on the
particulars Of her stofF. 1t was, like
other tales Of love. Melancholy. She
avoided society, and wfpdered out alone
in the walks she had mos frequented with
her lover. She sought like The stricken
deer, to weep in silense and loneliness,
and brood over the bat1ed sorrows that
lrankled in her soul. She would some
times be seen sitting idthe porch Of the
village church late ofIan evening and
the milkmaids, returning from the fields,
would now and then hesr her voice sing
| ing some plaintive diits Id The hawthorn
walk. She became fehent 10 her devo-
tions at church. and as he old people saw
her approach, SO wasted away, yet with
hectic bloom, and that lhIlowed air which
melancholy dilfuses round the form, they
would make way for hei as for something
spiritual, and looking after her, would
shake their heads in gloomy foreboding.
She felt conviction that she was
Fastening to the tomb, Dit looked forward
TO it as place Of rest. The silver chord
that had bound her 10 existence was loos-
Jed, and there seemed tobe no more pleas
Iure under the sun. II ever her gentle
bosom had entertained resentment against
her lover, il was extinghished. She was
incapable Of angry passions; and in a
moment Of saddened tenderness, she pen
ned him farewell letter. It was couched
in the simplest Language, bat touching
from its very simplicity. She told him
that she was dying, and did not conceal
from him that his condlact was the cause.
She even depicted suiifrings she had ex.
perieDced but CONCLUDED with saying,
| that she could not die n aeace. until she
had sent him her forgiveness and her bles-
lsiug.
BY degrees her strength declined,
and she could no longer leave the cottage.
|She could only totter TO the window,
where propped up 10 the chair, it was her
enjoy ment to sit all day and look out upon
the landscape. Still she uttered no COM
plant, nor impaired to any one the mala-
dy that was preyiug on her heart. She
never even mentioned her lovers name !;
but would lay her head on her mothers
bosom, and weep In silence. Her poor
parents hung in mute anxiety over the
fading blossom of their hopes, still flatter-
ing themselves that it might again revive
to freshness, and that the bright, unearthly
bloom which sometimes flushed her cheek
might be the promise Of returning health.
6 In this way, she was seated between
them one Sunday afternoon her hands
we're clasped 10 theirs, the lattice was
thrown open, and the soft air that stole iu
brought with it the fragrance of The cIus-
tering honey suckle, that her own hands
trained around the window.
" Her father had just been reading a
chapter 10 the Bible; ii spoke of the van
ity Of worldly things. and the Joys Of
heaven ii seemed to have diffused com
fort and serenity through her bosom. Her
eye was fixed on the distant village church
the bell had tolled for the evening ser.
vice--the last viIlager was tagging into
the porch--and every thing had sunk in-
to that halIowed stiffness peculiar to the
day Of rest Her parents were gazing on
her with yearning hearts. Sickness aud
sorrow, which pass so roughly over some
faces, had given to hers the expression
Of seraph. A tear trembled in her soft
blue eye. Was she thinking Of her faith
less lover ?--or were her thoughts wan
dering TO that distant church yard, into
whose bosom she might soon be gathered
Suddenly the clang Of hoofs was
heard--a horsemsn gslloped to the cot
tage-he dismounted before the window
the poor girl gave faint exclamation, and
sunk back 10 her chair---it was her re-
pentant Ioveri He rushed into the house,
and flew to clasp her to his bosom bu,
her wasted form---her deathlike counte.
nance--so wan, yet SO lovely in its desc
lation, smote him to the soul; and he
threw himself, 10 an agony at her feet.
She was too faint to rise--she attempted
to extend her trembling hands; her lips
moved as IL she spoke, but no sound wa.
arliculated-she looked down upon him